The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-09-04
Letter from President Lincoln to the Union
Mass Convention at Springfield, Illinois.
August 81, 1868.

My Dear Sir: Your letter inviting me to at
tend mass meeting of unconditional Union men
to be held at the capital of Illinois en- the thirt
day of September, has been received. 1t woult
be very agreeable to me thus to meet my ole
friends a, my own home, but | cannot just nov
be absent from this city so long as visit Their
would require.
The meeting is to be of all those who main
tain unconditional devotion to the Union, and
am sure that my old political friends will tnanl
me for rendering, as do, the Nations gratitude
to those other noble men whom no partisan NAL
ice or PARTISAN hope make false to the Nation
life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with me
To such would say You desire peace, and yor
blame me that we do not have it but how Cal
we attain it? There are but three conceivable
ways-Fnst, to suppress the rebellion by force
of arms. This | am trying to do; are you for it
Ifyou are, SO far we are agreed. Ifyou are no
for it, second way is to give up the Union.
am against this; # you are you should say sc
plainly. If you are not for force nor yet for dis
solution, there only remains some imaginable
compromise. do not believe that any comprom
Use embracing the maintenance of the Union il
now possible. All that learn leads to di
rectly 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 ofe
of terms made by any man or men within tina
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 com
promise, If one were made with them. To illus
trate 4: Suppose refugees from the South and
peace men from the North get together in con
vention and frame and proclaim compromise
embracing restoration of the Union. In wha
way can that compromise be used to keep Gen.
Lees army out of Pennsylvania? Gen. Mead'
army can keep Lees army out of Pennsylv MIA
and | think can ultimately drive him out OF ex
istance, but no paper compromise to which tn
controllers of Gen. Lees army are not agreed cal
at all affect that army. In an effort at such com
promise we would waste time which the enemy
would improve TO our disadvantage, and tha
would be all.
A compromise to be effective must be made
either with those who control the rebel army OF
with the people first liberated from the domino
alton of that army by the successes of our army
Now. allow me to assure you that no word or in.
timatjon from the rebel army, or from any of the
men controlling it, in relation to any peace com
nromise, has ever come, to my knowledge or be.
lief. All charges and ntimaions to the contrary
are deceptive and groundless and | promise
Won. that if any such proposition shall hereafter
come. it shall not be rejected and kept secret
from YOU. | freely acknowledge myself to be
the servant of the people, according to the
bond of service in the United States Constitution
and that as such | am responsible to them.
But, t. be plain, you are dissatisfied with me
oh nt the negroes. Quite likely there is differ
ence of opinion between you and myself on the
subject. | certainly wish that all men could be
Tree. while YOU, suppose, dc not. Yet | have
neither adopted nor proposed any measure which
10 not consistent with even your view, provided
Won are for the Union. | suggested compensated
characterization, to which you replied that you
wished not to be taxed to buy negroes. But
had not asked you to be taxed to buy negroes
axcent in such way as to save you from greater
taxation to save the Union exclusively by other
means You dislike the Emancipation procla.
nation. and perhaps would have 1t retracted. You
cav il il unconstitutional | think differently
think the Constitution invests its Commander
n.Chief with law of war in times OF war.
The most that can be said, if so much, is that
slaves are property Is there, has there ever been
anv question that by the law of war, property
both of enemies and friends, may be taken wher
needed ? and is it not needed whenever taking il
helm, us and hurts the enemyp Armies, the
world over, destroy the enemy's property wheI
thew cannot use it, and even destroy their owl
to keen It from the enemy. Civilized belgerent
do all in their power to help themselves or hur
the enemy, except few things regarded as bar
barous or cruel. Among the exceptions are tn,
massacre Of vanqushed foes and non.combatants
male and female. But the Proclamation as Law
is valid or is not valid if it is not valid it need
no retraction if it is valid it cannot be retracte'
any more than the dead can be brought to life.
Some of you profess to think that its retractlo
would operate iavorably for the Union. VIII