Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-07-31
ANOTHER LEAF FROM HISTORY,

ANOTHER LEAF FROn Hioiuht'
How Rebel Euaissaries and Northern Dem-
Ocrats Plotted in Canada-IEow Tribune
Editorials Gave Aid and Comfort TO the
Renel ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS would nave
Admitted the Rebel Agents and Spies
into Washington without Restrictions
-Hewould have Opened throughout the
t,ouutry the Free Advocacy of Peace at
the Most Critical Moment of The War.
Hon. j. p. Benjamin, Secretary Of State,
g. S. a.:
SIR. desire to submit TO you, as the
head of the department to which l am di-
rectly responsible, and under whose con-
troll they should, if possible, have been con-
ducted. the history of certain transactions
in which / was engaged whilst i'll Canada,
but which did rot fall within the scope or
the duties assigned me by the President. L
will not here repeat the reasons winch nave
been communicated i'll previous reports for
nrotractinp nv stay in the British prov
| inces. During the interval of leisure
which this delay afforded me, was prac-
tically associated by my friends, Messrs.
! CLAW and Thompson, with themselves, in
the execution of their more comprenen-
sive and delicate mission. In anticipation
of the arrival of these gentlemen at Mag
ara. but. as I believe, without their pre-
vious knowledge or sanction, Mr.. george
n, Sanders, then residing III that part or
Canada, invited number OF cltlZens OF
the limited States, supposed to be hostile
TO the existing administration, to visit the
falls and interchange opinions upon the
condition of the country and the great
question of peace, with the prominent
Confederate gentlemen who were expected
TO spend portion of the summer at CnaG
place. Such conferences being entirely
legitimate under the construction which
Messrs. Clay and Thompson mo doubt
very properly placed upon their powers
and duties, [ had no hesitation III meet
ing the public men who came to the taiIs,
and expressed desire for my society.
That point being the most convenient and
eligible for the transaction of my own
business, I remained there during the
whole period of my stay in Canada, and
thus had opportunities of more frequent
and extensive intercourse with these gen
tlemen than either of my friends, one OF
whom. Mr.. Clay, made his headquarters
at st. GATHERINGS, the other, Mr.. Thomp-
son, at Toronto. Besides crowd OF less
distinguished persons, L saw during the
course of the summer lin some instances
reDeatedly( Governor Hunt, of New York,
Messrs. Leigh Richmond and Benjamin
Wood. of the same State; Mr.. Buckalew,
Judge Black and Mr.. Van Dyke, of PENN
svIyania: Mclean, of the Cincinnati En-
Guirer Weller, of California, Judge Bull
lit, of Kentucky, and Colonel Walker, OF
Indiana, We received messages from 9TH
or gentlemen, such as Voorhees,, of Indi-
ana. and PendletOn, of Ohio. Before Mr..
CLAW and myself had reached Niagara,
Mr.. Thompson had seen Mr.. Nallanding-
ham. The impressions which had been
made upon my mind by what [ learned
other sources of information, including
| interviews with leading members of the
| order of the Sons of Liberty, as to the
| temper of the Democratic party, and es-
pecially of the people of the Northwest,
and the prospect of any action i'll that Sec
| ton favorable to our cause, l shall state III
! another part of this report.
Certain editorials which appeared III the
New York Tribune early in June, connect
ed with limitations from our friends I'D
New York, induced hope (Which with
| mo hos ripened into an abiding conviction)
that the able editor of that influential
journal entertained opinions upon the sub
| iect of Deace much more reasonable and
moderate than those of the Republican
| marty i'm general. For this reason neither
Mr. CLAW nor myself Mr.. Thompson being
in Toronto, and taking no part i'll these
conferences, except with one or two gen
tlemen who visited him i'll that city dlS
couraged Mr.. Sanders from sending such
an invitation through third person tt
Mr.. Greeley, as he had sent to others, t6
come to the falls and see us. Mr.. Sanders
soon reported that this suggestion was
most kindly received by Mr.. Greeley, bu
that he expressed a preference for WASH
ington as place of meeting, and desired
to know if we were willing to go there. L
did not occur to us, as we had no doup
from what had subsequently transplret
| was the fact, that Mr.. Greeley supposed
we held any quasi diplomatic position
We had never written line Or uttered ;
word to justify such an inference. TIL,
anonymous publications attributing to u
conversations, in which various terms o
peace and reconstruction were suggested
had no shadow of foundation in truth
7 This impression of Mr.. Greeley mos
nrobably arose from the ignorance. follv
or knavery of Colorado Jewett, who wa
the medium of communication between
Mr. Sanders and himself. Nothing coul
he further from the truth than the state
1 ment of our ingenious friend. DR.. Mackay
in his letter to the London Times, that W
l laid a trap to catch Mr.. Lincoln. Had
+, expected any delusion as to our true chal
2 acter. or the informal nature of the pro
posed conference, it would have Dee
promptly expelled. In considering u
!. propriety of accepting the suggestion
] MIR, Greeley to visit Washington, we mo:
t deeply regretted that it was Impossible
q submit the question to our own govern
ment for its decision.
There seemed to us, however, upon II
q Election, no doubt as to the line of condu'
| which would advance the interests or OF