Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-08

HORACE GREELEY AND THE PEACE CON
FERENCE AT NIAGARA.

fEhENOE Al NIAtFAhsAs
The following is the report Of Hol-
combe of Virginia, to Benjamin, rebel
secI etary of state upon the peace negoti-
ations at Niagara. 1t is one of the docu-
ments among the rebel archives, accom-
panying the Jacob Thompson report;
lion. j. p. Benjamin, Secretary Of
State, g. s. A.
SR.-I desire to submit to you as the
head of the department to which am
directly responsible. and under whose
control they should, if possible. have
been conducted, the history of certain
transactions in which | was engaged
whilst in Canada, but which did not fall
within the scope of the duties assigned
me by the President. | will not here re-
peat the reasons which have been com
municated in previous reports for pro-
tracing my stay in the British provinces,
During the interval Of leisure which this
delay afforded me | was practically as
ISOLATED by my friends, Messrs. Clay
and Thompson, with themselves in exc
cutting their more comprehensive and
delicate mission. In anticipation of the
arrival of these gentlemen at Niagara,
but as | believe without their previous
knowledge or sanction, Mr., George \.
Sanders. then residing in that part Of
Canada. invited a number of citizens of
the United States. supposed to be hostile
10 the existing administration, to visit
the Falls and interchange opinions upon
the condition of the country. and the
GREAT question Of peace, with prominent
Conf.dnrate generals who were expected
10 snpnd n norton Of the summer AT that
nIacn Such conferences being entirely
Iegitimatp under the construction which
Mpssrs. CLAY and Thompson NO doubt
very properly placed upon their powers
and duties. | had no hesitation in meet
ing the public men who came to the
Falls and expressed desire for my So
cfpty. That point being most convent
ont and eligible for the transaction OF
nv own business. 7 ronainrA th"r' 'Hr-
mo The whole period Of NV .f9v - & IT,
ada, and thus had onpo"tunjti' as 1T '2r"
frequent and extensive int".""'l-t" "i'h
these gentlemen than either Of my
friends. one of whom-Mr CLAW -m2s)e
his Headquarters at St GATHERINGS the
Othpr-Nr. ThOmDson-at Toronto, be
sides tho crowds of less dstinguishndno r-
sons. I saw during the coursn Of the
summer. in some instances repeatedly.
Ex-Governor Hunt of Now York.
Nnssrs. Leigh Richmond and Benjamin
Wood Of the same State, Mr. BUckaIcw.
Judge Black and Mr. Van Dyke of
Pennsylvania. Mclean Of the Cincinnati
inquirer. Weller of California. Jndqo
Rullitt of Kentucky. and Colonel Walk
&c L. w, r0cDf,roI
from other gentlemen, such as VOORHEES,
fore Mr.. Clay and myself had reached
Niagara. Mr.. Thompson had so"n Mr.,
Vallandngham. Impressions which hal
been made upon my mind by what |
learned from these gentlemen. and from
many other sources OF lntorma-
ton, including members of the
order of the Sons of Liberty, as to III"
temper of the Democratic party. and es-
pecially of the people of the northwest,
and the prospect of any action in that
section favorable to our case. | shall
state in another part of this report.
Certain editorials which appeared in
the New York Tribune early in June,
connected with intimatiOns from our
friends in.New York, induced the hope,
which with me has deepened into an
abiding conviction, that the able editor
of that influential journal entertained
opinions on the subject of peace much
more reasonable and moderate than
those of the republican party in general
For this reason neither Mr.. CLAW nor
myself-Mr. Thompson being in TOrOn-
to, and taking no part in these confer
ences except with one or two gentlemen
who visited him In that city-discour-
aged Mr.. Sanders from sending such an
invitation through third person to Mr.
Greeley, as he had sent to others. to
come to the Falls and see us. Mr.. San
ders soon reported that this suggestion
was most kindly received by Mr.. Gree
ley, but that he expressed q preference
for Washington as the place of meeting,
and desired to know ifw were willing
to 90 there 1t did not occur to US, as
we had no doubt from what had subse-
uuently transpired was the fact, that
Mr.. Greeley supposed we held any quasi
diplomatic position. We had never
written a line or uttered a word to justi-
fly such an inference. The anonymous
publications, attributing to US CONVEX
sations, in which various terms of peace
and reconstruction were suggested, had
no shadow of foundation in truth.
This impression of Mr.. Greeley most
probably arose from the ignorance, folly,
or knavery of Colorado Jewett, who was
the medium of communication between
Mr.. Sanders and himself. Nothing
could be further from the truth than the
statement of our ingenious friend, Mr.
Mackay. in his letter to the Londor
Times, that we laid trap to catch Mr.
Lincoln. Had we suspected any delu
sion as to our true character, or the infot7B
NAL nature of the proposed conference
1t would nave been promptly dispellsi. |
In considering the propriety of accTt-
ing the suggestion of Mr.. Greeler to |
visit Washington, we most deepE re- /
GREETED that it was impossible to sibmit |
the question to our own governmtn Tor
its decision. There seemed to U, how