Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1863-09-15

IN Illinois.
ExEcUTIvH MANSION, WASHINGTON. Aug. 90, 1868.
Hon. JAMES G. CoEKLrNe-My Dear
S'r;-Y Your letter inviting me to attend a
mass meeting of Unconditional Union raen,
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 I'M
ion; and | am sure that my old political
friends viii thank me for rendering, as
do. the nations gratitude to those other
noble men whom no partisan malice or
partizan hope can make false to the nations
| life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me. To such | would say: You desire
peacs, and you blame me that we do not
have it. But how can we 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 arc, so far we are agreed. If you
are not for it, second way is to give up
the Union. am against this. Are you
for it? If on are you should say so
plainly. If you are not for force, nor yet
for dissolution, there only remains some
imaginable compromise.
l do not believe that any compromise
embracing the maintenance Of the Union
is now possible. All that [ learn leads to
directly opposite belief Th9 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 with that range,
IN opposition to that army, is simply moth
ing 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 pro-
claim compromise embracing a restora-
ton of the Union. In what way can that
compromise be used to keep Lees army
out Of Pennsylvania? Meade's army can
keep Lees army out of Pennsylvania, and
| think, can ultimately drive it out of ex-
istence. But no paper compromise to
which the controllers Of Lees army are not
agreed can at all affect that army. In an
effort ct such compromise we would 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 who control the
rebel army, or with the people, first liberia
ted from that domination Of that army by
the success ST our own army. Now, allow
rue to assure you that no word or intima.
ton 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. All charges and in
situations to the contrary are deceptive and
groundless. And l promise you that if
any such proposition shall hereafter come,
it shall not be rejected and kept secret
from you. freely acknowledge myself to
be the servant of the people, according to
the bond of service, the United States
Constitution; and that, as such, | am res
ponsible to them.
But, to lie plain. You are dissatisfied
with me about the negro. Quite likely
there is a difference Of opinion between you
and myself on that subject. certainly
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, pro-
vided that you are for the union. sug-
gested compensated emancipation; to which
you replied you wished not to be taxed to
buy negroes. But had not asked you to
be taxed to buy negroes, except in such
way as to save you from greater taxation
to save the the union exclusively by other
means.
You dislike the Emancipation Procla-
nation, and perhaps would have it retract-
ed. You say it is unconstitutional. |
think differently. / think the constitution
invests It's Commander-in-C Chief with the
law Of war in time of war. The most
that can be said, if so much, is, that slaves
are property. Is there, has there even
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 it helps us and hurts the
enemy? Armies, the world over, destroy
enemies property when they. cannot use it;
and even destroy their own 10 keepit from
the enemy. Civilized beligerents DO all in
their power to help themselves or hurt the
enemy, except few things regarded as
barbarous or cruel. Among the except
ons are the massacre of vaEquished foes
land non combatants, male and female.
But the proclamation, as law, either il
valid or is not valid. If it is not valid j
needs no retraction. If it is valid it can
not be retracted, any more than the dead
can DO brought to life. Some Of you pro
TESS to think its retraction would operate
fayorably for the union. Why better aftel
the retraction than before the issue! There
was more than year and a half Of tria
TO suppress the Rebellion before the Proc
lamation was issued, the last one hundred