The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-09-08

= I'm P11ulD1ugF'Dx11z1n.
New York. Sept. 2.
The following il President 4incoln's
letter:
EXECUTIVE MAsslox,(
WAsHIHofoH, Aug. rs.
To Hon. Jas. G. Conklin-DEAa Sin:
Your letter inviting me to attend the
meeting Of the 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, to thus
meet my old friends It my own home, but
/ cannot just now Be absent from here
50 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 l
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
salts fed with me- To such would say,
you desire peace, and you blame me that
we do not have it. But how can we at
tain 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 it. Sec
ond way is to give up the Union. l
am against this. If you are, you should
say so plainly. If you are not for force.
nor yet for dissolution, there only remains
some imaginable compromise. l dc
not believe any compromise emb bra
cling the maintenance Of the Union il
now possible, all that learn leads to d.
rectly opposite belief. The strength Of
the rebellion is its miltsry-its army. TIA
army dominates all the country and oil
the people within its range. Any offer Of
terms made by any man or men within that
range. in opposition to that army, is sim-
ply nothing for the present, because such
a man or men have no power whatever tc
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 q compromise, embracing q
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. Lees army
out Of Pennsylvania, and, | think, car
ultimately drive it out Of existence, bu
no compromIse-to which the con
lrollers OF Gen. Lees army are not agreed
can at oil effect that army. In an eff
fort at such compromise We should waste
time which the enemy would improve t.
our disadvantage, and that would be all
A compromise to be effective must b,
made either with those who control th.
rebel army or with the people FIRST liberia
ted from The domination Of that army BY
the success of our own army. Now. allow
me to assure you, that no werd or intima
ton from that rebel army, or from any O
the men controlling it, in relation to any
peace compromise, has ever come TO ny
knowledge or belief. All charges or in
situations to the contrary are deceptive
and groundless, and | promise you tia. i
any such proposition shall hereafter cbme
it shall not be rejected and kepta secre
from you. | freely acknowledge mgsei
the servant of the people according to The
bond OF 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 negroes. II
| Ia IL =
opinion between you and myself upor
that subject. certainly wish that al
men could be free, while you, / suppose
do not. Yet / have neither adopted nol
proposed any measure which 10 not con
sistent with even your view, provided
that you are for the Union l suggested
compensated emancipation, to which you
replied that you wished not to be taxed
to buy negroes; but l had not asked you
to be taxed TO buy negroes, except in
such way as to save you from greater tax.
alton and to save the Union exclusively
by other means. You dislike the Eman
cipatIon Proclamation, and perhaps would
have it retracted. You say it is uncon.
stitutional. | think differently. thinl
the Constitution vests the Commander-in.
Chief with the law Of war in time of war
The most that can be said, if 90 much, il
that slaves are property. Is there,
there ever been-any question that. by the
law of war. property. both of enemies and
friends, may be taken when needed; and
is it not needed whenever taxing it helps
US or hurts the enemyy Armies the world
over destroy enemies property, when
they can not use it, and even DESTROY their
own to keep it from the enemy. Civil.
lied belligerents do all in their power "a
help themselves or hurt the enemy, except
a few things regarded as barbarous OF
cruel. Among the exceptions are the
massacre ofvanquished foes and non-com.
batants. male and female. But the proc
lamation, as law, either is valid, or is NOT
valid. If it is not valid it needs no retrac.
ton. If it is valid it cannot be retracted
any more than the dead can be brought to
life.
Some of you profess to think its retrac.
ton would operate favorably for thel I'm
ion. Why better after the retraction tina
before the issue? There was more than
i