Weekly New Oregon plain dealer. (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1866-1867, 1866-09-21
Gre eeley's Terms to the Rebels
While Still under Arms.

While Still under Arms.
The New Times, by reproducing
the following rem arkable letter tc
Mr.. LINCOLN has done an ungra.
cious act towards Mr.. GREELEY, but
hrs thereby rendered service to
the cause Of consistency and honor.
The letter, as will be seen, was'writ-
ten in the last year of the war:
. New YORK, July 7, "a
My DEAR SIR: + 4 X l entreat
you, in your own time and manner,
TO SUBMIT ovERruREs for the pacif-
ication to the Southern insurgents
which the impartial must pronounce
frank and generous. If only with a
view to the momentous election soon
to occur in North Caroliua, and of
the draft to be enforced in the Free
States, this should be done at once.
I would give the safe conduct re-
quired by the rebel ENJOYS at Mag
ara, upon their parole to avoid
observation and to refrain from all
communication with their sympathi-
zers in the loyal States; but you
may see reasons for declining it.
But whether through them or other
wise, do not, I entrcat you, fail to
make the Southern people comprc-
hend that you and all ofus are anx-
ious forpeace, and prepared to grant
liberal terms. venture to suggest
the following plan of adjustment:
1 The Uuion is restored and declared
perpetual. ,..
2. Slavery s utterly and forever
abolished throughout the same,
3, A complete amnesty for all po-
litical offences, with restoration
of all the inhabitants of each State
to all the privileges Of ofcitizens ofthe
United States. -. .
4.Thc Union to pay four hundred
million dollars ($4oo, oo0,0oo) in
five per cent, United States stock
to the late slave States, loyal and
secession alike, to be appropriated
pro rata, according to their slave
population respectively by the oone"o
of 1860, in compensation for the
losses of their loyal citizens by the
abolition of slavery. ..
5. The said States to be entitled
hcnccforth to representation in the
House on the basis of their TOTAL,
instead of their federal population,
the whole being now free.
6. A National Convention, to be
assembled as soon as may be, to
ratify this adjustment and make
such changes in the Constitution as
may &c deemed advisable. X X
Yours truly, Horace GREELEY.
Above, we have the terms which
Mr.. GREELY was anxious should be
offered to the rebels, whilst their
arms were still uplifted against the
Union. Now, there is not single
rebel flag afoat in any part of the
Confederacy-all is submission
slaveryis dead-the States and their
people yield a ready obedience to
the Union. Yet in the face of these
facts, the Tribune is now guilty of
the cowardly meanness of giving it's
aid to those who are determined to
impose on a surrendered foe, terms
of degradation which it did not pre-
tend to suggest as necessary or de-
sirable, whilst the rebels were still
in arms. Then, it was for com
plete and immediate amnesty to all;
in favor of paying for all slaves, and
for giving the South INCREASED rep
resentation in Congress. Now, it
pretends to think it unpatriotic to
take part in great National Uniou
Convention, held for the purpose II
bringing the people Of the whole
country, South and North, once
again into harmonious consulta-
tion. The simple reason is, that it
fears it will operate to the disadvan,
tage of it's PARTY. Put that out OF
the way, and the South would be
restored in a twinkling.
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