Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-09-19
WHOLE NUMBER III.

greater taxation, and to save the Union.
exclusively. by ottef means. ~
J You dislike the Emancipation Proclama.
tion, perhaps. would, have it retracted
J You say 1t is unconstitutional; think dif.
ferently, i think that the Consultation
vests its COMMANDMENTS Chief with the laws
OF war in'time of war. Pa The most that can
be said, h so much, Is, that slaves are pro.
perty. ls,tbere--has there ever been auy
question that by the laws Of var, property.
oo'h OF enemies and friends, may be taken
, wuen needed; and is IL not needed whom
ever taxing It helps us or helps the enemy?
Armies, the world over, destroy the enc.
J mics when they can use IL, and even de-
stroy their own to keep IL from the enemy.
Civilized belligerents do all in their power
to help themselves or hurt the enemy. ex.
cept few things which are regarded ss
barbarous and cruel; among the exceptions
are the massacre of ysnquished foes and
non combatants, male and female. But
the Proclamation is law, and Is either valid
or is not valid II 1t is not valid, Il needs
no retractioL; fit is valid, IL cannot be re-
tacted any more than the dead can be
brought TO life. ,.~o1o5-s5
Some Of you profess to think that re.
traction wonld operate favorably to the
Union. Why better after the fetraction
than before The issue ? There was more
than year and a half Of trial to suppress
the rebellion before the Proclamation Was
issued. The last one hundred days Of which
passed under an explicit notice that Il was
coming unless averted by those in revolt
returning 70 their allegiance. The war has
certainly progressed as fayorably to, us since
the issue of the proclamation as before. I
know as fully as one can know the opinions
Of others, that some Of the commanders of
our armies in the Geld who have given On
our most important victories believe the
Emancipation policy, and the aid Of colored
troops will constitute the heaviest blow vet
dealt to the rebellion, and o. least one Of
those important successes could mot have
been achieved when il. vas but for the aid
Of black soldiers.
I Among the commanders holding these
views are some who have never had any
affinity with what Is called Abolitionism or
with Republican party politics, bat who
hold them purely as military opinions. I
submit their opinions as being entitled to
some weight against the objections often
urged, that emancipation and arming the
blacks are unwise as military measures, and
were not adopted as such in good faith
You say you will not fight to free negroes.
Some of them seem 10 be willing to light
for you, but no matter. Fight you then
exclusively to save the Union. yed s7Isr
Issued the Proclamation on purpose to
aid you in saving the Union. Whenever
you shall have conqured all resistance to
the Union, if shall urge you to continue
fighting, it will be an apt time for you ato
declare that you will not fight to free ne.
groes. I thought that 10 your struggle for
the union to whatever extent the negroes
should cease. helping the enemy. toI thas
extent it weakens the enemy iu his resist
auce to you. Do you ythink differently?
thought that whatever negroes can be
got to do as soldiers leaves just SO much
less for white soldiers to do in saving the
| Union. saF .,sslgf 7aa gd Cd nsqi1h
Does it appear other wise to, you ( But
negroes, like other people, act upon motive.
Why should they do anything for MS il we
do nothing for them |? If they stake their
lives for us. they must be prompted by the
strongest motiye-even the promise Of free
dom, and the promise being made must be
kept.
The signs look better The Father of
Waters again goes lunyexed 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 their way right
and left. The Sunny South, too, in more
colors than one, also lent haod on shs
spot. Their part of the history was jctted
down In black aud white.
The job was great national one. and
let none be blamed who bore an honorable
part in it. Aud while those who have
cleared the Great River may we'll be prond.
even that is not all; il is hard to say that
any hing has been more bravely and better
doue than at Antietam. Murfreesboro,
Gettysburg. aud on many fields of less note.l
Nor must Uncle Sans Webbed Feet be
forgotten. AT oil the water margins they
have been present not only on the deep
sea, the broad bay and the rapid river, out
up the narrow muddy bayou, and whore the
grouud was little damp they have been
and made thsir tracks Thanks to ell for,
the great Republic, for the principles by
which it lives and keeps alive, for mans
7ast nature, thanks to all. Peace docs not,
appear so distant as it did. hope il will
come soon and come to stay and so come a.
to be worth the keeping in ell future time!
1t will then have been proved that among
fretmen there can be no successful appeal
from the ballot to the bullet. and that they
who take such appeal and seek TO lose their
case and pay the cost, aad then there viii
be some black men who can remember that
with silent tongue and with clenched teeth,
and with steady eye and well poised bayo;;
nets they have helped mankind on to this
great consummation While 1 fear that
there will be some white men unable 70 for.
get that with malignapt heart and deceitfol
speech they have striven TO hinder IL. Still.
let us not be over sanguinc Of speedy
and fiual triumph. Let us be quiet, sober;
let U. diligently spply the means tpsysr
doubling that just God, 10 bis ever good
time, win give us the rightful result.
Yours very truely. A. LINCOLN.