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THE COUNTRYMAN.
TURWVOLD, GL, MARCH 28, 1865.
Gov. Brown brought on the Mar.
It was the northern- abolitionists who
were really chargeable with bringing on
this war. But in th6 immediate inaugu-
ration of the tight, no inah at the south
bore a more prominent part than Gov.
Brown. In 1850, he Was an old fire eat
er, and, when firsCnominated, was nomi
nated because he was an* old fire-eaten
and secessionist.
All will remember ,tbe memorable con*
test, in 1851, between Howell Cobb, a
union man, and Charles J. McDonald, a
fire-eater, nullifier, and secessionist. Cobb
was elected by an overwhelming majority,
but was not a candidate for a second
term.
In 1858, Herschel V. Johnson, because
he had favored the project of forming a
■compromise presidential electoral ticket,
between the two wings of the democratic
party that had put out opposing electoral
tickets, became the candidate for govern
or, of the re-united democracy, and was
elected. In 1855, he was re-elected. In
1857, another governor.-had to be chosen,
and the democratic party assembled in
convention, to make their nomination.
The union, and secession wings of the
party still had considerable animosity
against each other—the former presenting
as their favorite, John H. Lumpkin, and
the latter, James Gardner. The two-
thirds rule having been; adopted, neither
candidate could obtain the required ma
jority. Finally, Linton Stephens, who,
from some cause, we believe, had aban«
doned his old union associates, succeeded
in manoeuvring Joe Brown into a nomina
tion. Probably the cause of his course,
was some rivalry that had gotten up be
tween his brother Aleck, and Howell
Oobb—John H. Lumpkin being the par
tisan of the latter.
The way that Linton succeeded in hav
ing Joe nominated, was in this wise: Al
though Lumpkin was put in nomination,
really as a union democrat, in opposition
to a secessionist, each wing striving hard
to shape the policy of the re-united party,
his friends did not ostensibly claim his
nomination upon this ground, but upon
the groundAhat Cherokee Georgia, having
been always so thoroughly democratic,
that section was entitled to indicate the
nominee for governor, and its representa
tives went for Lumpkin, of Rome.
Linton Stephens, having become a
democrat, in 1855, was sent as a dele
gate to the democratic gubernatorial con
vention. in 1857, Owing, probably, to
j the fact which we have already mention- j
ed, he opposed Lumpkin, and went for ;
Gardner. Finding that Gardner could j
not be nominated, he, in order to defeat
Lumpkin, proposed the nomination of Joe i
Brown, of Cherokee. This satisfied the
Cherokees, and thus the influence, and
votes of their delegation were secured for
Brown, who afterwards rewarded the ser
vice rendered him by Stephens, by giving
him a place upon the Supreme Court
bench.
The nomination of Joe Brown was
claimed as a great triumph of fire-eating,
and secession principles. Brown was
elected, and labored faithfully, and zeal
ously, for the success of his disunion
principles. In fact, as soon as he was
nominated, the Federal Union republish
ed a fire eating speech made by him in
the Georgia senate, in 1849, in order to
commend him to secessionists.
As we have said, Gov. Brown labored
faithfully and long, to disseminate seces.
sion principles. After Carolina had se
ceded, and before Georgia had done so,
as we remember, he seized the U. S.
forts at Savannah, and the federal arse
nal in Augusta, thus, by his own unad-
thorized act, plunging Georgia into war.
Having inaugurated this war, on the part
of tbc state of which he was governor—
having been the immediate cause of the
murder of thousands of our bravest young
men—he now, by his conduct, says the
war must be abandoned, before we have
secured the object for which he commenc
ed the war, without authority of law, or
the constitution.
Gov. Brown complains that our laws
have been suspended, and of the many
evils incident to a state of war. He should
have thought of that, when he so reckless
ly plunged the country into war. Being
a fire-eater, disunionist, nullifier, and se
cessionist, of the S. Carolina school, he
taught his factious principles to the peo
ple, for many years, in theory, and, the
first opportunity he had, carried them in
to practice. After doing all the harm he
Could, he, by his conduct, proposes to stop
fighting, before any good has been attain
ed. Having been the first one to enter
the war, he is the first one, by the course
he pursues, to abandon it: or, rather, as
he in effect does, in his late correspond
ence with the secretary of war, he now
proposes to turn the arms of Georgia
against the confederate government.
Brown is a reckless, ambitious, danger
ous leader—one whom the people should
not trust. He has wantonly plunged
them into one war : and if they continue
power in his hand«, he will certainly in- I
volve them in another, and that, too, with
each other.
As Gov. Brown has seized upon all the
unpopular phases, and misfortunes of this
■war, to damage the cause of the confede
racy, we think it nothing but justice, that
the people should be reminded that he in
augurated the war in Georgia.
The Peace Mission.—“The Washington
correspondent of the New York Herald
furnishes that paper with some additional
particulars of the recent conference at
Fortress Monroe, from which we copy the
following:
There is no truth whatever, in the
statement, extensively circulated, that the
rebel commissioners demanded recogni
tion, find refused to enter into negotiation,
except on that basis. The whole question
of peace, and the views of the two sec
tions, were talked over, in a general way.
Stephens, and his associates, did not, in
all of this general conversation, intimate
Whether they would, or would hot accept
anything else but recognition, and inde
pendence. What they did say wa9, that
they did not desire to fix any ultimatum,
as a starting point in their negotiations.
The ultimatum was a question which, in
their opinion, should be arrived at through
negotiation, as the terms of settlement,
and not fiied as the starting point. They
asked that commissioners, vested with full
powers to treat on peace, should be ap
pointed on both sides, and that there
should be an armistice, while negotiations
were pending.
The president, and Mr. Seward refused
to grant an armistice, for a single day.
Mr. Lincoln informed them that thero
were three points which ho would not
yield :
.1. That no armistice would be granted
for a single day.
2. That a united country was the only
basis upon which peace could be obtained.
Restoration of the union, and full obedi
ence to the laws, by the people of the
southern states, were the sine qua non.
8. That the action of congress, in regard
to slavery, should be recognized as the
law of the land—meaning, in this,- the
constitutional amendment.
There is one peculiarity ir. regard to all
the rumors which have been in circulation
since Mr. Lincoln returned, and that is,
the perfect accord of all, on the point that
neither the president, nor Mr. Seward va
ried a hair’s breadth from the position
that no settlement can be bad, no peace
obtained, except upon the basis of a united
country, a union under one flag, from the
lakes to the gulf. There were no ifs, nor
ands, in regard to the president’s position,
on this. If the south were not satisfied
before, they must know now, that, under
no circumstances, wili the people of the
north consent to a division of the coun
try.”
“ What a world of gossip would be
prevented, if it was only remembered
that a person who tells you the faults
of others, intends to tell others of
your faults.”