Year: 1864

a LOyHl Protest.


The interest awakened by the recent
movements tending towards the pacifca-
ton of the country is fairly reflected by
the press Of all parties The thoughts
and hopes of the nation are turned towards
peace, and the public sentiment watches
with eager solicitude the events and dis
cussions bearing upon this vital and alb
sorbing question. Now that it is broad
ly before the people of both sections, there
is little danger that its Importance will be
dwarfed by partisan artifices or interested
designs of political leaders. This fact is
beginning to be understood. Sagacious
politicians who have long watched the cur
rents of public opinion, ana are acquaint-
ed with the arts by which they may occa-
sionally be led into and confined within
prepared channels, aud know also the
omens threatening a dclugc beyond their
control. are accommodating themselves to
the tide which is sweeping with resistless
force towards an carly and honorable
peace.


In proof, we cite the assurance of the
New York TriJune ''tliat the pacifcation
Of the country is neither so difficult nor
distant as seems to be generally supposed"
and append, in addition, sundry extracts
from the New York Times of the 23d in
slant:


The President made but two conditions
to the reception and consideration of any
proposition for the restoration Of peace,
whic hshould comc to him from competent
authority: first, that it should embrace the
rieyrity Of the ,cAole Union: second that it
should embrace the abandonment Of SLAVE
ry. We believe he might have gone still
further than this; he might have omitted
the second of these conditions altogether,
and required the first alone, rs essential to
the reception and consideration of propo-
sails for peace"


After asserting with much emphasis
that the President cannot consider any
proposals looking towards descriptions, the
Times proceeds:


"But it is not so with slavery, with con-
fiscation, while the doctrine of State rights,
with the assumption of the rebel debt, or
with any other question growing out of
the war, or connected with it, in its origin
or its progress, in any way, or however
closely. These questions were open to
discussion before the war commenced, =
and they are open yet. 1t is the right of
both sides to be heard upon them, for both
sides are to be affected by them,-it needs
but little reflection to convince any candid
man that their discussion and settlement
Jy concurrence must enter into any peace
which will be either possible or worth pre-
serving"


The subject is summed in tho subjoined
extract:


''The time has come when the South
should understand that the one thing and
the only thing which shuts them away
from us-which binds up between them
and us an impossible wall of separation,
which shuts our ears to every claim or de-
mand they can make upon us, which steels
our hearts against them and strengthens
our arms for their destruc.ion-is that
they arc waging war for the destruction of
tch Union"


The dignifed and just rcbuke admins
tered to Mr.. Lincoln in these extracts, for
his announcement that he would not re-
ceive propositions Of peace which did not
embrace ''thc abandonment Of slavery"
will we trust, be received as an evidence
of patriotism and independence i'll a jour
nal which has hitherto been noted for the
case with which it sacrificed its own views
to adopt those of the President. Upon
the reception of the Niagara correspond
ence, We said the President had placed his
party in false Position, and that it ough;
to repudiatc his action; that he must fall
under the issues he presented to the ma
ton. The extracts We have quoted are
evidence that his most prominent and in
nuential partisans are conscious that they
cannot enter the Presidential contest with
n hope of success, il he adhcres to the
purpose expressed in bis manifesto to the
rebel Commissioners at Niagara Ch;cogo
Times.