Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-14
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2 ! euppoEt Of JeiE. DaE1s9sEr, Afnceln


1poa Itself the ignoble and dnenyiabls
work Of charging Mr., Lincoln with having
Rcted deceitfnlly in the affair and as prac-
9ticing on the country. It alleged thst he
held out Inducements 70 Davis 70 believe
that if he would send commissioners TO
consult Informally on the question ofpeaes
that the only condition he would demand
OF the rebels would be the reconstruction
Of the Union, that ali Legislation hostile 70
slavery and fsYOring eonfscation would be
entirely waived and general amnesty
granted, and that II be had offered such
terms the Union might have been restored
and peace obtained. Il Is ineoneeiEable
how any individual not utterly poisoned
By partisan prejudice should endesYor so
outageously to misrepresent the facts il
thscase, Because Mr.. Lincoln in his let
tar to Mr. Blair said he Would receive any
agents who came" WITH A VIEW TO gEcUR.
Mo PEACE ToTHEFEoPLB OF OUR coKRo1
coUNTR1,n it Is maintained that this lam
guage implied his readiness to demand re-!
union and that alone as thesole condition Of
3 cessation of the war. Any candid intelli-
gent reader Of Mr.. Lincoln's message will
st once see that this was designed to pre-
vent Davis from sending any commissions
era If he was not ready 10 treat with g
view to the restoration Of the Union.
Davis understood it in this way. He read
the letter twice in the presence Of Mr.,
Blair and expressed himself as so UNDER
standing it. he had previously expressed
q desire to send agents for the restoration
ofpeace r5sts0es1 the ts0o eountriss.n Mr..
LincOln's reply was that the idea Of HtsOs
countries" could not be admitted that all
negotiations must be with view to Tour
common country" Upon this the New
York World endssvors to fasten the respon-
sibility of failure in the subsequent In
terview to obtain peace, upon Mr.. Lin
coin.
At no time in the progress Of the uego-
tiations did JEFF. Davis admit that he had
any other purpose in view but that Of Sc
curing rebel independence. His commits
sioners stubbornly adhered to this idea.
All the propositions urged by Mr.. Lincoln
were unavailing. They did not at any
time object to his demand that the legisla-
ton of Congress sbOlishing slavery should
be acquiesced in, but met every advance
toward peace on the basis of our common
country with q firm demand for an armis-
tics and recognition. !
In the interview that took place at For
tress Monroe M. Lincoln demanded three
things: First, the restoration of the ma
tionsl authority throughout the leceded
statesi Second, no receding by the United
States from the ground already taken on
the slavery question, as the question had
been taken out of the executives hands BY
COngressi Third, the disbsnding Of the
rebel forces. ANY terms not inconsistent
with the above demands were freely Of
fered.
In Mr.. Stewards dispatch to Minister
Adams, he says that so far as the executive
authority went the President assured the
rebel Commissioners that he would deal
Iiberally,-but SO far as the appropriation
Of money and the admission of represents
tives from the seeded States, this was
wholly in the hands of Congress. The
liBerality Of the President was probably to
include general amnesty to all rebels,
and the repeal Of all confscstion acts.
Notwithstanding these generous terms,
the rebel Commissioners still insisted on
Independence. They did, it is true, sug-
gest the Postponement of the question Of
sepArstion, and the union Of the Northern
and Southern armies on some extrinsic
policy until trade could be renewed be-
tween the people and popular passions
Iubside. This they urged, however, mere
ly 10 gain time to recuperate their exhaust
ed energies, to Hll up their armies, and OBJ
tain the means of farther resistance. This
Mr.. Lincoln very wisely refused 70 accept.
NOtWithstanding all this, the World would
have the country believe thst Davis WAS
anxlous 70 return 20 the Union, and that
Mr.. Lincoln was playing the part Of q
trickster, and prevented Dsvis from ccm-
ing back like the prodigsl son. All this
Is said in the face Of his war speech .subse-
quently made at Richmond, in which he
never for moment intfmeted his willing
-ness to live with The Yankees on any con-
dition Whatever. Davis Is as stubborn and
deaant as ever. BE sent Commissioners
to Fortress Monroe merely as q political
dodge, BY which he hopes to revive the
var spirit Of the South. The whole affair
On the paft o. Davis was juggling fraud,
a desperate gamblers trick to arrest the
fateI that are sgainzt him. On the part Of
Mr.. Lincoln It was an honest, patriotic
effort in behalf Of peaca. Instead Of an
attempt to practice on the country, to de-
cef7e the people, he nobly consented 70 try
thsVirtus Of negotiation, Of calm, candid
conference with men high In sufherity at
Richmond. The efforts of the New York
World, therefore, to make out case Of
deception agsinst Mr.. Lincoln, are utterly
partiEan, shameful and unpasriOtic. They
laEor Of the basest Of motives. Mr. Lin
coin stands justified in the opinions Of all
goOd;citiEsns, and viii be sustained in the
most vigorous war policy for the future. 7f
"
Hot TOO Late 70 Enlist Xet.
The necessity Of s further prosecution
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