Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 07.djvu/347

Rh Mr. William C. Templeton—professedly an acquaintance of the President, a planter in the Mississippi bottoms and a temporary resident of New Jersey, and reputedly a man of wealth before the war—has been here, representing that C. G. Baylor is in New York and was at the Chicago Convention, claiming to be a peace commissioner from the State of Georgia, duly accredited by Governor Brown, and urging an armistice and convention of States. Templeton wishes to see Mr. Thompson and to urge him to accept a safe conduct to Washington, which Baylor was authorized to say would be furnished, with a view of arranging such preliminaries for peace. Templeton has gone to Toronto to see Mr. Thompson on the subject. I had no acquaintance with Mr. Templeton before meeting him here. I have known Mr. Baylor well enough not to place implicit reliance upon his statements. Still, as he is walking abroad in New York and traveling ad libitum in the United States I believe he has been to Washington, and has the authority he claims from there. I do not credit his being sent out by Governor Brown.

Templeton said Baylor objected to his communicating the above facts to me, because I was identified with the Davis dynasty, and not likely to agree to any terms of peace that would be unacceptable to the President.

You may have remarked that the New York Times maintains as by authority, that the rescript declares one mode of making peace, but not the only one. The abler organs of the Administration seize this suggestion and hold it up in vindication of Lincoln from the charge that he is waging war to abolish slavery, and will not agree to peace until that end is achieved. Mr. Seward, too, in his late speech at Auburn, New York, intimates that slavery is no longer an issue of the war, and that it will not be interfered with after peace is declared. These and other facts indicate that Lincoln is dissatisfied with the issue he has made with the South and fears its decision.

I am told that his purpose is to try to show that the Confederate Government will not entertain a proposition for peace that does not embrace a distinct recognition of the Confederate States, thereby expecting to change the issue from war for abolition to war for the Union. He thinks a majority of the Northern people will oppose him on the issue he has made, but may support him on that he desires to make. It is thought that he will send commissioners to Richmond in order to develop the ultimatum of our Government.