Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-10-13
Views Of a NOnagenarian Patriot.
Letter from HOu. Josiah Quincy to
the President. W

The Hon. Josiah Quincy of Massachu-
sets, now nearly 90 years of age, who
entered into public life before the com
mencement of the present century, and
was a member of Congress as far back as
1905, has addressed the following letter
to the President: FLs
Hon. Abraham LincoM
SIR: Old age has its privileges, which
hope this letter will not exceed. But
cannot refrain from expressing to you
my qualification and gratitude for your
letter to the Illinois Convention; happy,
timely, conclusive and effective. What
you say concerning emancipation, your
Proclamation and your course of pro-
ceeding in relation to it, was due to truth
and your character, shamefully assailed
as it has been. The developement is an
| imperishable monument of wisdom and
virtue, I'd
Negro slavery and the possibility of
emancipation have been subjects of my
thought for more than seventy years; be-
ing Grst introduced to it by the debates in
the Convention of Massachusetts for
adopting the Constitution in 1888, which
l attended, had subsequently, opportu-
mites of knowingsthe views on that sub,
ject, not only of such men as Hamilton,
King, Jay and Pickering, but also of dis
tinguished slaveholderS-of both the
Pinckneys, of William Smith of South
! Caroline, and of many others With the
first of these ! had personal Intercourse
and acquaintance. | can truly say that
/ never new the individual, STAKEHOLDER
or non-slayeholder, who did not express
a detestation Of it, and the desire and
disposition to get rid of it. The only
difficulty, in case of emancipation, was,
"what shall we do with the master, and
what shall we do with the SLAYER A sat
isfactory answer to both these questions
has been, until now, beyond the reach
and grasp of human wisdom and power
+ Through the direct influence of good
and Gracious God, the people of the
United States have been invested with
the power of answering satisfactorily
both these questions, and also of provid-
ing for the difficulties incident to both,
OF which if they fail to avail themselves,
thoroughly and exclusively, they will en-
tail shame on themselves and sorrow and
misery on many generations
1t is impossible for me to regard the
power thus granted to this people other
wise than as proceeding from the direct
influence of experimenting Providence,
who ever makes those mad whom he in
tends to destroy EIl3.s4r
The only possible way in which Slavery,
after it had grown to such height, could
have been abolished, is thatwhich heaven
has adopted. = -
4 Your instrumentality in the work is to
you subject of special glory, favor and
felicity. The madness of secession and
its inevitable consequence, civil war,
will, in their result, give tie right and
q the power of universal emancipation
sooner or later. If the United States dc
not understand and fully appreciate tbs
boon thus bestowed on them, and fail to
improve it to the utmost extent of the
power granted, they will prove recreant
to themselves and posterity
I write under the impression that the
victory of the United States in this wal
is inevitable. f-
. Compromise is impossible. Peace OF
! any other basis would be the establish
| ment of two nations, each hating the
other, both military, both necessaril
) hostile, their territories interlocked, will
a tendency to neyerceasing hostility
Can we leave to posterity more crue
) inheritance, or one more hopeless o
happiness and prosperity a'
Pardon the liberty j have taken in thi
letter, and do not feel obliged in any wa
to take notice of it; and believe me,
Ever your grateful and obliged serv't
: JOSIAH QUINCY
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