‘"The Insurgents."’
In
Seward's instructions to the
Yankee Minister at
Paris,
Mr. Dayton, he always designates the
Confederate States ‘"insurgents,"’ as if they were only a combination of disorderly individuals, resisting the legitimate authority of their country; suppressing the material truth that those whom he calls ‘"insurgents"’ are eleven sovereign States, each of which was formerly an equal member of the Federal Union; that each of them has retained its own State government in full operation, preserving perfect internal order; and that, in harmonious co-operation, they have together formed a new Government; perfectly organized in all its departments, and exercising specific powers confided to it in a written Constitution.
The Yankee Premier has also the audacity to instruct
Dayton to report to the
French Government that the ‘"Insurgents, with deadly war, have tried to compel the
Government to recognize the dismemberment of the
Union."’ What a falsehood!
As the Mobile
Register justly says: ‘"The only intercourse which the
Confederate States ever sought with the
Government at
Washington was to prevent war, not to make war."’
Seward again says: ‘"We have accepted this civil war as an inevitable necessity."’
Seward Here, again, is flagrant falsehood.
He refused to grant an interview to our commissioners, bearing overtures of peace, and now declares that ‘"civil war was an inevitable necessity to him."’ The seven
Confederate States declared that they wished to live at peace with the States remaining in the Federal Union.
Lincoln had only to speak three words--‘"Go in peace"’--and peace would have been preserved.
But refusing a peaceful adjustment, he preferred to reduce them by arms; and now he says ‘"we have
accepted this civil war as an inevitable necessity."’ Civil war was not offered, and therefore
could not be accepted. Peace is what was offered, and peace the
Government at
Washington refused
to accept.
Seward directs
Dayton to assure the
French Government ‘"that not at the hands of this Administration is the
Government to end;"’ that
Lincoln's Administration has no idea ‘"of suffering a dissolution of the
Union to take place any way, peaceably or forcibly."’ In these passages he intimates to the
French Government that the
Confederate States have been endeavoring to bring the
Federal Government to an ‘"end;"’ that they have been trying to effect ‘"a dissolution of the
Union."’ In fines it would be impossible to mention any public or private document in which there are as many falsehoods in as many lines as
Seward's letter of instruction to
Dayton.
The
Confederate States, at that time, had no agent at the French Court to expose the falsehoods of
Seward; but it is obvious that
Thouvenal did not believe him, for he said that ‘"he thought the employment of force unwise,"’ and that ‘"it was the established usage to recognize
de facto Governments when a proper case was made out."’ A few more such battles as that at Bethel Church, we are inclined to think, will make out a very ‘"proper case"’ indeed.
