The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-17
The Lincoln.Seward Faux Pas.

The Lincoln-Seward Faux Pas.
Mr.. WM. d. SEWARD, Secretary Of State
for the United States of America, has
written letter to Mr.. CHARLES Francis
ADAMS, Minister Plenipotentiary from the
United States to Great Britain. 1t Is
nothing unusual for Mr. SEWARD to write
letters. He is prolific in epistolary litera-
ture. His intellect runs to words, as some
flowers run to seed. He blossoms in fig
ures of speech and flowers OF rhetoric:
He expands in gorgeous and many-c0lored
metaphors. He breaks forth into con-
tinual succession of tropes and SMILES.
He oueht to be photographed with q pen
in his hand, from the point of which he
should be represented as shaking forth
daisies, bachelors-buttons, forget-me-nots,
LADY ssippers, pale primrosas and
"violet's dim,
Yet sweeter than the lids of Junos eyes
Or Cythereas' breath"
Mr.. SEWARD has been writing about
diplomacy. 1t is always disgusting in gen.
tel society to hear person descanting
upon their own profession. The praise OF
lawyers should not emenate from lawyer
- in genteel society. We dc. not like
to hear q minister praising the clerical
profession genteel society. Neither
is it etiquette for such an accomplished
diplomatic miracle as the wizard Seward
to invite the civilized world into his draw
jnp-room, while he entertains them with
platitudes and phraseology in regard to
diplomacy.
at q truism" says SEWARD to AD-
ANS, "that in times of peace there are al
ways instigators of war" Mr.. SEWARD
has served at the altar of great many
isas. but of all the ismss that Mr.. SEWARD
has ever advocated, this true-isms shines
pre-eminent.
$50 soon as the war begins continues
our diplomatic, philosopher, "there are
citizens who emphatically demand nego-
tons of peace This is the converse OF
of Mr.. SRwARD's truism-the reverse OF
the medal. 1t is good deal as if man
shoald say, Gin large towns where the
population is very large, there are always
more men, women and children, than in
smaller towns where the population is not
30 large" and then by way of clinching
the argument, he should proceed to OBJ
serve "that in small towns where the pop
ulation is small, there are always less
number of men, women and children, than
in larger towns where the population is
larger"
But, continues our great diplomatist :
The agitators for war in time of peace, and
for peace in time of wal, are not necessarily,
or perhaps ordinarily, unpatriotic in their pur-
poses or motives. Results alone determine
whether they are wise or unwise.
Now that is what We call excessively
brilliant" dark with excess of light. {"
When WASHINGTON agitated for war in
time of peace be was not necessarily IN
patriotic in his purpose or motive!! Now
who in the world would ever have discov-
ed this fact, if Mr.. SEWARD had not in
formed him?
But these dwelling commonplace, and
nauseating platitudes haze bona tide
meaning. They are Introductory to an
explanation of BLAIR's Richmond fasco.
The agitator for peace in time of war, is
BLAIR. The man who is not necessarily
uDpatlio in his purposes and motives is
BLAIR. The President and Mr.. SEWARD
having made both a tool and fool OF
Francis P. BLAIR, now shift the response
bility of abortive negotiations from their
own shoulders, and let the burden of ig-
nomy and failure fall upon the devoted
BLAIR This is an old diplomatic trick.
1t was precisely in this way that Lord
BuReHLRY served Sir THOMAS HENlAGR,
and the Earl of Leicester served Mr.. DA-
VISION. Mr.. SEWARD then goes on to re-
late the circumstances under which the
President and himself held an informa
conference with the Southern Peace Com
m'ssioners, and sets forth the condition
demanded by Mr.. LNooLN,-namely, tn
dlsoandment of the insurgent forces, an
the abolition of slavery. Now these con
dltions Mr.. LINCOLN knew to be impracti
cable. How are negotiations to be cal
ried Oh when enc Or both parties are wse
ing war? If the insurgents laid dow
their arms, the question of peace was pra,
t:oally settled What use then for NJ
LINCOLN to go through the farce of NEE