Year: 1864

DINA one citizen so 1allen Deneatn the dig
nity>of his ancestors as to accept, or to enter
into conference on the basis of these terms
That there are q few traitors in the State
who would be willing to betray their fellow
citizens to such degraded condition, in
Eope of being rewarded for treachery by an
escape from the common doom, may be true.
But do not believe that the vilest wretch
would accept such terms for himself I
cannot conceive how the people of your
State, than which none has sent nobler or
more gallant soldiers to the field of battle
Gone of whom it is your honor to be,) can
havo been deceived by anything to which
you refer in "the recent action of the Fed
eral' House of Representatives" I have
seen no action of that House that does not
indicate by very decided majority, the
purpose Of the, enemy to refuse all terms of
the South, except absolute, unconditional
subjugation or determination. But if it
were otherwise, how are we to treat with the
House of Representatives? 1t is with Lin
coin alone that we ever could confer, and
his own partizans at the North show. une.
quivocally that his purpose in his message
and proclamation was to shut out all hope
that he could eoer treat with US on any
terms. If we will break up our govern
ment, dissolve the Confederacy, disband our
armies, emancipate our slaves, take an oath
of allegiance, binding ourselves to obedi.
ence to him and of disloyalty to- our own
States, be proposes to pardon US and not to
plunder US of anything more than the prop.
erty already stolen from us and such slaves
as still remain. In order to render his pro.
posal, so insulting as to secure their rejec-
tion, he joins to them promise to support
with his army, oue.tenth of the people of
any State who will attempt to set up gov
ernment over the other nine.tenths, thus
seeking to SOW discord and suspicion among
the people of the several States, and to ex-
cite them to civil war in furtherance of his
ends l know we'll that it would be impos.
sible to get your people, if they possessed
fu! knowledge of these facts, to consent
that proposals should now be made by us to
those who control the government at Wash
ington. Your own we'll known devotion to
the great cause of liberty and independence,
to which we have all committed whatever.
we have of earthly possessions, would in
duce you to take the lead'in repelling the
bare thought of abject submission to the
enemy. Yet peace on other terms is now
impossible. To obtain the sole terms. to
which you or could listen, this struggle
must continue until the enemyis beaten out
of his vain confidence in our subjugation.
Then, and not until then, will it be possible
to treat of peace Till then all tender of
terms to the enemy will be received as proof
that we are ready for submission, and will
encourage him in the atrocious warfare
which he is wagiug.


I fear much from the tenor of the news
I receive from North Carolina, that an at
tempt will be made, by some bad men, to- in
augurate movements which must be consid
cred as equivalent to aid and comfort to the
enemy, and which all patriots should com.
bine to put down at any cost. You may
count on my aid in every effort to spare your
State the scenes of civil warfare, which will
devastate its homes if the designs of these
traitors be suffered to make headway.
know that you will place yourself in your
legitimate position in the lead of those who
will not suffer the name of the old North
State to be backened by such stain. Will
you pardon me for suggesting that my only
source of disquietude on the subject arises
from the fear that you will delay too long
the action which now appears inevitable,
and that by an over earnest desire to reclaim
by Cancellation, men whom you believe to
be sound at heart, but whose loyalty is more
than suspected elsewhere, you will permit
them to gather such strength as to require
more violent measures than are now neededl
With Your influence and position, the pro-
moters of this unfounded discomfort, now
prevalent in your State, would be put down
without the use Of physical force, if you
would abandon policy Of conciliation, and
set them at defiance. In this course, frank
ly and firmly pursued, you would rally a.
round you all that is best and noblest in
your State, and your triumph would be
bloodless, If the contrary policy be adopt
ed, l much fear you will be driven to the
USE of force to repreSs treason. In either
event, however, be assured that you will
have my cordial concurrence and assistance
IN maintaining with you the honor, dignity
and fair naue of your State, and in your ef-
forts to crush treason, whether incipient, as
l believe it now to be, or more matured, as
1 believe, if not firmly met, it will in our
future inevitably become.


I have the honor to be,


Very respectfully yours,


JEFFERSON DAVIS.