Year: 1863

|


The Editor of the Louisville Journal


long the warm personal and confidential


friend of Mr.. Crittenden, formerly Z. S


Senator from the State of Kentucky, and


SO long in public life as the Governor o.


Kentucky, Z. S. attorney General, member


Of the lower house of Congress, &c. &C.,


sends to one of the Editors of the Express,
in reply to letter, the following interest
ing statement of the last wishes of the true


patriot and statesman:
Mr.C-ittenden spent in this city (Louis-


ville) the sreater part of the fortnight pre-


ceding his death, and every friend who visi-


ted him during his stay here, and conversed


with him at all on public affairs, can bear
witness to his exceeding anxiety that the
President should at once second tie recent
victories of our armies by proclamation
of amnesty or by some set of like effect
but it is not so generally known that, promp
ted by his absorbing solicitude on the sub
ject, he had resolved to address private
letter to the President, urging h im without
delay, to take this p Yet such is the
fact, as it is well lnown 10 number Of
friends Of Mr.. CrlLtendsn, including the
writer of this article. In response to a
very kind message from Mr. Crittenden we
called upon him the evening before he left
for his home at Frankfort, when he intro
duced the subject of his resolution private
ly to address the President concerning
proclamation of amnesty, spoke of the deep
interest he felt In the adoption of such a
measure in this hour Of our military tri
umph, declared his firm conviction that
more than all other agencies beside it
would serve to bring the war to a speedy
close. and at the same time pave the way to
an early and permanent re establishment OF
the government in the hearts of the people.
avowed Disqualification at the reported dis
cussion OF proclamation of amnesty in the
cabinet, and dwelt with mouruful elnpha
sis on the physical prostration which pie
vented him from Immediately addressing the
President concerning the subject He ad
ded, however, that he was on the eve of re-
turning to his home, with the resolution to
perform this task as soon as he should get a
little strength Such were the leading
ideas expressed by the illustrious patriot
during the interview. On the following
morning be returned to his home, where a
few days afterwards, in the complete poses
sion of hi,f faculties, and with nothing wan
ting to his pure and beautiful fame, he sank
full orbed into the grave.


The views we have cited above constitute
the dying counsel of the illustrious and la
mentcd patriot to the Chief Magistrate of
his country in this crisis of her existence
We, in all respectfulness, and in al solem
nifty, commend the counsel to that high ofi-
Ger. Death, in arresting its utterance, has
bat consecrated and enuobled it.


The conservative way is frankly to offer
peace on the basis Of the Constitution, and
to fight simply until the Constitution is &C
cspted. This is the way which the conser
vatives of the country are now vigorously
urging Mr., Lincoln to adopt by proclama-
tion of amnesty or by some equivalent acts
or at any rate by some act that involves
the assurance Of exemption from the extra
ordinary penalties of confscaton and
emancipation on the condition Of return
to allegiance.


The conservatives OF the country appeal
to the President to throw open the doors OF
the Constitution to the people in rebellion
so that they may see that the path OF their
return is clear and free. The conservatives
invoke the President bya high act of jus
tice and of humanity to support our tri
umphant army by stimulating the people 10
rebellion to revolt against their wicked lea
ders and come back to the old allegiance.
In short, the conservatives urge the Presi
dent to add Cancellation to coercion without
g .ubtracting fran Coercion. Such is the
way of attaining peace