ished Slavery, these people
hold it responsible for the continuance of the war. It is, therefore,
important to know whether the Rebel States will or will not return, if
allowed to retain Slavery. Mr. Jefferson Davis could, undoubtedly,
answer that question; and that may have been a reason why I went to see
him.

Second: On the second of July last, C. C. Clay, of Alabama, J. P.
Holcombe, of Virginia, and G. N. Sanders, of nowhere in particular,
appeared at Niagara Falls, and publicly announced that they were there
to confer with the Democratic leaders in reference to the Chicago
nomination. Very soon thereafter, a few friends of the Administration
received intimations from those gentlemen that they were Commissioners
from the Rebel Government, with authority to negotiate preliminaries of
peace on something like the following basis, namely: A restoration of
the Union as it was; all negroes actually freed by the war to be
declared free, and all negroes not actually freed by the war to be
declared slaves.

These overtures were not considered sincere. They seemed concocted to
embarrass the Government, to throw upon it the odium of continuing the
war, and thus to secure the triumph of the peace-traitors at the
November election. The scheme, if well managed, threatened to be
dangerous, by uniting the Peace-men, the Copperheads, and such of the
Republicans as love peace better than principle, in one opposition,
willing to make a peace that would be inconsistent with the safety and
dignity of the country. It was, therefore, important to discover--what
was then in doubt--whether the Rebel envoys really had, or had not, any
official authority.

Within fifteen days of the appearance of these "Peace Commissioners,"
Jefferson Davis had said to an eminent Secession divine, who, late in
June, came through the Union lines by the Maryland back-door, that he
would make peace on no other terms than a recognition of Southern
Independence. (He might, however, agree to two governments, bound
together by a league offensive and defensive,--for all external purposes
_one_, for all internal purposes _two_; but he would agree to nothing
better.)

There was reason to consider this information trustworthy, and to
believe Mr. Davis (who was supposed to be a clear-minded man) altogether
ignorant of the doings of his Niagara satellites. If this were true, and
were proven to be true,--if the _great_ Rebel should reiterate this
declaration in the p