Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-09-10
Executive MANSION,
Washington, August &c, 1868. {


Sir Your letter inviting me TO attend
mass meeting Of unconditional Union men.
to be held at the capital of Illinois on the
Sd day of September, has been received.
1t would be very agreeable for me thus to
meet my old friends at my own home :;
but cannot just now be absent from here
so long as visit there would require.
The meeting is to be of all those who
maintain unconditional devotion TO the
Union and am sure that my old politi-
cal friends will thank me for rendering, as
do, the nations gratitude TO those other
noble men whom no partisan malice or
partisan hope can make false to the ma
TONS life.
There are those who are dissatisfied
with me. To such / would say: You de-
sire peace, and you blame me that we do
not have 1t. But how are we to 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 If you are so far we are
agreed. If you are not for 1t, a second
way is to give up the Union. | am
against this. Are you for it !? If YOU
are, you should say SO plainly. If you are
not for force, nor yet for dissolution, there
only remains some imaginable compromise
do not believe that any compromise
embracing the maintenance of the Union
is now possible. All that | learn leads
to directly opposite belief. The strength
of the Rebellion is its military, its army.
That army dominates all the country and
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; because
such man or men have no power whatever
to enforce their side Of a compromise, if
one were made with them
To illustrate: Suppose refugees from
the South and peace men of the North
get together in convention, and frame and
proclaim compromise embracing a res
toration of the Union. In what way can
that compromise be used to keep Lees ar
my out of Pennsylvania Meade's army
can keep Lees army out of Pennsylvania,
and, think, can ultimately drive it out
OF existence. But no paper compromise,
to which the controllers of Lees army are
not agreed, can at all affect that army.
In an effort at such compromise we would
waste time, which the rebels would improve
to our disadvantage; 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 hber-
ated from the domination of that army by
the success of our own army. Now, al
low me to assure you that no word or in
timation from that rebel army, or from
any of the men controlling it, in relation
to any peace compromise, has ever come
to my knowledge or belief. A charges
and insinuations to the contrary are decep-
tive and groundless. And | promise you
that ifany such proposition shall hereafter
GHne, ii shall not be rejected and kept
secret from you. ! freely ackn W
ledge myself to be the servant of the peo-
pie, according to the bond OF service, the
United States Constitution; anu that, as
such, | am responsible to them. ..-
But, to be nlaln. You are dissatisfied
with me about the negro. Quite likely
there is a difference of opinion between
you and myself upon that subject. | GER
tainly wish that all men could be free,
while you, | suppose, do not. Yet have
neither adopted nor proposed any measure
which is not consistent with even your
view, provided that yon are ior the Union.
/ suggested compensated emancipatlonj
to which you replied you wished Gct to to
be taxed to buy negroes. But | had not
asked you to be taxed to buy negroes, ex-
cept in such way as to save you from
greater taxation to save the Union exclu-
sively by other means.
You dislike the emancipation proclama-
ton, and perhaps would have it retracted.
You say it is unconstitutional. | think
'aarently. | think the constitution in
ii.e- ~mander-in- Chief with the law
'eses i's oo''-, The most that
an be said, If SO much, is, "a. az
re property. Is there, has there eso.
,een, any question that by the law of war y,
property, both of enemies and friends,
nav be taken when needed? And is it {
lot needed whenever it helps us and hurts
he enemy I? Armies, the world owrrr de- :
ot use = a., on,n 70 T
,eep it from the enemy. Civilized bel {
igerents do all in their power to help ,
themselves or hurt the enemy, except a
ew things regarded as barbarous or cruel.
Among the exceptions are the massacre OF {
foes and non-combatants, male ,
" female.
But the Proclamation, as law, either is
7ald. or is not valid. If it is not valid
t needs no retraction. If it is valid 1t
,annot be retracted, any more than the
lead can be brought to life. Some of you
profess to think its retraction would ope-
ate fayorably for the Union. Why bet
er after the retraction than before the is
;ue? There was more than a year and a
lalf of trial to suppress the rebellion be
ore the Proclamation was issued, the last
me hundred days of which passed under
IN explicit notice that it was coming I'M
ess it was averted by those in revolt re-
turning to their allegiance. The war has
certainly progressed as favorably for us |