Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-09-08

tai Of Illinois, ON the Sd day of September,
has been received, -~--.
1t would be very agreeable to me. to
thus meet my old friends at my own home:
but canuot just now beabsent from here,
so long as a visit there would require.
The meeting is to be of all those who |
maintain unconditional devotion to the |
Union .and,I am sure my old political
friends will thank me for rendering, as I
do. the Nations gratitude TO those other
noble men, whom no partisan malice, or
partisan hope, can make false to the ma.
tons life. r.A
There are those who are dissatisfied
with me. To such would say You de-
sire peace, AID you blame me that you do
not have it. But how can we attain it p
There are but three conceivable ways
First, to suppress the rebellion by force Of
arms That am trying to,do. Are you
for it? If you are, SO far we are agreed.
If you ere not for it, q second way is. to
give up the Union. | am against this
Are you for it? If you are, you should
say so plainly. If ytu are not for peace
Nor yet for dissolution, there only remains
some imaginable compromise. do not
believe any compromise embracing the
maintenance of the UuOn is now possible.
All learn leads to directly opposite be-
lief. The strength of the rebellion is its
military, its Army. That army dominates
( all the country nd 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 ref
/ ugees from the South and peace men of
| the North, get together in convention, and
! frame and proclaim a compromise embrac-
I ing restoration of the Union, in what
way can that compromise be used to X eep
Lees army out of Pennsylvania? Meade's
army can keep Lees out of Pennsylvania,
and | think can ultimately drive it out of
existence. But no compromise to which
the controllers of Lees army are NIT
agreed, can at all affect that army. In an
effort at such compromise we should waste
time. which the enemy would improve to
our disadvantage; and that would be all.
a compromise, to be effective, must be
made either with those vino control the
rebel army, or with the people first liber-
ated from the domination Of thai army by
the success OF our own army. Now allow
me to assure you that no word or intima>
the men controlling it, in relation to any
peace compromise, has ever come to my
knowledge OF belief. All charges or in
situations to the contrary are DECEPTIVE
and grOundless; and premise you that II
any such proposition shall hereafter come,
it shall not be rejected and kept a secret
from you. freely acknowledge myself
the servant of tie people, according 10 the
bond of service-the United States Cousti-
tuition; and that as such. | am RESPONSE
bic To them.
But to be plain: You are dissatisfied
with me about the negro. Quite likely
there is difference of opinion between
you and myself upon this subject Icer-
tainly wish all men to be free, while |
suppose you do not. Yet | have neither
adopted or prOeosed any measure which is
not consistent with even your views, pro-
yided you are for the Union. | suggested
acOmpeusated emancipation; to which you
replied you wished not to be taxed to buv
negroes. But | have not asked you to be
taxed to buy negroes, ex ept in such way
as TO save you from greater taxation TO
: the Uoion exclusively by o. her means,
You dislike the emsncipaucn proclama-
ton, and perhaps would haYe it retracted.
You say it is unconstitutional. | think
d differently l think the Constitution in>
vests its COmmander-in-Ch Chief with the
laws of war, In time of war. The most
that can be said, if so much, is that slaves
are property. Is there-has there over
been--any question that by the law of
war, property, both Ct enemies and friends,
may be taken when needed !? Armies,
the world over, destroys enemies prop.
arty, when they cannot use it. aud even
destroy their own to keep il from the en-
envy. Civilized beligerents do all in their
power to help themselves TO hurt the eue-
my, except few things regarded as bar
barousand cruel. Among the exceptions
are the massacre of van9uished foes, and
non-cOm batants, male and female
But the Proclametiun, as law, is either
valid or not valid. lift is not valid, il
needs no retraction. II it is valid il can
not be retracted any more than the des !
can be brought to life. Some of you pre-
tend to think its retractiUn would operate
tavorably for the Union. Why better df.
ter the retraction than before the issue?-
There was more than year aAd half cf
trial to suppress the rebellion before the
Proclamation was issued, the last one hun.
bred days passed under an explicit notice
that 1t was coming, unless reverted by
those IN revolt returning TO their allie,
glance. The war has certainly progressed
as fayorably for us since the issue of the
Proclamation as before
know, as full as any one cau know,
the opinion OF others, that some of the
commanders of our armies in the field,
VINO have given US some of our most i'm
portant successes, believe that the emap
cipation policy and the use of color'd troops
Constituted the heaviest blow vet dealt 10
the rebellion, and that, at least. one of
these Important successes could not have
been achieved at the time it was hut for
the aid OF black soldiers Among the com
manders holding these views are some
who have never had any affinity with
what IL called abolitionism, or with Re.
publican party politics, but who hold them
purely as military opinions. I submit
these opinions as being entitled to some
welght az ainst the objections often urged
that emancipation and arming the ne.
groes are unwise as military measures.
and was not adopted as such in good faith
You say you will not fight to free ne.
! groes. Some of them seem willing to fiobt
Tor you but no matter. Fight YOU. then.
/ exclusively to save the Union, issued
| the Proclamation Oh purpose to aid Won in
saving the Union. W6euever you shall
have Conquered all resistancs TO the Union
IT shall urge you to continue fighting. il
Will be an apt time, then to declare Won
will not fight to free the negroes.
l thought that 10 your struggle for the
Union, to whatever extent the negroes
should cease helping the enemy, to that
extent it weakened the enemy in his re-
sissance to you. Do you think differentlyf
] thought that whatever negroes can be got
to do as soldiers, leaves just so much for
white soldiers to do in saving the Union,
! Does it appear otherwise to you?
But negroes. like other people, act upon
emotions. Why should they do anything
for Us, if we will do nothing for them p