Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-09-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
A LETTER FROM THE PREsI.
DENT.
HE DISCUSSES RECONSTRUCTION.
The Glorious Condition of the Re-
public.

PEACE TO BE MADE by WAR.
The Glorious Condition of the Re-
public.
WHAT is THE DUTY OF LOYAL MEN.
CHICAGO, Sept. 2.
The following is President Lincoln's let
ter to the Springfield Mass Meeting:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, August 26, 1868.
Hon james G.. Conking-MY DEAR SIn.-
Your letter inviting me to attend a mass
meeting of unconditional Union men, to be
held at the capital of Illinois, on the Srd day
of September, has been received.
1t would be very agreeable to me thus to
meet my old friends at my own home, but L
cannot Just now be absent from this city so
l)ng as n visit there would require. The
meeting is to be of all those who maintain
unconditional devotion to the Union, ami |
am sure that my old political friends will
thank me for rendering, rs | Go, the nations
gratitude to those other noble men whom
no partizan malice or partizan hope can
make false to the nations life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me- TO such would say, "I ou desire peace
and you blame me that we don't have it.
But how can we attain it There are but
three conceivable ways: First. To suppress
the rebellion by force of arms. This | am
trying to do. Are you for it I? II you are,
far we are agreed. A second way is to
give up the Union. am against this. If
you are not for force nor yet for dissolution
there only "emains some imaginary compro-
mise. | do not believe that any cOmpro-
mise embracing the maintenance of the
Union is now possible. All that | learn
leads to a directly opposite belief. The
strength of the rebellion is its military--its
army. That army dominates all the coUn-
try ard all the people within its range.
Any offer of terms made by any man or
men within that range, in opposition to that
army, is simply nothing for the present, be-
cause such man or men have no power what
ever to enforce their side of compromise,
if one were made with them. To illustrate
suppose n refugee from the South and the
peace men of the North get together in con-
ven.ion. and frame and proclaim compro-
mise embracing a restoration of the Union,
in what way can that compromise be used
to keep Gen. Lees army out of Pennsyl-
vania Gen. Meade's army can keep Gen.
Lees army out of cnnsylvania and think
can ultimately drive it out of existence; but
| no paper compromise, to which the control
lers Of Gen. Lees army are not agreed, can
at all effect that army In an effort at such
compromise We would waste the time which
the enemy would improve to our disadvan-
tage, and that would be all.
a compromise, to be effective, must be
made 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 army.
Now allow me to assure you that no
! word or intimation from the rebel army oI
/ from any of the men controlling it, in rela-
tion to any peace compromise has ever came
( to my knowledge or belief. All charges
and intimation to the contrary are deceptive
and groundless, and promise you, that il
any such proposition 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 bono
( of service, the United States Constitution
and that as such l am responsible to shem
! But. to be plain, you are dissatisfied witt
me about the negro. Quite likely there is
difference of opinion between you and my
self upon that subject. | certainly wisl
that all men could be free, while you, sup
pose do not Yet have neither adopted
nor proposed any measure which is not con
sistcnt with even your views, provided yol
are for the Union. suggested compensat
tion emancipation to which you replied :ha
YOU wished not to be taxed to by negroes
But had not asked you to be taxed to bu,
negroes, except in such a way as to save yol
from greater taxation to save the Union OK
clusively by other means. You dislike III
emancipation proclamation and perhaps yol
want to have it retractcd. You say 1T i
unconstitutional. | think differently.
think that the Constitution invests its Com
mander-in- Chief with the law of war in tim
of war. The most that can be said, II 81
much is, that slaves are property.
Is there, has there ever been, any question
that by the law of war the property, both o
enemies and friends, may be taken whel
needed and is it not needed whenever takel
it helps us or hurts the enemyl Armies
the world over. destroy enemies propert
when they cannot use it, and even destro
their own to keep it from the enemy. Ciyi
lizcd beigerents do all in their power t
help themselves or hurt the enemy, except
few things regarded as barbarous or crue
Among the exceptions are the massacre O
non combatants, male and female. But til
proclamation, as law, is valid or not Valid
Ii it is not valid, it needs no retraction;
it is valid, it cannot be retracted any NOR
than the dead can be brought to life. Som
of you profess to think that its retractio
would operate favorably for the Unlon.-
Why better after the retraction than befor
the issuei
There was more than year and half Ia
trial to suppress the rebellion before tn
proclamation was issued the last one hun
dred days of which passed under an explic
IT notice that it was coming unless averte,
! hy those in revolt returning to their allie
) glance The war has certainly progresse
as favorably for us since the issue of tn
proclamation as before. I know as fully a
one cen know the opinions of others, tina
some of the commanders of our armies i
the field who have given us our most impol
tant victories, believe the emancipatio
> policy and the aid of colored troops const
iute the heaviest blows yet dealt to th
rebellion "and that at least one of thos
important successes could not have bee
achieved when il was, but for the aid
, black soldiers"
Among the commanders holding the
views are some who have never had AT
affinity with what Is called Abolitionisr
or with the Republican party politics, b
a who hold them purely as military opinion
o | submit their opinions as being entitled