The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-10-21
Lester ef Jesiah QnlnCy % sAe frss'
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Aho ioHo"iDS iottct iIOm tue uOu. DO
siah Quincy. Of Massachusetts, to the
President Of the United States, will be
read with particular interest by all who
recall the extreme age and eminent pub.
lie services Of the writer, and bis illustri-
Gus revolutionary ancestry. Mr.. Quincy
was burn in 1772. He was member of
Congress in 1905, and served until 1913,
and, throughout thisperiod of life, he did
not cease to expose and denonnce the am
bilious projects of the slaveholding inter-
est. He was in the Massachusetts, Senate
from 1913 TO 1921. He was then elected
to the House of Representatives and eho-
sen Speaker. In 1923 he was Mayo Of
Boston, holding his place until 1898.
He was then appointed President of Har-
ward University, and held Office d until
l845, since which time he has lived in
private. In 1856 he was warm SUP
porter of the Republican candidate for
the Presidency, making one speech in
Quincy.
We have reminded our readers of these
events in the lie of Mr.. Quincy, that
they may know how to value properly the
sentiments and opinions of the writer of
the letter which follows.
1t will be seen that Mr.. Quincy pre-
serves the freshness, hopefulness, and
courageous cheer of youth, and shows no
other sign of age than its wisdom and ex-
perience. Our readers cannot but be
impressed with the vieor, clearuess, and
compactness Of the style in which the
writer's firm convictions are expressed.
Once more the venerable patriot de-
serves well of his country-that COUNTRY
which has long held him in merited
honor:
"HoS. ABRAHAM LIscoLN-Sir: Old
age has its privileges, which | hope this
letter will not exceed. But | cannot re-.
/ frain from expressing TO you nv gratis-
cation and my gratitude for your letter 10
the Illinois Convention happy, timely,
conclusive, and effective. What you say
concerning emancipation, your proclama.
ton, and your course of proceedings in
relation to it, was due to truth and your
own character. shamefullv assailed 81 it
has been. The development is an impet-
ishable monument of wisdom and virtue.
"Negro Slavery and the possibility Of
emancipation have been subjects of my
thoushtsfcr more than seventy years, be-
ing first introduced to it by the debates 10
the Convention of Massachusetts, for
adopting the Constitution, 1888, which
attended. | had subsequently opportuni-
ties of knowing the views on that subject
not only of such men as Hamilton, King,
Jay, and Pickering, but also of distin-
guished slayeholders-o both the Pinck
neys, of William Smith OF South Caroii-
ma, and of many others With the frs,
of these had personal intercourse aud
acquaintance. | can truly say that |
never knew the individual, STAKEHOLDER OF
non-slaveholder, who did not express a
detestation of it, and the desire and dispo-
si,on to get rid of it. The only difficul
ty, in case Of emancipation, was, Wha,
shall We do for the master, and what shal
we do with the slave? A satisfactory
answer to both these questions has been
until now, beyopd the reach and lht
grasp Of human wisdom and power.
4 "Through the direct Influence of ,
good and gracious God, the people of th.
United States have been invested viii
the power of answering satisfactorily boil
these questions, and also of providin.
for the difficulties incident to both, 0
which if they fail to avail themselves
thoroughly and conclusively, they vii
entail shame on themselves and sorro,
and misery on many generations.
at is impossible for me to regard tb
power thus granted to this people other
, wise than as proceeding from the direc
influence of a experimenting Proyidenc
who ever makes kiose mad uhom lie IN
tends to destroy.
"The only possible way in which Slave
ry, after it had grown to such height
f. could have been abolished, is that whic
q heaven has adopted.
"1our instrumentality in the work is t
you a subject of special glory, favor an
$ felicity The madness of Secession an
9 its inevitable consequence, civil war, viii
in their result, give the right and tn
power Of universal emancipation soont
or later. if the United States do not III
: dcrstand and.fully appreciate the boo
thus bestowed on them, and fail to in
prove it to the utmost extent of the pow
er granted, they will prove recreant t
9 themselves and posterity.
"I write under the impression that th
r victory of the United States in this va
is inevitable.
!, "Compromise is impossible. Peace Q
any other basis would be the establish
ment of two nations, each hating Ii
It other. both military. both necessarily no
i tile, their territories interlocked, with
tendency to never-ceasing hostility. Cs
We leave to posterity more cruel inner
9 tance, or one more hopeless OF happine,
d and prosperity ?
;. "Pardon the liberty have taken in tn
!. letter, and do not feel obliged in any v,
to take notice of il and believe me. ev