The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-09-16
deut's Bprinnfleld LETTER.

ySsUtAtn u0COOOVl0nol OcvOtiOn TO the Un
On and am suto any old political friends
win thank me for rendering, as I do, tn,
nations gratitude to those other noble men
whom no partisan malice. or partisan hope
can make false to the nations life.
There are those who are dissatisfied will
me. To such, would say: You desir,
peace, and You blame me that We do no
have it. But how can we attain it? Their,
are but three conceivable ways. FIRST, t
suppress the rebellion by force Of arms
This am trying to do. Are you for il,
If you are. so far we are agreed. If 20,
sss nOeltr il. 4 second way is, 1--WE W
The tysl1a am against this. Are yor
for itf TT you are, youshould say SO plain
ly. If you are not for peace, nor yet 70,
dissdlutjon, there only remains some imagi.
nabIe compromiss. I dosnot believe any
compromise embracing the maintenance o.
the Union. is now possible All learn
leads to a directly opposite belief.
The strength of the rebellion is its mil
tary, its army. That army dominates al
the country, and all the people, within its
range. Any offer Of terms made by any
man, or men, within that range, in opposi-
ton to that army, is simply nothing for tie
present: because such man, or men, have
no power whatever to enforce tteir side of
. compromise If one were made with them.
TO illustrate: Suppose refugees from the
south, and peace nsn Of the north, get to-
gether in convention, and frame and pro-
claim a compromise embracing restora
ton of the Union, in what way can that
compromise be used to keep Lees army
out of Pennsylvania Mcade's army can
keep Lees army out Pennsylvania, and
think can ultimately drive it out of exis-
tencc But no compromise to which the
controllers Of Lees army are not agreed
can, Mt all. affect the army. In an effort
at such compromise we should waste time,
which the enemy would improve to our
disadvantage and that would be all. A
compromise. TO be effective, must BE- mace
either with those who control the rebel
army, or with the people first liberated
from the domination Of that army by The
success of our own army. Now, allow NE
to assure you that no word or inti,nation
from the rebel army, or from any Of the
men controlling It, in relation to any peace
compromise, has ever come to my knowl.
edge or belief. All charges AMI insinua
tons TO the contrary are deceptive and
1rOundless and promise you that il any
such proposition shall hereafter come, It
shall not be rejected and kept secret from
you. l freely acknowledge myself tie
servant of the people, according to the bond
of service-she United States constitution;
and that, as such, Lam responsible to
them.
But to DO plain Yo6 are dissatisfied
With me about the negro. Quite likely
there is difference Of opinion between
- A,d TX hat ~ :..nt
tainly wish that all men could be free,
while l suppose you do not. Yet have
neither adopted nor proposed any measure
which is not consistent with even your
view, provided you are for the Union. ].
suggested compensated emancipation to-
which you replied you wished not to DC
taxed to buy negroes. But had notdsk-
ed you to be taxed to buy negroes, except
in such way as to save you IRON greater
taxation to save the Union exclusively by
other means.
You dislike the emancipation proclama.
ton, and perhaps would have it retracted
You say it is unconstitutional. think
differently think the constitution invests
its commander in chief with the law Of war,
in time Of war. The most thai can be said,
If so much, is, that slaves are property. Is
there-has there ever been-any question
that the law Of war, property, both Of
enemies and friends, may be taken when
needed? And is it not needed whenever
taking it helps us or hurts the enemy p
Armies, tho world over, destroy enemies
property, when they cannot use it, and
even destroy their own to keep it from the
enemy. Civilized belligerents do all in
their power to help themselves or hurt the
enemy, except few things regarded as
barbarous or cruel. Among the exceptions
are the massacre Of vanquished foes, and
non combattants, male and female.
But the proclamation, as law, either is
valid, or is not valid. If it is not valid it
needs no retraction. If it's valid it can.
not be rctracted any more than the dead
can be brought to life. Some of you pro-
fess to think lis rctraction would operate
davorably for the Union. Why better after
the retraction than before the issue? There
was more than year and half Of trial
to suppress the rebellion before the procla.
nation was issued, the last one hundred
days Of which passed under an explicit no
tice that it was coming, unless averted by
those in revolt eturning to their allegiance.
The war has certainly progressed as favor
ably for US since the issue OF the procla.
nation as before.
i know, as fully as any one can know
the opinions Of others, that some Of the
commanders Of our armies in the field, who
have given us some Of our most important
!. successes, believe the emancipation policy
and the use Of colored troops, constituted
the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion,
and that, at least, one of these important
successes could not have been achieved Ut
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 republican party policies, but
who hold them purely Is military opinions
I submit these opinions Ms being entitled
to some weight against the objections otter
urged that emancipation and arming tn,
blacks are unwise as military measures
and was not adopted as such in good faith
You say you will not fight to free ne
groes. Some Of them seem willing to 6gh
for you; but no matter. Fight you, then
exclusively to save the Union. l issuel
the proclamation on purpose to aid you i,
saving the Union. Whenever you shall
have conquered all resistance to the Union
Il shall urge you to continue fighting, |
will be an apt time, then, for you 10 dcclar
you viii not fight to free negroes.
I thought that in your struggle for tn
Union, to whatever extent the negroc
should cease helping the enemy, to tina
extent it weakened the enemy in his resis
lance to you. Do you think differently
I Thought that whatever negroes can b
got to do Is soldiers, leaves just SO mucl
less for white soldiers to do in saving tn
Union. Does it appear otherwise to you
But negroes. like other people, act upol
emotion. Why should they do anything 10
ns, five will do nothing for themi |
a. thas. ls.,ox, 81. 60 <I,~.. I,