The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-07-22

in the case of Mr Fal.andigham. Quite sure
ly nothing of this sort was intended. l was
wholly unaware that Mr. Vallandigham was,
at the time Of his arrest, candidate for the
Democratic nomination for Governor, until SO
informed by your reading to me the resolu- /
tions of the Convention. | am grateful to tie I
State of Ohio for many things, especially for |
the brave soldiers and officers she has given in /
the present national trial to the armies OF the /
Uaon.
IS You claim, as 1 understand, that according |
to nv own position in the Albany response.
Mr.. Vallandiyhau. should be released; and
this because, as you claim, be has not damaged
the military service, discouraging enilstments,
encouraging desertions, or otherwise, and that
If he had, he should hive been turned over to
the civil authorities under the recent acts of
Congress certainly do mot knoau that Mr.
Vallandigham has specifically, and by direct
langua. e. advised against eslistments, and IL
favor of descrtion aud resistance to drafting.
We all know that combinations, armed in some
instances to resist the arrest of deserters, be-
! gan several months ago !; that more recently
| the like has appeared inuresistauce TO thesen-
roIlmeut preparatory to draft; aud that quite
| a number Of asassinations have occurred from
/ The san e animus. These had to be met by mill
| tary force, and this again has led to bloodshedi
| and death And now under sense of respon
sibility more weiehty and enduring than any
! " hich is merely official, 1 solemDly declare my
belief that this hindrance of the military, In
cluding maiming and murder, is due to the
course in which Mr.. Vallandigham has been
engaged, in greater degree than to any OH
1 er cause; and is due 10 him personally In
i greater degree ;han any other one man. These
| things have been notorious, known to al, and
Of course known to Mr.. Vallandigham. Per-
i haps [ would not be wrong to say they orig
mated with his especial friends and adherepts
With perfect knowledge OF them, he has
frequently, if not constantly, made speeches
in Congress and before popular assemblies !;
and if it can be shown that with these things
staring him in the ace, he has ever uttered a
word of rebuke or counsel against them, it
will be a fact greatly in his favor with me,
and one of which, as yet, am totally ignorant.
When it is known that the whole burden of
his speeches has been to stir up men against
the prosecution of the war, and that in the
midst of resist ance to it., he. has not beer
known in any instance to counsel against such
resistance, it is next to impossible to rePel
the inference that he has counseled direct
ly in favor of it With all this before their
| ewes, the Convention you represent have
/. nominated Mr. yallandigham for Governor Of
Ohio; and both they and you have declared
| the purpose to sustain the national Union by
all constitutional means. But of course they
] and you, in common, reserve to yourselves to
/ decide what are constitutional means, and, un
like the Albany meeting, you omit to state or
intimate that in your opinion an army is con
| stitutional means of saving the Union against
rebellion or even o-iasinsatv- a J
conscious of an existing rebellion being in
progress with the avowed object of destroying
| that yery Union. At the same time your nom
inee for Governor, in whose behalf you appeal,
! is known to you and to the world to declare
against the use of an army to suppress the re-
!, bellion Your own attitude, therefore, en-
courages desertion, resistance to the daft and
the Ike because it teaches those who incline
to desert and to escape the draft to believe ii
is your purpose to protect them, and to hope
that YOU will become strong enough to do so.
AFTER personal intercourse with you, gentle
, men of the committee, / can not say think
YOU desire this effect to follow your attitude,
but I assure you that both friends and enc
mics of the Union look upon it in this light
Ii is substantial hope, and by consequence,
real strength to the enemy. 1t is false
hope, and one which yUu would willingly dispel
will nakethe way exceedingly easy. send
you a duplicate of this letter, in order that
you, or a majority of you, may, if you choose.
indorse your names upon one of them, and re-
4 turn it thus endorsed to me, with the under
standing that those sisains ore thereby com
; mitted to the following propositions, and tc
, nothing else: ssoS
, l. That there is now rebellion in the Uni
ted States, the object apd tendency OF which
is to destroy the National Union and that, in
your opinion an Army and Navy are constith
! al means for suppressing that rebellion
g. That no one of you will do anything
!, which, in his own judgment, will tend to hin
der the increase or favor the decrease, or les
sen the efficiency of the Army or Navy, while
Engaged in the effort to suppress, that rebel
: lion a4T sisa 81 H' b5s
Q 8. That each of you will, in his sphere, d,
all ne can to have the officers, soldi srs, ant
: Fseanen of the Army aud Navy, while engaged
= in the effort to suppress the rebellion, paid
: fed ,fclad, and otherwise we'll provided and sup
:. ported: eEa -fA a23tf5.5alaiatsA s55 81
> l. And with the further understanding tha
u upon receiving the letter and names thus in
: dorsed, will cause them to be published
I which publlca ion shall be, within itself.
= revocation of the order in relation to Mr.. Val
: landigham. 0sa eaia9 zl9ssS 81
i - 1t will not escape observation that consen
: to the release of Mr.. Vallandigham upol
Z Z terms not embracing any pledge from him o
!, from others, as to what he will or will not dc
u I do this this because he Is not present t
y speak for himself, or TO authorize others t
$ speak for him ; and hence. shall expect thn
' on returning, he would not put himself prae
tically in antagonism with the position Of hi
6 friends. But / do it chiefly because thereb
i prevail on other lnnuentidl gentlemen OF Ohi
3 10 SO define their position as TO be of immens
: : value to the army-thus more than compensa
l ting for the consequences of any mistake i
: allowing Er. Yallandigham to return, so tina
! l. on the whole the public safety win not hay
/ suffered by it. Still, in regard to Mr.. Vallar
n digham and all others, must hereafter, 8
Il here etofore, do so much as the public servic
!. may require. - iiFa ~. -
. i have the honor to be, respectfully your
le ''s' pcs A. LINCOLN.
j THE REJo1NDER OF THE COMMITTEE.
Or New YoRK CITY, July T. 1868.
d To HIS Eecelcncy, the President of tie Tn