Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-09-03

EXECUTIVE MANSION
WASHINGTON, Aug 10th.
To Hon. James @. Conklin:
Dear Sir-Your letter inviting me to attend
mass meeting Of unconditional Union men, to be
held at the Capital Of Illinois, on the Sd day Of
September, has been received ltWould be very
agreeable 20 me thus 70 meet my old friends at
my own home, but / cannot Just now be absent
from this city so long as visit there would re-
quire. The meeting is TO be Of all those who
maintain unconditional devotion to the Union,
and am sure that my old political friends will
thank me for rendering as do, the nations gra-
titude to those noble men whom no p9rttzan
NAL CO or Partizan hope can make false to the
nations life.
these 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 sre but three conceivable
ways; First-TO suppress the rebelhon by Ioree
Of arms. This am trying to do. Are you forit
II you are, 50 far We are agreed
Hyou are not for II, condWay Is to give up
the Union. l am against this il you are you
you should say so plainly If you are not Tor
force, nor yet for dissolution there only remains
some imaginable compromise. do not believe
that any compromise embracing the maintain
ance Of the Union, is now possible. All
that l learn leads to q reetly opposite
belief The strength Of the rebellion Is It mill
tary. Its army dominates all the country and
ali the people within its range, and any oftsr Of
terms made by any man or men within that
range in opposition 70 that q my is simply moth
ing Tor the present, because such man or men
eOmp70mise If one were made with them.
TO illustrate. Suppose refugees rom the South
and peace men Of the North met together in
convention end frame and proclaim eoinPro-
mise, embracing q restoration Of the Union, IN
what way csn tat compromise be used to keep
General Lees army out OF Pennsy lyanial Cen
eral meads,s aEIns can keep General Lee 8 army
out OF Pennsy lYania, aBd think can ultimately
drive il our Of existence. But no paper COM
promise &c Ehieh-She controllers Of General
Lees army are not agreed, can at all effect that
In an eff at q nhno
EaEte time which the snemy would improve to
oIr disadvantage, aud that be all.
A compromise to be effective uiu Be made
either with those who control the rebel army, OF
with the people first liberated nom the DONNA
Iion sf that army by the success Of our army.
Now, slloW me 70 Assure you that no word or N
timation from the rebel srT1y, or rom any oithe
men controlling it, In relaito on to any peace com
Lief
All charges and intimations to he contrary
are deceptive and groundless, and Oroi1,ss .ns,ss
you that if any such proposition shall hel carter
come, II shall not be rejected and kept sec. 'ss
from you. l freely acknowledge myself to b,
the servant Of the people according to the
dond Of the service, the United States ConstItu-
tlOu, and AS such 1 am responsible to them.
But 70 be plain, you are dissatisfied with me
about the negro. Quite likely there IS a GifIer-
ence Of opinion between Won and mVself upou
that subject certainly wish that all men could
be tree, while you, suppose do not.
have neither adopted nor proposed any mea-
sure which IL not consistent, even with Your
vieTs provided you are for the Union. I sug-
gested Compensated Emancipation, to which
you replied that you wished not 70 be taxed to
buy negroes but had not asked you 70 be
taxed to buy negroes exceptln such q way as to
save You from greater taxation, and to save the
Union, exclusively, by other means.
You dislike the EmanclpBuOn Proclamation,
and perhaps would have II retracted. You say
IC Is unconstitutional / think differently. L
think that the Constitution vests its Command
Chief with the laws Of war in time of war.
The most that can be said, if so much, is, that
slaves are property. Is there-has there ever
been any question that by the laws Of war, prop
erty, both Of enemies and friends, may be taken
when needed; and is it not needed whenever
taking it It helps US or helps the enemy. Armies,
the world over, destroy the enemies property
when they can use it, and even destroy their own
to keep It nom the enemy. Civilized belliger-
ents do all in their power 10 help themselves or
hunt the enemy except a few things which are
regarded as barbarous and cruel, among the eX-
ceptions are the massacre OF vanquished foes
and non-cOmbatants, male and female. But the
Proclamation Is law, and is either valid or is not
1t is valid il cannot be Ietfacted any more than
the dead can be brought 70 life.
