Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1863-09-17
THE PRESIDENTS SPRING.
FIELD LETTER.
His War Policy Vindicated.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON,
AUGUST Goth. 1863.
To Hon. James c. Conklin:


To Hon. James c. Conh1in:
Ny DEAR SIR-Your letter inviting
me to attend a mass meeting of Union
Inen,rto be held at the Capital of Him
ois, on the third day Of September, has
been received. It would be very agree
able to me thus to meet my old friends,
at my own home, but I cannot just now
be absent from this city so long as visit
there would require.
The meeting is to be Of those who
maintain unconditional devotion to the
Union, and am sure that my old po-
litical friends will thank me for tender
ing, as I do, the Nations gratitude to
hose other noble men, whom TO parti-
zan malice or partizan hopes make false
to the Nations life.
There are those who are dissatisfied
with me, 10 such [ would say, you de-
sire peace, and you blame me that we
do not have it; but how can we attaini t?
There are but three conceivable ways:
| First TO suppress the rebellion by
force of arms. This | am trying to do.
Are you for it? IF you are, so far We
are agreed.
If you are not for it, a second way is
to give up the Union. I am against
this. If you are, you should say SO
plainly. If you are not for force nor
yet for dissolution, there only remains
some imaginable compromise. I do not
believe that any compromise embracing
the maintenance Of the Union is now
possible. All that | learn, tends di
rectly to the opposite belief-that the
strength of the rebellion is in its mill
tary--its army; and that the army dom
mates all the country and all the peo-
pie within it's range. ANY offers, if
made by any man or men within that
range, in opposition to that arc simply
nothing, for the present, because such
man or men have no power whatever to
enforce their side of a compromise if
one be made with them.
| 70 illustrate Suppose refugees from
the South, and peace men from the North
should meet IN Convention and frame
a proclamation or compromise embrace
ing restoration Of the Union, in what
way can that compromise be used to keep
Gen. Lees army out Of Pennsylvania :?
Gen. Meade's army can keep Gen. Lees
army out Of Pennsylvania, and, I think
ultimately drive it out of existence.
But no paper compromise, to which the
controllers Of Lees army are not agreed
can at all effect that army. In an effort
at sucisa compromise we would waste
time which the enemy would improve to
our disadvantage, and that would be all :.
A compromise to be effective must b.
made either with those who control the
rebel army or with the people first lib
Grated from the dominion Of that army
by the success of our army.
Now, allow me to assure you that no
word or intimation from the rebel army
or from any Of the men controlling it,
in relation to any peace compromise has
ever come to my knowledge or belief.
All charges or intlmations to the con
trary are deceptive and groundlcss, aad
promise you that if any such propo-
sition 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 the service, the United States
Constitution, and as such I am rcspon-
sible to them. But to be plain, you are
dissatisfied with me about the negro.
Quite likely. There is difference be-
tween you and myself upon the subject
certainly wish all men could be free,
while you, | suppose, do not. Yet I
have neither adopted or proposed any
measure which is not consistent with even
your view, provided you are for the Union.
| suggested compensated emancipa-
ton, 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 except in such way as to
save you from greater taxation, in order
to save the Union exclusively by other
means You dislike the proclamation
and perhaps would have it retracted
You say it is unconstitutional ] think
differently. | think the constitution
vests its CONNIE nder.n Chief with the
law Of war in time Of war The most
that can be said, if so much, is that
slaves are property. Has there ever
been any question that by the laws Of
war property, both enemies and friends,
may be taken when needed, and is it not
needed whenever the taking Of it helps
US or hurts the enemy? Armies, the
world over, destroy the enemy'8 prop
erty 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 in few things
regarded as barbarous and cruel Among
the exceptions are the massacre Of van