Litchfield enquirer., 1863-09-10
WHOLE NO. 1909

way as to save you from greater taxation to save the Union exclusively by other means.
 You dislike the Emancipation, and perhapa would have it retracted. You say it Id uneop. stitutional. I think differently. think the Constitution invests its Commandsr-inlC Chief with the law of war in tine of wal The most that can be said, if 80 much, is, that slaves arc property. Is there, has there ever been, any question that by the law of war, property, bOtA of enemies and friends, may Do taken GhaR needed? And is it not needed whenever N helps us and hurts tho enemyf Armies, thO world over, destroy enemies property whe1 they cannot use it and even destroy tIeiS own to keep it from the enemy. Civilized belia e"ents do all in their power to help them selves or hart the enemy, except few things regarded as barbarous or cruel. Among the 1 exceptions are the massacre ofvanquished foes and noncombatants, male and female.
 But the Proclamation, as law, either is valid or is not valid. lift is not valid it needs 10 retraction. lift is valid it cannot be retraot- ed, any moro than the dead can be brought to life. Some of you profess to think it's retrac. tion would operate favorably for the Union. Why better qfter the retraction than before tho issue There was more than year and half of trial to suppress the Rebellion hefbsS the Proclamation was issued, the last one hun dred days of which passed under an explicit no. tice that it was coming unless avsrted by thoaA in revolt returning to their allegiance. The war has certainly progressed as favorably fog us since the issue of the Proclamation as befora. know as fully as one can know the opip. ions of others, that some of the commander oe our armies iu the field who have given us our most important victories believe tho smancipa- tion policy, and the use of colosed troops con: stitute the heaviest blows yet dealt to the Re. bellien, and that at least one of those impor. tant successes could hot have been achieved when it was but for the aid of black soldiecs. 1 Among the commanders having these views are some who have never had any affinity with what is called "Abolitionism" or with {" Re. publican party politics." but who hold them purely as military opinions. l submit their opinions us being entitled to some weight against the objections often urged that eman. cipation and arming the blacks arc unwise e military measures, and were not adopted aS such ill good faith.
 You say that you will not fight to frsa nc. groes. Some of them seem willing to fight foS you-but no matter. Fight you then, sxclu. sively. to save the Union. issued the Proc l Union. Whenever you shall have conQuered all resistance to the Union, if I shall urge you to continue fighting, it will be an apt time then for you to declare you will not fight to free ns- groes. thought that in your struggle for the Union, to whatever extent the negroes should cease helping the enemy, to that extent 10 weakened the enemy in his resistance to you. Do you think differently l 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. Docs it appear other: wise to you2 But negroes, like other people, act upon motives. Why should they do any! thing for us if we will do nothing for themI If they stake their lives for us they must bO prompted by the strongest motive, even Ihe promise of freedom. And tho promise, being made, must be kept.
 The signs look better. The Fathas of We. ters again goes unvexed to the seq. ThMnks to the great Northwest for it. Nor yet wholly to them. Three hundred miles up they met New England Empire, Keystone, and tsrssy hewing their way right and left. The sunny South, too, in more colors than one. also lelD 2 helping hand On the spot, their pars of tho history was jotted down in black and whita, The job was great national one, and let aoaa be slghted who bore an honorable part in iE And while those who have cleared the great river may well be proud, even that is not oil, It is hard to say that anything has been morc bravely and well done than ai Antissam, MuF. treesboro, Gettysburg, and on many fields of less note. Nor must Uncle Same web-foot bo forgotten. At all the watery margins they have been present. not only on the deep sec, the broad bay, and the rapid river. but also yD the usrrow muddy bayou. and wherever tkk ground was 0 little damp, they have been aud made their tracks. Thanks to all. Fer the great Republic-for the principle it lives by and keeps alivc--for mans vast iutIfe-thanke to all. Peace does not appear So distant e b did. ' hope it will come soon and come to stay aad So come us to be worth the keeping in ell iu. ture time. It will then have bsen proved that among freemen there can be no successful GR: peal from the ballot to the bullet and that they who take such appeal are sure to lose shei! case and pay the cost. And then there win be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue, and clenched teeth, and steady eye, and well poised bayonet, they havo helped mankind on to this great consummationy while fear there will be some white onss ppAt ble to forget that with malignant heart and de: ceitful speech they have striven to hinder it. Still, let us not be over sangune Of speedy, final triumph. Let us be quite sober. Let us diligently apply the means. never d9uhtiH9 that just God, in His owa good time. viu give us the rightful result.
 Yours, very truly, A. LINCOLN.
 
 SoAr.-T'hs is an ungrateful world. Marh how we glorify the lesser achievements of the race, and neglect the greater. The inventors A T.. \ g----