The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-03-22
LETTER FROM AMOS Kendall.
The Object OF The War.
LETTER NO. w,
To ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President Of tie intel

to show that the cause of rebellion in the
| South is ''the pride Of wealth and the lustf for
power fostered by the cotton monopoly +;
that the abolition of slavery could not
abolish that monopoly, which depends on
principles beyond human control; and
that, IL cotton We're produced BY hired
iab0! III the South, as it is manufactured
III the North, its profits would he as great
II not greater, than they are now seuerat.
/ ing the same antipathies in that section
! which have produced our present trouble.
There Is party in the North, compara-
lively small at present, who for the mere
purpose of abolishing slavery in the South,
would sacrifice a hundred thousand north
ern lives and thousand millions of north
ern money, without even the hope of any
! advantage to themselves or the people Of
the States III which they live.
Like the southern rebels, they assume,
in substance, that the constitution no
longer exists, and talk Of the reconstruc-
ton Of the -" Union OH other principles
These men cannot but know that this
is not the view entertained by the govern
! HeDt or by the great mass of the norther
people. These believe that we still have
a cons stltUt!On; tuat the government at
Washington - not {. mere provisional gov
. elnMentj that the war Is waEed il. defence
/ oi that constitution and th&t government;
I that the Union needs no reconstruction
that, ii ii did, it would be uuwi>e and
dangerous to attempt II until the rebels
rebels are compelled 20 submit To il as Il
Is that 40 acis ot the sccedeI States, not
oven Il rapv4l o; tAeIT or,.luaLues OF secc.-
SON = necessary to restore them 10 the
Union, being unconstitutional and void.
;Lose ordinances could not take them out
a. "a -, . l,f.
constitution j. put down Ia State after
State, they viii stand H. Tie Union with
at. their constitutional! .e!.;> uu.mpaircd
and Will sucCessIveiy recognize their obi
cations and resume their duties as mex.
bers Of our great Con!eIer2ey.
But the position Of the rebels as irdi
vIduaie Is very different, and nothing but
punishment or pardon can restore N,m
- the rights q! American citizens They
haze forfeited their property and their
. lives, ana therefore to cOUiI,Catc their
slaves and thus set them free i. not a
viuia.Ou OF the constitution. How far
that process should be carried I, . q,es
Ton Uf expcIency and not O. rigDt.
And it - ia tins point OF view that !
appra! - tine advocates q! eM.Ec! pdtI, II
III the North 10 be content with the pro
gTess which their principles are making
not through the SuUycr-.On Ui the cons L.
tut.Cur but under cove: OF Its authority.
Iue Leaders q! the rebellion ANNOUNCED
their det-. iIludJiJn 10 conquer or die
and the principal shareholders in the
SJutl. act a. ii thcy were III c;uuc>t Look
~ >OutA Carolina Ia the yiolen. por
tons Of the State the planters 10 = man
IL on the approach Of jhe Union army,
burning jAc.r cotton, ald in many place.
J. al al
slaves. There are said - be uos abou;
eight thousand slaves thus abandoned il
the vicinity OF Port Royal, IN South Caro-
Ina every one ii whom may be- ConstiIu
tiOualty set free by coniiscat!on as "a pun
isImrnt OF their master treason. A. the
Union armies ad.ance into the interior
. other thousands will be added 10 the
number by the deSertion of their masters
and finally there viii be no resident popu
, l.;.cn IN a large portion .! the States bul
deserted slaves.
Ia short, II the m'sters persist in Ihci.
mad and causcle-s rebellion against the
constitution, the end VIII be Il aegro cur
a,.ri,y olyhy p,rt.a,t ef hs southern. coast
u,lg The yroto,it2,. qftbs Ia.;,d .s.at,s.
Ii the war : - be protected by the
obstlHacy OF the cotton planters, this j. Z
result which the United States cannot
avert ii they would.
By conti,c.tion. the slaves will be Sc
free, and, through the same process, liz,
lands of Their masters will be surrendered
10 them for cultivation. all without in
iIinging upon the constitution. Ever
now there : negro colony around Por
Royal under the protection oi the naliona
forces and its turture expansion into al
organized community depends Oh tn,
obstnacy OF tie planters and the event
OF the war
But this Is not all. Probably four fifth.
of all the slaves in the United States ar,
Row lawfully subject to conrisCation Oh
account OF the treason OF their masters
How far the forfeiture Of their slaves, then
other property. their lives, shall be carried
IS "a question of expediency only, auo
involves no constitutional question o.
power. Four fifths Of all the slaves NAV
be thus lawfully set free, and the emanci
patton of the other fifth would soon follow
In this view OF the subject, what motiv,
have the aboltioEists of TIE North tc
press their government into an abandon
nent of the constitution, by making gene
r.l emancipation. instead Of the prescrva
ton OF that Instrument, the direct obIec;
OF the war, thus giving color of light t.
the rebellion, and III q measure, para!yzing
South?
Patriotic men may we'll differ as to the
extent to which the punishmeni OF treason
shall be carried The extreme emaucipa
tonists may, ii they choose, insist that il
shall be carried to the extent OF coniscat
lag and setting free all the slaves of the
rebels. J. hat they may do without assail-
ing any principle oi the constitution, and
surely they would be much stronger on
that ground than any other Why, then
should they abandon the constitutions and
place themselves on Revolutionary ground
Why not set with cordiality with those
who are striving to maintain the constitu
ton as Il Is and, that being accomplished
seek the consummation Of their ends by
means of contiscation under its authority
They may rest assured that their object
if attainabie at all, can be more easily
attained in this mode than 10y any reyoiu
tIonary proceedings
The time for considering how far It is
the interest of the country 10 carry the
punishment of treason 10y couiiscation OF
death has not arrived. When it does
arrive the question will doubtless be de
cided not so much by The guilt of the
traitors as by the interests OF the loyal
citizens Of the Republic
Not all the wealth and all the blood OF
the leading rebels can atone Tor thou
sandth part Of the destruction Of lie and
nrouertv. the sickness the privatiOn, and
misery which their proiiisate ambition
has brought upon their country. Lives OF
: infau,y may be a severer punishment for
,bcm than the bullet or the halter What
shall be done with them or their property
will necessarily become subject of CON
sideration when the rebellion has been
put down and the government shall thus
have acquired the power te punish.
The North was never more united than
it is now in the determination to suppress
the rebellion, at whatever cost of treasure
or of blood They look upon it as essen
tial to their future peace and safety, and