THE NATIONAL TROUBLES: The Deliberations of the Peace Conference; Editorials: The Effect of Secession on the Production of Cotton, The Ultimatum Rejected (2/9/1861)

New York Times archives – Times Machine ^ | 2/9/1861

[Homer_J_Simpson]

OUR WASHINGTON DISPATCHES.

WASHINGTON, Friday, Feb. 8.

The wires were all down last night, except one occupied in transmitting Congressional proceedings, so that it was impossible to get any news over by telegraph. Fortunately there was nothing of much importance to transmit.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE PEACE CONVENTION.

The Peace Convention yesterday did scarcely anything beyond meeting and adjourning to give the State delegations and sections time to caucus. Opinions are divided as to what will be the result of their deliberations. Some of the New-Jersey delegates express decided hope of some satisfactory arrangement being agreed upon. The more general outside impression is that the discussions in Convention will be prolonged for a week or ten days, resulting in a better understanding between different sections, the renewal of confidence on the part of each as to the views, purposes and sentiments of the other, and the adoption, at last, of some modified basis of conciliation, similar to the Adams proposition, or the one suggested by Judge KELLOGG, of Illinois. It is not supposed that any unanimous agreement can be arrived at, but that a majority of moderate men will recommend a settlement of the question in terms which will be equally protested against by the extreme men of both North and South.

The Peace Convention has gone so far as to require the Commissioners not to express any opinion to outsiders as to the probabilities of agreement or disagreement. The New-York delegation, under instructions, moved for open sessions to-day, but failed to carry their motion. The report in a cotemporary of the debate on the resolution to appoint a Committee report a plan of settlement, is pronounced by the Commissioners a pure fabrication, and where read and believed is calculated to place the parties named in a false position.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:homerjsimpson/index?tab=articles

To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3932657/posts

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

The National Troubles: The Deliberations of the Peace Conference – 2-7
Destitute Families from Charleston – 7
Meeting of the Wide Awake Central Committee – 7
Two Carpenters from New-Jersey Murdered in Charleston – 7
Editorial: The Effect of Secession on the Production of Cotton – 7-8
The Tendencies of Secession – 8
Editorial: The Ultimatum Rejected – 8-9
Editorial: The Lessons of Experience – 9
Skating at Central Park – 9
Lincoln’s Whiskers – 9

[Skywise]

At least they were actually attempting unity back then...

This time the Democrat Party wants all out revenge.

[M Kehoe]

Hi.

There’s a “peace party conference” going on right now in the U.S. Senate. It’s like 1861 all over again. This time methinks TX will be first to secede.

Maybe I need to relax and take a break from this class. Or drink more...

5.56mm

[BroJoeK]

"Editorial: The Effect of Secession on the Production of Cotton – 7-8"

Yet again our editors argue the foolishness of secessionists attempting to coerce Britain & France into recognizing their Confederacy by threatening to withhold KING COTTON from them.
They argue (correctly) that rather than recognize the Confederate slave empire, Britain & France will simply look elsewhere in the world for cotton.
They also say (correctly) that since cotton is the South's only major product, without cotton the Confederacy is nothing.
Therefore, Confederates should do everything possible to avoid interruption of their cotton exports.
That would include maintaining peaceful relations with the United States.

The problem is, as Jefferson Davis will soon write to CSA Gen. Bragg, regarding Fort Sumter:

"There would be to us an advantage in so placing them [the Union] that an attack by them would be a necessity, but when we are ready to relieve our territory and jurisdiction of the presence of a foreign garrison that advantage is overbalanced by other considerations."

Those "other considerations" included promises by Virginians to succeed as soon as the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.