Year: 1864

OF men who are in 4 state OF contlnua


and lneessant hostility and dchanc,


toward YOU: Upon what terms can Vol


make peace with them You must give


them everything they ask. Aud what


do these rebels ask You say an ar


mi~tice. y es. but they ask no such
thing. On the contrary, if an armistice
Is agreed upon. it must he You that shall


ask for it, II YOU propose the armis


tice. of course il remains with the other


purity TO say upon what terms YOU shall


have it and what are the rebel terms
I upon which they will consent to Sis
pension of hostihtes: They say, with
draw Your armies from our territories
! give mp all the ports and fortresses that
! You have taken from us; give us all the
| territory we had at the beginning OF tA5
war, and then, but not till then, will We
talk with You about peace. These are
the rebel terms upon which you can have
an armistice. Yield to them, and you


give up Your canse-for it amounts To


neither more nor less than that You
give np the entire matter in dispute, the


moment you propose an armistice.


There will be no more war, then,-hut
there will be no more any such Govern


ment as the United States.


Now, let lis 90 a little further There


are several States of the Union, ia re


bellion against the Government. each


with its so called Legislature and ENecu-


tive Orr adverSaries sometimes say


they want the Constitution obeyed the


Constitution just as it l., IS what they


want Well, now, the Constitution says


that the members of the Legislature of


every State and every executive officer


shall take IN oath To support the Consti-


tutol. Now if the people of Georgia,


and those of the other States IN rebel


lion. will submit, AMI their Governors,


and Legislators, and their Judges will


swear to support the Constitution of the


United States, there can, as matter oi
course, be no more war against them
Tor we make war only upoa traitors


armed against the con.titution.-SI


WAS the reply of the President to Fer


nanlo Wood, and others, who interfered


in favor of peace i'll 1862 The moment


they submit to the Government and sup
port the Constitution. the war must
cease, as Il mat er OF. coarse, and peace


will be the natural result. Then the
question whether the Presidents Proc


tamation has in fact freed the slaves OF
the people of the South will come up for
decision. 1t is question of law, and
can he decided only by the courts -The
President believes the Proclamation is
constitutional and lawful, and that it
has effected all it was intended to effect,
but if il should turn out, as it may, that
the Proclamation does not in fact free
all the slaves, the law must take its
course over the Presidents Pro clama-
ton, for we are law abiding people
- III T. Il II
one OF his orders, Tin substance, as we'll
is | can remember. that all history goes
to show that in every age it has been re
garded AS wrong and unjust to return to
a state OF bondage those who have been
employed in military service, and even
if it were not so. l do no. suppose it
would be practicable TO restore the ne
urors of the Southern States - n state
Of servitude Now. if slavery was the
cause Of all this difficulty, if it was once
would he no longer any cause of division
or of future strife, and as soon As peace
the law will step in and settle the
condition of these negroes. and there
will be an end of the matter Such, dis
claiming any authority TO speak for him,
[ apprehend to be the President yiew
Of the matter.


And vet these men undertake to say
that in the Presidents letter. To AL
whom it may coneern, he declares .
that the abolition Of slavery Is a pre- +
requisite of peace, ana that no PROPOSE +
ton for any settlement of the present
would he received or consid- /.
cred by the Government, unless it was
basel upon the abolition of slavery I.
This is not true These men undertake /
to deceive yoa The fact must not be /
overlooked that the President under I
stood that the individuals supposed 10 +
nave been authorized to treat tor peace {
had authority to agree to the restoration
of the Union and the abandonment OF. .
slavery. These persons in truth were +
but empires and mere pretendeTs. and f
lad no authority whatever to treat with
ne Government, on behalf of the Con
'ederate authorities Ii they had lad .
AMI had proposed to make .
peace upon the terms of returning to
ia cir allegiance without saving one word +
lpou the subject of slavery. what would i
lave been the position of the President
hen !: If, under such circumstances. he
la1 made the answer lie did and refused .
aeace. except upon the abandonment Of
slavery. lHel tue assertion NI1cl lAgSe +
make might appear to be I
we'll founded. But it turned out that
hey had no such authority at all. that


hey made no proposition-that the thing
was a cheat evidently designed To deceive
he people-and so the matter ended
Let N tell you my friends. that when
ever the Southern people lay down the.r
arms and submit to the Government.


here will be no conditions whatever in
sisted upon by the Government in regard
% the subject Of slavery. The entire
question Of slavery will be left to the
decisions of the Courts The only con
iition the Goyernm will make will be
ne abandonment of the rebellion and
submission to the Government. and if
Ley shall insist upon fighting on until
VERY slave in the country has changed
rs base and left the plantation. it will
,e tieir fault. and the slaves good for


uue, while it will he q matter of no
concern 70 us, except so far s. we feel