The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-02-08

not clearly reveal the character Of the move
ment II may prove 70 be only reconnois-
sance, or it may lead to general engagement.
The news from that point win be looked for
with interest. The movement began immedi-
ately after the return Of the rebel peace COM
missioners to Richmond, and before they could
have reported the result Of their mission. The
resumption of hostiiities by General Grant
first conveyed to the rebel soldiers the news Of
the failure of peace negotiations, and must
have most unpieasantly aroused them from
their dreams Of peace.
seaY
The UpsAot 81 che Late Peace Conference
We Must Conquer . Peaco.
Abraham Lincoln Is one Of the shrewdest
diplomas Of the day. This fact Is abundantly
established In the results Of the late peace oon-
ference. When, at a moments warning, be
hurried down, e. fast as steam could carry him,
to meet the rebel peace commissioners in
Hampton Roads, there were some over nice In
dividuals who regarded fhls as very undgni-
fed act Of condescension there were some who
were afraid that he had gone upon FOOLS err
rand !; and there were many of the republican
radical war party who were apprehensive that
the deep, designing and acute rebel lawyers
with whom he had to deal would wind him
around their fingers and extort from him some
dishonorable and damaging concessions in be-
half Of peace All these distrustful parties have
good reasons now for the satisfaction which
they express, that Old Abe comes out of this
contest with the diplomatic jugglers Of rebel
dom the absolute master of the situation.
The especial object Of the rebel commission
ers, it appears, was little armistice, of which
they are just now very much in need. IT. with
out requiring from them recognition Of the
supreme authority of the Union, they could
adroitly worm out of the Illinois railsplitter
little armistice, they might hold it up to Europe
as involving recognition of their equality as
"belligerents" and the independence Of their
confederacy. They have been intriguing, man.
euvring and fnessing, In every possible
way, for some convenient bubble Of this sort
from the beginning. But, "putting his foot
down firmly" upon the simple ultimatm and
condition precedent of the recognition Of the
sovereign authority Of the United States, North
and South, Old Abe, among the astonished rebel
peace jugglers, was giant among the pigmies
No doubt he enjoyed his conference with
them as good joke, and good thing for the
good cause. He knew his strength, he knew
that his position was impregnable, and he
dumped" at the opportunity to remove ell
doubts, to silence all fallacious peace clamors,
and to present to the loyal States the single,
substantial and paramount fact that we can
have no peace with the so-called Confederate
States short of the expulsion Of JEFF. Davis
from Richmond, and the defeat and dispersion
Of Lees army; and to the rebellious States the
open door of the Union, with all its oonstitu-
tonal guarantees, as their only way Of escape
from their suHerings and disasters under this
terrible war.
The people Of the loyal and the rebellious
States will know now exactly where they stand.
Before the meeting Of these diplomats in Hamp-
ton Roads JEFF. Davis, in an elaborate pub
lished letter, had laid bare the fallacy and the
of peace convention Of all the
States, knocking the underpinning completely
away from the Chicago platform; and now that
other peace fallacy of halfway compromise is
just as completely demolished. Not an inch
of ground is left our Northern democratic peace
agitators to stand upon. Several of the most
prominent leaders of this faction in Congress,
since the return Of President Lincoln from his
voyage of discovery, have admitted this fact,
and frankly committed themselvesto vigorous
prosecution of the war. As they have gone, so
will the mass Of their Northern followers 60;
and we have thus the prospect fairly before US
Of more harmonious and effective union Of
oil parties in the loyal States for vigorous war
than at any time since their first grand,
spontaneous uprising with the rebel lombard
ment of Fort Sumter.
On the other hand, while the issue of this
late peace conference is thus operating to
unite the North, 1t win operate to widen the
distractions, dissensions, denominations and
confusion existing throughout the rebellious
States. The peace factions Of those States, II Is
true, have never yet ventured TO discuss the
propriety or possibility of their return to the
cold Union" but they cannot now much
longer avoid the real issue before them. They
may be temporarily held under subsection by
the clamors Of the Southern war faction and the
army in their hands; but another decisive
military disaster will inevitably preoipitate q
Southern popular revolution in behalf Of peace,
on the inevitable basis Of submission to the
Union.
To bring about this wholesome reaction our
General-in-C Chief, his subordinate generals and
the armies under them, and our supporting
blue jackets Of the navy, ore our only peace
makers. The defeat and dispersion Of the army
of General Lee win give us peace. This great
och;ovoucnt NAV aoon no n matter nf history