Some Of you profess to think that retraetiou
would operate faVorably to the Union Why
better after the retract on than before the issue
There was more than year and half Of trial
to suppress the rebellion before the Prociama-
ton was issued. The last one hundred days Of
which passed undeH,sn explicit not &c TIA was
coming unless aYerted by those IN revolt return
ing TO their allegiance. The war has certainly
progressed as fsEOrably to US since the issue Of
the proclamation as before. know as fully as
one can know the opinions Of others, that some
Of the commanders Of our armies in the field
who have given us our most important victories
believe the EmoncidAtion policy, and the aid Of
colOred troops will constitute the heaviest blow
vet dealt to the rebellion, and that at least one
of those important successes could not have
beeh achieved when it was but for the aid Of
black soldiers.
Among the commanders holding these views
are some who have never bad any affinity with
what is called AOOlidonism or with Republican
party politics, but who hold them purely as
military opinions. I submit their opinions as
being entitled to some weight against the cbjec-
tiOns often urged, that emancipation and arming
Ahe blacks are unWise rs military measures and
we're not ADOPTED as such in COOL faith. You say
yoE will not fight to free negroes. Some ofthem
seeIs to be willing to fight for you, but no mat
ter. Eight you then exclusively 70 save the
/ issaed the Proclamation on purpose to aid
YOU in saving the Union Whenever you shall
iave conquered all resistance to the Union, il
shall urge you TO continue fighting, il will be an
apt time for you TO declare that you will not
| fhht TO free negroes ! thought that IN your
struggle for the Union to whatever extent the
negroes should cease helping the enemy, TO
that extent il Weakens the enemy in his reist-
ance to you. Do you think differently ! thought
that whatever negroes can be got to do as sold
iers leav. Just 50 much less for white soldiers
to do in saving the Union
Does il appear Otherwise to you7 But ne
greos, like other people, act upon motive. Why
should they do anything for US We do nothing
| for theml II they stake their lives for u.s. they
must be prompted BY the strongest motiTe-even
the promise Of freedom, and the promise being
made must be kept.
The signs look better The Father Of Waters
sgaIn goes unVexed to the sea. Thanks to the
Great North West for It, nor yet wholly to them.
Three hundred miles up they met New England,
Empire, keystone and Jersey hewing tneIr Wav
right and left. The Sunny South, too, in more
adfn nj he
Their part Of the history was iotted down in
black and white.
The job was a great national one, and let none
be banned who bore an honorable partinit. And
while those who have cleared the Great RlVer
NAV well be proud, even that is not ALL il is
hard 20 say that anything has been mo bravely
and better done than at Antietan, Murfre esboro',
Gettysburg, and on many fields ofless note. Nor
must Uncle Sans Webbed Feet be forgotten.
At ali the water margins they have been presents
not only on the deep sea, the broad bay and the
rapid river, but up the narrow muddy bayou,
and where the ground was little damp
they have been and made their tracks. Thanks
to all for the great Republic, for the principles
nv which it lives and keeps alive, for mans vast
future, thanks TO all. Pkace does not appear so
distant as it did. hope it will come soon and
come to stay and 20 come as to he worth the
keeping in all future time. Il will then have
been proved that among freemen there can be
no suceessfus appeal from the ballot 70 the bull
let and that they who take such appeal and seek
10 lose their case and p5y the cost
remember that with silent tongue and with
elenchsd teeth, and with steady eye and Well
poised bayonets they have helped mankind on
10 this great consummation. While ! lear that
there will be some white men unable to forget
tbat with malignant heart and deceitful speech
theV have striTen to hinder it. Still, let US not
be over sanguine Of a speedy and final triumph.
Letus be quiete sober let Us diligently apply
the means, never dOu6tlug that q just God, in
his ever goyd time, viii give Us the nghtiul re-
suit. Yours very truly, A LINCOLN.
FROM ALABAMA.
sTEvEHsoE, ALA,, sepiember 2
Al statements implicating Colonel VIM. ITue9s