The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-03-05

L leel lIlat not one drop OF the DlOOd Snet
in this war is Oh my hands. l can looL
up to my God and say this. L tried all
in my power to avert this war. / saw i
coming and worked night and day to pre-
vent it, but l could not. The North was
| mad and blind. 1t would not let us govern
ourselves, and so the war came, and now
it must go on till the last man of this gen.
Grafton falls in his tracks, and his chill
dren seize his musket and fight our battle
unless you acknowledge our right to self
government. We are not fighting for
slavery; we are fighting for independence
and that, or determination, we will
have"
Again, at parting, Mr.. Davis babe
them:
Say to Mr.. Lincoln from me that /
shall at any time be pleased to receive
proposals for peace on the basis of our
independence. 1t will be useless to APP
proach me with any other
THUS it was not only incontestably set
tied, but proclaimed, through the volun-
teered agency of two citizens, that the war
must 90 OH until the Confederacy should
be recognized as an independent power or
until it should be utterly, finally over
thrown. The knowledge of this fact was
worth more than a victory to the National
cause. For, though the Confederate chiefs
had ever held but one language on this
point-had at no time given any one rea-
son to believe that they might be recon-
ciled to the Union, it was habitually as
Sumed by the opposition in the loyal States
that they were fighting not against the
Union, but against abolition; and that they
might easily be placated and won to loyal
ty, were but the Democratic party restored
to power"
1t will be observed that in the former
selection appears an admission from Davis
that the South began the war, and that
the rebels could not cease fighting or s,lb-
init their causes of complaint to Il peace
full arbitration, or talk of peace and union
without confessing they had gone wron,
in beginning it. In the latter selection. it
is shown that Mr.. Davis declared they
were not fighting for slavery, but for in
dependence, land that, or determination,
they would have"
POLITICAL ASPECT OF THE MISSION.
1t is seen how effectually Col. Jaquess' S
report proved the utter useessness and
fallacy of the Peace Party in the North.
paralyZed it, neutralized or counteraeted
its influence for evil, and strengthened the
Republican Union party by convincing
thousands of voters that it was impOssi-
BILE to end the war in any other way than
by crushing the rebellion by force of arms.
The accessiOns of voters to the party head
ed by Abraham Lincoln continued steadi-
ly; eniistments in the army increased, and
the result was unexpectedly grand in No
vember, 1864.
The mission of Col. JaQuess to Rich
mond was fortunate and necessary
cOrOllary to the abortiye, discOuraging in
terview between Mr.. Greeley and the Con-
federate emissaries at Niagara Falls. 1t
became important to tear off the mask
which concealed the real purposes of {.
&. Clay and his fellow-commissioners. 1t
-fn Mt al r-fp TO hnt Iin
rebel ENJOYS were not clothed with au-
thority to negotiate for peace on behalf
of the Confederacy; that, therefore, their
pretended efforts in that direction were
dishonest and hypOcritical, and intended
to help the Northern Peace Party, by ap-
pearing to throw on Mr.. Lincoln's Adj
ministratiOn the responsibility of con-
tinuance/of the war. The visit to Rich
mond fully accomplished these objects.
The tourists returned in safety to the
North, and Col. Jaquess reported the re-
suit to President Lincoln, who received
with lively satisfaction this authentic and
significant declaration, direct from the lips
of the rebel chieftain, that no terms OF
peace short of absolute independence
would be considered. Mr.. Lincoln was
too shrewd politician not to realize that
the platform of the Peace Party, then
prosecuting the Presidential campaign on
the false issue of restoring the Union by
an armistice and negotiation.
Measures were promptly taken to in
sure the widest publicity to the statement
of the Confederate President.
Newspaper reports of the trip and its
leading incidents, laying special stress on
the vital point, We're at once teegraphed
to the press of the whole country. The
Atlantic Monthly for September contained
the Gilmore version of the interview and
had an enormous sale. The story was af
terward amplifed and formed a leading
feature of Gilmore's most popular book,
Down in Tennessee" The rebel papers
in Richmond and elsewhere took hold of
the matter with vigor, and, unable to deny
the truthfulness of the report, cOntented
themselves with bitterly criticising the
Confederate authorities for allowing them
selves to be hoodwinked by couple of
Yankee SPIES"
BY the special order of President Lin
coin, Col. Jaquess was given an extended
leave of absence from the army, and at
his special request the Colonel actively
engaged in the Presidential campaign then
in progress. He addressed large audiences
day and evening in all the Northern
States from Maine to Iowa, and wherever
his story was told it had a marked effect |
in convincing doubling patriots of the in
fact that no peace was possible |
until the rebellion had been suppressed.
The value of his services was grateful |
ly acknowledged by the Republican Ma
tiOnal Committee and by several State
Committees. He was in demand every |
where. and his utterances were multiplied
thousands Of times by reports Of his