The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-09-12
President Llncoln's Letter to the Repub.
lican Mass Meeting at Springfield.


WAsHINcrox, August 26, 1868.
HoH. JAS G. CoxKLLN-My Dear Sir
Your letter inviting me to attend mass
meeting of Unconditional Union men, to
be held at the capital Of Illinois, on the
Sd day OF September, has been received
1t would be very agreeable to me to thus
meet nv old friends at my own home, but
| cannot just now be absent from here SO
long ss visit there would require
| The meeting is to be Of all those who
maintain unconditional devotion to the
Union, and am sure my old political
friends will thank me for rendering, as
do. the nations gratitude to those other
noble men whom no partisan malice or
| partisan hope can make false to the ma
tion's life There are those who are dis
satisfied with me. To such l would say
You desire peace, and you blame that We
do not have it. But how can we attain it2
6rst, 70 suppress the rebellion BY force Of
arms This am trying to do. Are you
for it? If you are, SO far we are agreed.
| Ii you are not for 1t, second way IS to
| give up the Union. l am against this.
Are you for it? If you are you should
| say SO plainly. If you are not for force,
nor yet for dissolution, there only remains
| some imaginable compromise. do not
| believe any compromise embracing the
maintenance OF the Union is now possible.
| All that 1 learn leads to directly opposite
belief The strength OF the rebellion is its
mIltsry-its army. That army dominates
all the country and all the people within
| its range ANY offer Of terms made by
any man or men within that range in or
| position to that army, is simply nothing,
for the present, because such man or men
4 f.. 81,
side OF a compromise, if one were made
with them. To illustrate: suppose refu-
gees from The South and peace men of the
North get together In convention and
| frame and proclaim a compromise embrac-
| ing a restoration of the Union. In what
way Can that compromise be used to keep
| Lee army out OF PennSylvanla Meades
| army can keep Gen. Lees army out OF
Pennsylvania; and, think, can ultimate
/ ~ drive it out OF existence, but no COM
| promise to which the controllers OF Lees
| army are not agreed can at ali effect that
army. In an effort at such compromise
| We should waste time which the enemy
would improve to our disadvantage, and
that would be ali. A compromise, to be
| effective must be made either with those
who control the rebel army, or with the
| people first liberated from the domination
! OF that army by the success OF ouI own
army. Now, allow ME to assure you that
no word or intimatlon from that rebe!
army. or from any OF the uen controlling
1t, in relation 20 any peace compromise,
! has ever came - ny knowledge or belief
! All charges or Inslnuat!ons to the contrary
are deceptive and groundless aud !
promise you that if any sucb proposition
| shall hereafter come, /. shall not be rejec-
! ted aun kept O. secret from you. freely
! acknowledge myself the servant Of the
! people, accorduy 20 tie bond OF service
| the United States Constitution; and that,
a. such, am responsible TO them.
| But to be plain: You are dissatisfied
with me about the negroes. Quite likely
| there is u difference OF opinion between
you and myself upon that subject. cer-
tainly wish that all men could be free
while, / suppose, you do pot Yet have
| neither adopted nor proposed any meas
ure which is not consistent with even
! your view, provided you are for tue Cnion.
| suggested compensated emacipaiIea; 10
which YOU replied you wished not to be
taxed to buy negroes, except in such way
20 save you from greater taxation, to save
, the Union exclusively by other u-eans.
| You dislike the emancipation prociama-
ton. and perhaps would have it retractec-
! You say it is Unconstitutional un think Sis
| ferentiv | think the Constition invests
tine Conn man ier-in Chief with the law OF
| war, in time of war. The most that can
be said, ii SO much, is that slaves are prop.
erty Is there-ilas there ever been-any
question that bv the law OF war, property,
both OF enemies and friends, may be taken
when needed And is it not needed
whenever taken it helps Us or hurts the
enemy? Armies, the world over, destroy
enemies property when they cannot use
it, and even destroy their own TO keep 1t
from the enemy. Civilized be!iigerents
do al, their power To help themselves
or hurt ,Ae enemy, except few things
regarded as barbarous or cruel. Among
the exceptions are the massacre OF van
quished foes and noncombatants male q nd
female ... .. . F......
But the proclamation, as law, either is
valid, or is not valid. IF it is not valid, i,
needs no retraction. If IT is valid, it can.
not be retrac,ed any more than the dead
can oe brought to life, Some of you pro.
fess to think its retraction would operate
faverably for the Union. Why better Of.
ter the retractiun than before the issue
There was rebellion before the Proclama-
ton issued, the last one hundred days OF
which passed under M explicit notice
that it was coming, unless averted by those
in revolt returning to their allegiance
The war has certainly progressed as IA
yorably for Us since the issue Of the proc
lamation as before.
| know ss f,xlly as any one can know
the opinion of others, that some of the
commanders of our armies in the field
who have given US our most important sue
: cesses, believe the emancipation policy anC
; the use of the colored troops, constituted
| the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion
and that at least one of these rnPnrtan,
successes could not have been achieved al
the time it was, but for the aid of black
) soldiers. Among the commanders holding
these views are some who have never had
any affinity with what is called Abolition
ism or with the Republican party policies
but who hold them purely as military
J opinions. submit their opinions as be-
ing entitled to some weight against the
objections often urged that emancipation
and armipg the blacks are unwise as mill
tary measures, and We're no. adopted as
such in good faith. l."'a7 .f 'i
i You say that you will not fight to free
negroes Some of them seem willing to
fight for you, but no matter. Fight you
then, exclusively to=save the Union.
issued the proclamation on purpose to aid
you in saving the Union. Whenever you
shall have conquered all resistance to the
Union. if shall urge you to continue
fighting, it will be an apt time, then, for
you to declare you will not fight to free
regroes. thought that, in your struggle
for the Union, to whatever extent the ne
groes should cease helping the enemy, to
that extent it weakened the enemy in h
resistance to you. Do you think differ
emily T? though that whatever negroes
can be got to do ss soldiers, leaves just SO
much Tess Tess for white soldiers to do in
saving the Union. Does it appear other
wise to yoa ...,,
I But negroes. like other people, act upon