Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-01-13
Tbe Peace Rumors.

The M Y Evening Post comments as folws,
on the Peace rumors, OF which notice was ken I
in our last issue. The question say the +
Post, why Mr. Blair did not 60 to Richpnd, |
Is getting discussed in some Of the ,Jorrals, /
even before it is all certain that he inbded |
to 90 there and the Tribune blamelMr. |
Stanton for Geographic notice to G eneral Cant,
which the Secretary may never have sent If |
however, Mr.. Blair's own statement whetit is |
published should confirm in every psrtcula tile |
rumor which comes from Washington, we souad
be disposed to praise the conduct of Mr.. Shton
and General Grant
In fact, these officers could not do less TIM re-
fuse Mr.. Blair permission TO so through thilines
of the army. IF Mr. Blair may pass, so ns Mr..
Brown, Mr.: Jones and AIr. Robinson eve Mr..
Smith might demand the same privilege One
man is as good as another, and though Mr-Blair
is an eminent and venerable citizen, thep are
probably thousand Browns and twenty tholsaud
Smiths in the country who are thought, bytheir
wives and intimate friends at least, to be he G.
quals, in diplomacy, of Mr.. Blairor any ther
man.
Why should General Grant pass Mr.. Blair
through his lines The President, according to
the reports from Washington, refused 10 althor-
ize this visit he saw very clearly that to Do this
would give to the nimble rebel chiefs occasion to
claim formal and effective act OF recognition
nor would the allies of the rebels in Europe have
omitted to assert the duty Of other governments
to follow the precedent set by the United ! tates
government This would have added grealy- to
the already heavy .labors of Mr.. Seward, ami, TO
o,,v,oeo1
thing which is likely to extend still further the
formidable dimensions of the annual volumes of
diplomatic correspondence.
But why should Mr. Blair go to Richmond !?
The Tribune takes for granted that he was goil lg
down there to ask jefferson Davis if he was nea r
y ready to give up. Now, says our content
porary,
the recognized object ofwar, at least among civ
lzed and Christian nations, is honorable and
satisfactory peace and how to know when
this end has been rendered attainabe, unless we
take some means to ascertain
When the rebel leaders are ready to relnquish
the struggle we shall know it by the fact that they
lay down their arms, send their soldiers to their
homes, and themselves leave the country We
confess that we do not believe Davis, Beauregard,
Benjamin Seddon and other of the chiefs will do
this so long as they have the slightest hope OF
wearying or cheating the people Of the North out.
of better terms and when they read in leading.
northern Journal
''We do not know, and have at no time felt conf
dent, that the rebels yet prepared to agree to
any terms of paehcaton that our government either.
would or should deem acceptable but we can i'm
agine no possible harm that could result from ascer
tanning precisely what they are ready to do
they will say to themselves: That writer, at any
rate, acknowledges us as the rgbtful disposers Of
southern destinies he does not believe in the.
dangerous stuff talked at the North, about our be-
ing usurpers he takes it for granted that we are.
to be, and ought to be, treated with, the legii-
mate owners Of the southern states-ana if that
is so, if that is the ground upon which the Norza
places US we may as well fight on for we have
nothing to Loose, and everything to gain. If we,
are to be treated with, if we are to name and ac
cept terms, We can do that as well after 3notheI-
campaign as now. And if Mr. Blair han BEEN
sent to Richmond onany such erTand Mr. Davis,
would naturally have replied tCall again we,
are not ready just yet, though Grant and Shermal
/ only know how soon we shall be-
/ It seems to us that person who would go to
Richmond to inquire about terms Of peace, fails
utterly and lamentably to comprehend the nature.
/ of the struggle 1t is not the southern leaders,
but the Southern people-not the less than three
hundred thousand slave-owners or less than one
hundred and fifty thousand planters, but the NIL
lions of non Shareholders who are TO be treated
with. Now, as the President once aptly remarked
we cannot get at the southern people without frs {
overturning the power which stands between 8
and them--the military power of jeff Davis.
The one condition preliminary to negotiations S
that Davis and the other rebel leaders shall b 2
driven out OF the country. When their power 5
broken, when they can no longer coerce the popu :
lation of region over which they have usnrped
despotc authority, then indeed viii haveeome th e
time FOR judicious negotiations with the Souther .
people.
Then, we hope Mr.. Blair and every other ma n
who can haye.infuence with those people viii Q
down amongst them and declare to them the sol e
conditions upon which they can have peace
| When that time comes-and it seems to us net
very far off-we shall be glad to see whole squads
rons and regiments Of diplomatists pervading the
South, and telling the people there that they q
never have peace unless they establish and multi-
ply free schools, encourage and reward free labor,
secure and maintain free discussion by speech and
press, establish and defend equal rights for all
men. Those are the true and only conditions Of
peace.
The DEATH Of the Hon. VIM Lewis Dayton,
U. S. Minister to France, is announced BY the last
arrivals as having taken place in Paris, Dec. /, by
a sudden attack Of apolpexy. Mr.. Dayton was
born at Baskinridge. n j., Feb, II, 1907, and had
consequently almost completed his ffty-eighth