The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-09-10
Mr.. Lincoln's Letter to the Spring
field, Ill, Convention.
WASHINGTON, Aug %, 1868.
EXECUTIVE MANSION

EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, Aug 26, 1863.
Hon. James c. Conkling:
Ny DEAR SIR You letter, inviting me to
attend mass meeting of unconditional I'm
ion men, to be held at the Capitol of Illinois,
on the Sd day of September, has been receiv-
ed.
1t would be very agreeable to me, to thus
meet my old friends, at my own home; but
| cannot just now be absent from here, 50
long as a visit there would require.
The meeting is to be Of all those who main
tain unconditional devotion to the Union and
l am sure my old, political friends will thank
me for rendering, as do, the Nations graf
ltude to those other noble men, whom no part
isan malice, or partisan hope, can make false
to the nations life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me. To such | would say You desire peace,
and you blame me that we do not have it
But how can we attain it There are but
three conceivable ways First, to suppress
the rebellion by force of arms This [ am try
ing to do. Are you for it p? If you are, so far
we are agreed. If you are not for it. a second
way is, to give up the Union. / am against
this. Are you for it If you are, you should
say so plainly If you are not for peace, nor
yet for dtSSolUtjoa, there only remains some
imaginable c0mprOmjSe. l do not believe
any compromise embracing the maintenance
q the Union, IS now possible. All | learn
leads to directly opposite belief. The strength
OF the rebellion is its military, its army. That
army dominates all the country, and all the
people within its range Any offers of terms
made by any man or men, within that range,
IN opposition to that army is simply nothing
for the present; because such man, or men
have no power whatever to enforce their side
OF a compromise If one were made with them
10 illustrate; Suppose refugees from the
South, and peace men Of the North, get to-
gether in convention, and frame and proclaim
a compromise embracing a restoration of the
Union, III what way can that compromise be
used to keep Lees army out of Pennsylvana
Meade's army can keep Lees army out of
Pennsylvania, and think canultmately drive
it out Of existence. But no compromise to
which the controllers of Lees army are not
agreed can, at all, affect that army In an
effort at such compromise we should only
waste time which the enemy would improve
to our disadvantage; and that would be all
A compromise, to be effective, must be made
either with those who control the rebel army,
or with the people first liberated from the do
mlnion Of that army by the success of our
own army. Now allow me to assure YOU that
no word or intimation from that rebel army,
or from any OF the men controlling it, in re-
Iatlon to any peace compromise, has ever
come to my knowledge or belief. All charges
or lnslnuations to the contrary are DECEPTIVE
and groundless; and | promise you that if
any such proposition shall hereafter come. it
shall not be rejected and kept a secret from
you. | freely acknowledge myself the serv-
ant OF the people, according to the bond of
service-the United States Constitution: and
that, as such, am responsible to them.
But to be plain: You are dissatisfied with
me about the negro. Quite likely there is
difference of opinion between you and myself
upon that subject. | certainly wish that all
men could be free, while | suppose you do
not. Yet L have neither adopted nor propos-
ed any measure which is not consistent with
even your view, provided you are for the Tn
ION lsuggested compensated emancipation
to which you replied you wished not to be
taxed to buy negroes But l had not asked
you to be taxed to buy negroes, except in such
way as to save you from greater taxation to
save the Union exclusively by other means
You dislike the Emancipation Proclama-
ton, aud perhaps would have it retracted-|
You say 1t is unconstitutional. | think diff
terently; | think the Constitution invests its
Commander-in-Chief with the law of war. in
time OF war. The most that can be said ifso
much, is, that slaves are property. Is there
has there ever been-any question that by
tne law Of war; property, both of enemies and
friends, may be taken when needed? And is
IL not needed Whenever taking it helps us and
nurts TIE enemy Armies, the world over,
destroy enemies property, when they cannot
use II, and even destroy their own to keep it
L, III
IN their power to help themselves or hurt the
enemy except a few things regarded as bar
bayous or cruel. Among the executions are
The massacre ofvanquished foes, and non-com- |
batants, male and female,
But the Proclamation, as law, either is val |
I'd, or Is not valid. If it is not valid it needs |
no retraction. lit is valid it cannot be re-
trac ted anymore than the dead can be brought
TO Ihe. Some of you profess to think its re |
traction would operate tavorably for the In
IoD. Why better after the retraction than
0%J0fe the issue? There was more than a year
aud half OF trial to suppress the rebellion
before the reclamation was issued the last
one hundred days of which passed under am
explicit notice thatit was c1ming. unless avert
ed 10y those in revolt returning to their ale
glance. Inc VIZ has certainly progressed us
IaVofaoly To- us since the issue Of the Procla-
lllaIlo' :. as before
know, as fully as any one can know, the
opinion Of others, that some of the command
ers of our armies in the field who have given
us some of our most important successes, be
heve the emancipation policy and the use Of
the colored troops, constituted the heaviest
blow yet dealt to the rebellion, and that. at
least one of these important successes could
not have been achieved at the time it was but
for the aid of black soldiers. Among the
commanders holding these views are some
who have never had any affinity with what
is called abolitionism, or with Republican par
ty politics, but who hold them purely as mil
itary opinions. submit these opinions as be-
ing Of some weight against the Objections oft
en- urged-that emancipation and armino the
blacks are unwise as military measures and
was not adopted as such in good faith
You say you will not fight to free negroes.
Some Of them seem willing to fight for YOU
but no matter Fight you, then, exclusively
to save the Union. l issued the Proclamation
on purpose to aid you in saving the Union.
Whenever you have conquered all resistance
to the Union, if l shall urge you to continue
fighting, it will be an apt time, then, for you
to declare that you will not fight to free ne
groes.
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