Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-11-06
LETTER FROM HON. JOSIAH
QUINCY TO THE PREESIDENT.

QUINCY TO THE PRESIDENT
The Hon. Josiah Quincy Of Mas
sacfrpsetts, now nearly % years Of
fage, who entered into public life be
fore the commencement Of the pres
ent centdry, and was a member OF
Congress as far back as 1905, has
addressed the following letter to the
President:
Hon. .1Jrohom Lincoln.
SIR: Old age has its privileges,
which / hope this letter will not ex-
cecd But | cannot refrain from
expressing to you my qualification
and nv gratitude for your letter to
the Illinois Convention; harp9. time
ly, conclusive and effective. " hat
you say concerning emancipation
Your Proclamation and your course
OF proceeding in relation to it, was
due to truth and your own character
shamefully assailcd as it hes been
The Development is an imperishalle
monument of wisdom and virtue Il
Negro Slavery and the possibility
of emancipation have been subjects
OF my thought for more than seven
ty years; being first introduced to il
by the debates in the Convention o.
Massachusetts for adopting the Con
stitutiom, in 1888, which ] attended
! | had subsequently opportunities o
knowing tlie views on that subject
not only of such men as Hamilton
King, Jay and Pickering, but alsc
Of distinguished Shareholders o
both the Finclkneys, of William Smitl
of South Cmolina,a and ofmany 9th rs
With the first OF these / had per
sonal intercourse and acquaintance
can truly say that | never knew the
individual. STAKEHOLDER or non slave
holder, who did not express 4 dctcs
tation OF it, and the desire and dis
iposition to get rid of it, The Only
difficulty, in the ease OF emancipation
was, what Shall we do FOR the master
and what shall we 10 with thc slave
\ satisfactory answer to bOtl theS.
qucstions has been, until now, hcyon,
the reach and grasp OF human wis
dom and power.
Through the direct influence Of
good and gracious God. the peopl,
OF the United States have been III
vested with the power of answerin.
satisfactorily both Of these questions
and also OF providing for the diff
culties incident to both, OF which i
they fail to avail themselves, thor
oughIy and conclusively, they viii
entail shame on themselves and sor
row and misery on many genera
tions.
1t IS impossible for me to rcrar,
the power thus granted to this peo
pie otherwise than rs proccedin:
from the direct influence OF super
intending Providence, who Away
makes those mad whom he intends t.
destroy.
The only possible way in whicl
Slavery. after it had grown to such
hight. could have been abolished, /
that which heaven has adopted.
Your instrumentality in the worl
is to you a subject OF special glory
favor and felicity. The madness o
Secession and its inevitable conse
quence, civil war, will, in their result
give the right and the power OF uni
versal emancipation sooner or later
If the United States do not under
stand and fully appreciate the bool
thus bestowed on them, and fail t
improve it to the utmost extent o
the power granted, they will prove
recrcant to themselves and posterity
write under the impression tina
the victory of the United States il
this war is inevitable
Compromise is impossible Peace
on any other basis would be the cs
tablishment of two nations. each hat
ing the other. both military, boil
necessarily hostile, their territorie:
interlocked, with a tendency to nev
erceasing hostility. Can we leave tC
posterity a more cruel Inheritance
or one more hopeless of happines:
and prosperity.
Pardon the liberty I have taken il
this letter. and do not feel obliged il
any way to take notice of it; and be
lieve me.
Ever your grateful and
Obliged servant,