Breckinridge; and Mr. Forsyth had been a zealous advocate of the claims
of Mr. Douglas. The composition of the commission was therefore such as
should have conciliated the sympathy and cooeperation of every element of
conservatism with which they might have occasion to deal. Their
commissions authorized and empowered them, "in the name of the
Confederate States, to meet and confer with any person or persons duly
authorized by the Government of the United States, being furnished with
like power and authority, and with him or them to agree, treat, consult,
and negotiate" concerning all matters in which the parties were both
interested. No secret instructions were given them, for there was
nothing to conceal. The objects of their mission were open and avowed,
and its inception and conduct throughout were characterized by frankness
and good faith. How this effort was received, how the Commissioners were
kept waiting, and, while fair promises were held to the ear, how
military preparations were pushed forward for the unconstitutional,
criminal purpose of coercing States, let the shameful record of that
transaction attest.
[Footnote 124: Statutes at Large, Provisional Government, Confederate
States of America, p. 27.]
[Footnote 125: Statutes at Large, Provisional Government, Confederate
States of America, pp. 27, 28.]
[Footnote 126: See Provisional Constitution, Appendix K, _in loco_.
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