The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-09-04
New York. Sept. 2.
The following Il President Llnoo'n :

The following II President LinoO'n
letter .,
wAsHTroroE, Aug. 26.
n Hon. Jas. G. Conklin-DHAR SIN:
your letter inviting me to attend the
meetipg of tho unconditional Union men
to be held 1t the Capitol of Illinois on the |
Sd Of September, has been received. 1t
would be very agreeable TO me, indeed, to
meet my old friends at my own home, but
I cannot just now be absent from this
city so long as visit there would re.
quire. The meeting is to be OF oil those
who maintain unconditional devotion to
the Union, and am sure my old political
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
tion's life. There are those who are dis
satisfied with me. To such would say,
YOU desire peace, and you blame me that
We don't have it. But how can We OBJ
tain it. There ere 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 it. sec
ond way is to give up the Union, and l
am against this. If you are. you should
say 90 frankly. If you are not for force.
nor yet for dissolution. there only remains
one other, and that is compromise. do
not believe that any compromise embra-
cling the maintenance of the Union is
now possible, all that l learn leads to d.
rectly opposite belief. The strength Of
the rebellion is its military-its army
That army dominates all the country and
all people within its range. Any offer Of
terms made by any or men within that
range. in opposition to that army. 10 sim
ply nothing for the present, because such
a man or men have no power whatever to
enforce this side Of compromise If one
was made with them.
To illustrate Suppose refugees from
the South and peace men of the North
met together in council and framed
proclamation Of compromise, embracing
restoration Of the Union, in what way
can that compromise be used to keep Gen.
Lees army out Of Pennsylvania? Gen
: Meade's army can keep Gen. Lee 3 army
out of Pennsylvania, and, | think, can
ultimately drive it out of existence, but
no paper compromise-to which the con.
: trolers of Gen. Lees army are pot agreed
can at ell effect that army. In an eff
: fort at such compromise We would waste
time which the enemy would improve Il
our disadvantage, and that would be all
A compromise to be effective must b
made either with those who control thu
rebel army or with the people first liberia
ted from the domination of that army BY
, the success of our army. Now, allow m,
to assure you, that no word or intima
ton from any of the men controlling
that army in relation to any peace com
promise - ever come TO my knowledg'
: or belief. The charges and intimationi
to the couarary are groundless, and
promise you that if any such proposition
shall hereafter come, it shall not be re
jected and be kept secret from you.
hereby acknowledge myself tobe the ser
=, want of the people according to the bone
OF the service, the United States Con
stitution, and that, as such, am respon.
; sible to them. But, to be plain. you are
dissatisfied with me about the negro. II
: is quite probable there is a difference Of
opinion between you and myself upol
that subject. 1 certainly wish that al
men could be free, while you, suppose
!, do not. Yet have neither adopted no
. :, proposed any measure which is not con
: sistent with even your view, provided
d that you are for the Union. / suggeste,
: compensated emancipation, to which 20,
replied that you wished not to be taxed
!, to buy negroes; but l had not asked yo'
: to be taxed to buy negroes, except il
:. such way as to save you from greater tax
" alton aud to save the Union exclusivel,
bv other means You dislike the Eman
cipaton Proclamation, perhaps woul'
have it retracted. You say it is uncon
stitutional. | think the Constitution
: vests its Communicating Chief with th
T" law of war in time of war. The mos
that can be said, if so much, is that slave
" are property. Is there, has there eve
been any question that, by the laws o
:. war, property. both Of enemies and friends
) may not be taken when needed; and is i
not needed whenever taking it helps u
or hurts the enemy2 Armies the worlt
! over destroy enemies property, wher
they can use it, and even destroy thei
own to keep it from the enemy. Civil
lied belligcrents do'.all in their power t
e help themselves or hurt the enemy, excep
few things regarded as barbarous o
l. cruel. Among the exceptions are tn
, massacre ofvanquished foes and non-com
batants, male and female. But the proc
[. lamation is law and valid. or is not valid
If If it is not valid it needs no retrac ton. :
i If it is valid it cannot be retracted an
more than the dead can be brought t
n life
J Some of you profess to think that re
traction would operate favorably to tn
Union, looking better after the retractiel
=. than before the issue. There was NOR
than q year and half of trial to suppress
the rebellion before the proclamation wa
IS Issued, the last hundred days of whic
.e passed under an explicit notice that