The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-09-10
The PRESIDENT ON the WAR.
Mr.. Linc0ln's Letter To the
. Springfield Union Mass .t
a.f 81 T Mce,inG. ,ts.s
.r.- EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WARRINGTON, AuGusT 26, 1868

Hon. James G. Conkling r
Ny DEAR SIR: Your letter, inviting rae
ito attend a mass meeting of unconditional
Union men, to be held at tie Capital of III
innis, on the 3D. day Of September, has been
received. It would be very agreeable to me
I to thus meet nv old friends, at my own
home but cannot just now be absent
from here so long as visit there would re-
quire, " as,t 500 .'' ~aa17
The meeting is to be Of all those who
MAINTAIN unconditional devotion to the I'm
ion and am sure my political friends
will thank me for rendering, as I do, the Ma
ton gratitude to those other noble men
whom no partisan malice or partisan hope
can make false to the nations life. sE
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me- To such 7 would say You desire
peace, and YOU blame me that we do not
have It. But how can we attain it =? There
nre but three conceivable wavs. First. to
suppress the rebellion by forcc Of arms. This
am trying 70 do. Are you for it +? Ifyou
are. 10 far we are agreed. Ifyou are not
for it. a second wav is, to give up the I'm
ion am against this Are you for It ?
IF Won are no! for peace, nor vet for dissolu-
tiQn, thsre only remains some imaginable
Compromise do not believe any compro-
mise embracing the maintenance Of the I'm
ion is now possible All I learn leads to a
directly opnosite belief The strength Of
the rebellion ia its military its army That
army dominates all the country. and AL the
people within its range ANY offer ofterms
made by any man, or men within that range.
in opposition TO that armv is simply moth.
ing for the present because such man, or
men. have no power whatever to enforce
their side of a compromise II one were made
with item To illustrate: Sunpnse refil-
gees from the South. and peace men Of the
North. got together in convention, and frame
and proclsim q compromise embracing q re-
storation Of the Union. in what wav can
that compromise he used 10 keep Lees ar.
my ont Of Pennsvlvania Meade's army can
keep Ices army ont Of p snnsylvania. and I
think ultimately drive It ont Of existence.
But no compromise 70 which the 90 ntrollera
Of Lees army are not agreed can at all az
feet that army. In On effort at such com.
promise We should waste time, which the
enesRv would improve 10 our disadvantage
aad that would b. ALL A co,nnrornise. to
he sffectivc. must he m ado either with those
who control the rebel army, or with the
people frst liberated from the domination Of
that army by the success of our own army. |
Now allow me to assure Won that no word |
Or n.irsfion from that rebel army, or from
any of the men controlling, il, in relation to !
my peace compromise, has ever come to my |
or belief All charges or insin-
iations to the contrary are deceptive and
,roundless and promise you that if any
uch proposition shall hereafter come, it
.ot he rejected and kept secret from you.
freely acknowledge Myself the servant OF
ne people, according to the bond of service
1.-The Tnited states Constitution that
5 such, 7 am responsible to them. 49, 81
Blu, TO he plain :: You are dissatisfied
,ith me about the negro. Quite likely
mere is differ cnce Of opinion between You
nd myself npon that subj ect I certainly
sh that all men could be free. while III
oppose you do not. Yeti have neither i
iopted nor proposed any measure which is b