Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-10-01
A DEFENCE OF THE ADMINISTRATION.

III HeSodSC w Oon6ASo0j S~AASN W $1,000
in extraordinary session on the 4th of July, 1861,
President LINCOLN held the following language:
"Les there be some uneasiness in the minds of candid
men what is to be the of the Government to-
wards the Southern States after the rebellion shall have
been suppressed the Executive deems it proper say
will be his purpose In to be guided by the Con-
stituton and The aNs and that he probably will have
different understanding OF tbs powers and duties Of the
Federal Government relatively to the rights of the States
and the people, under the Constitution than that
the inaugural address He res preserve the Gov
ernmen that it may be administered for ALL il ad
minstered by the who made it, Loyal citizens every
where have the right to CLAIM this of their Governments
and the Government has right withhold neglect It,
1t not perceived that in giving it, there any coercion
any conquest or any subugaton in just of those
terms"
In the opening words of the preliminary " Pro-
clanation Of Freedom" issued on the 22d Of Sep
TENDER, 1862, the President, as if anxious to pre-
clule the inference that he meant thereby to
change the object of the war, was careful to declare
that hereafter heretofore the war will be prose
outed for the object of practically restoring the
stitutional relation between the United States and
each Of THE STATES and the people thereof in
which States THAT RELATION is or may lie sus-
pended or disturbed" This is ssthe object I" of
the war as the President understands ito restore
the constitutional relation between the United
States and eachofMe States in which that relation
is now suspended or disturbed
In the Presidents reply to communication from
the Hon. Fernando Wood, of New York, who had
impaired to him some information to the effect
[" that the Southern States would send representa-
tives to the next Congress provided that full and
general amnesty should permit them to do 81"
the President, under date of last December 18th,
held the following explicit and conclusive Ian
guage:
strongly suspect your information will prove to be
gr0undless nevertheless thank you for communicating it
to Understanding the phrase the paragraph above
quotedthe Southern States would send representatives
to the next Congress'-to be substantially the same
that the people of the Southern States would
nstance and would renaugurate submit to, and maintain
the national authority within the limits of such States
der the Constitution of the United States, say that
such the ,oOutd the part OF the United
STATES and that If cithin reasonable time full and
neral amnesty oerc necessary TO such end poud not
be pithhstd"
In the Presidents Letter addressed to the Spring
field Republican Convention in the early part of
the present month, he wrote as follows, as if to
exclude the cavil or objection on the part of poll
tica opponents that he had any design to continue
the war for the purpose of emancipation after the
declared object Of the war shall have been reached
in restoration of the Union. To this effect the
President said
"You say you will not fight to free negroes. Some Of
tbsm willing to fight for you. But matter; fight
you then excusvey to the Union. issued the pro-
clanatlon purpose to aid you in saving the Union.
Whenever you shall conquered all resistance to the
Union, shall urge you continue fighting ,oiL be
apt time then for you TO declare you ou NOT fight to free
negroes"
We have arranged these uniform declarations Of
the President in the order of their chronology, for
the purpose of showing that his policy under this
head is deliberate, definite, and determinate. The
war is waged for the avowed purpose of "practi-
cay restoring the constitutional relation between
the United States and each of the States in which
that relation has been suspended or disturbed !"
and when the people Of the Southern States "shall
oease resistance and reinaugurate, submit to, and
maintain the national authority within the limits
of said States VI der the Constitution Of the Uni
ted States, the war will cease on the part of the
United States" If any say "they will not fight
to free negroes" to such the President replies, "No
matter; fight you then exclusively to save the
Union, and when you shall have conquered all re-
sistance to the Union, if shall urge you to con-
tinue fighting it will be an apt time then for you to
declare you will not fight to free negroes"
In all these separate declarations we have an ex-
plicit and unmistakabe avowal of the Presidents
purpose to regard the war as at an end just SO
soon as all resistance to the Union shall have been
conquered. And we have cited them in their sim
gle clearness and collective force for the purpose
of setting in strong light the true relations borne
to the present Administration by those who, while
protesting to support it, found in opposition to
its most fundamental idea. For surely it will not
be said that the Administration has any idea moi
fundamental CT primary than that which relates to
the object of the war" Those who are not with
it in this grand issue against it. All, for in
stance, who hold with Mr.. Whiting, that the ordi-
nances of secession, and the territorial civil
war; now raging in consequence Of them, have
availed to annul the rights of the insurgent States
under the Constitution, and have "obliterated
all lines of States" in the nsurgent district, arc
just as clearly the political opponents Of the Presi-
dent as they are, in the language of a member OF
his Cabinet, "the aiders and abettors Of the Con-
federates." Indeed, it would be grievous re-
proach to the Administration if any class of per-
sons could be "aiders and abettors of the Con
federates' without being at the same time enemies