Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-09-08
Letter from President Lincoln to the Union
Mass Convention at Springfield, Illinois
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON,
August 81, 1868.


to be held at the capital OF Illinois TN the thrt
day OF September, has been received. 1t woulC
be very agreeable to me thus to meet my old
friends at my own home, but cannot just nov
be absent from this city SO long as visit there
would require.
The meeting is to be Of all those who main
tain unconditional devotion to the Union, and
am sure that my old political friends will thank
me for rendering, as do, the Nations gratitude
to those other noble men whom no partisan NAL
ice or pagtslan hope can make false to the Nation
life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with me
To such ! would say You desire peace, and yol
blame me that we DO not have IL but how car
VIC attain itP There are but three conceivable
ways--Flrsl, t. suppress the rebellion by force
Of arm. THIS am trying to doi are you for it
lfyou are, 30 far we are agreed. lfyou are mol
for it, second way is to give Up the Union.
am against thisi i you are you should nay SC
plainly. II you are not for force nor yet for dis
solution, there only remains some imaginable
compromise. | do not believe that any comprom
ise embracing the maintenance Of the Union il
now possible. All that learn leads 10 u d.
reciy opposite belief
The strength OF the rebellion Is ts military
It's army That army dominates al the count,
and all the people within II, range. Any offeI
Of terms made by any man or men within tha
range in opposition TO that army is simply nothing
for the present, because such man or men have
no power whatever 10 enforce their side Of com
promise, Il one were made with them. To illus
trate Suppose refugees from the South and
mar fr,te tho Nnrtb nat bar in
yention and frame and proclaim a compromi'e
embracing restoration OF the Union. In wha
way can that compromise be used to keep Gen.
Lee, army out of Penn,J lvaniaP ? Gen. Mead
army can keep Lees nmy out Of Pennsy vaoia
and think can ultimately drive him out oil ex
isIancs, but no paper compromise TO which the
controllers Of Gen. Lee, army are not agreed car
at all affect that army. Ia sn effort at such com
promise we would waste time, which the enemy
would improve to our disadvantage, and thai
would be all.
A compromise to be effective must be made
either with those who control the rebel army OF
with the people first liberated from the domina
alton Of that army by the successe, Of our army
Now, allow me 10 assure you that no word or in
timation from the rebel army, or from any Of th'
men controlling it, in relation to auy peace com
promise, has ever come, to my knowledge or be
lief. All charges and intimatons to the contrary
are deceptive and groundless and promise
you, that II any such proposition shall hereafter
come it shall not be rel ecled and kept secret
from you. freely acknowledge myself to be
the servant Of the people, according to the
bond of service in the United States Constitution
aud that as such Am responsible 10 them.
But, to be plain, you are dissatisfied with me
ab ut the negroes. Quite likely there is differ
ence Of opinion between you and myself on the
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, provided
you are for the Union. suggested compensated
emancipation, TO which you replied that yot
whhed not to be taxed to buy negroes Blu;
had not asked you 10 be taxed TO buy negroes
except 10 such way as to save you from greater
taxation 10 save the Union exclusively by othel
means. You dislike the Emancipation proofs
nation, and perhaps would have it retracted. Yol
say il i. unconstitutional think differently
think the Constitution invests its Commander
in-Chisf with law Of war in times Of war.
The most that can be said, il SO much, is thai
slaves.rs property. Is there, ha, there ever been
any question thu. by the law OF war, property
both Of enemies and friends, may be taken wher
needed Z? and is il not needed whenever taking /
help. us and hurts the enemy Armies, tht
world over, destroy the enemys property wher
they cannot use il, and even destroy their owl
to ksep it from the enemy. Civilized belligerenu
do all in their power to help themselves or hur
the enemy, except few things regarded as bar
barou, or cruel. Among the exceptions are thu
massacre OF yabquisbed Toes and non.comba,ants
male and female. But the Proclamation as Law
is ralid OF is not valid il it 10 not valid il need
no reiraction il it il valid il csnnet be retrscteC
any more than the dead can be brought to life.
Some Of you profes, TO think that its retraotioI
would operate iavorably for the Union. Wh,
better after the retnction than before the issue
lhero was more than year aud half trial 4
suppress the rebellion before the Proclamation
uas issued, the last one hundred days Of whcl
passed under the explicit notice that it was com
ing, unless arrested by those in revolt returning Il
their allegiance. The war has certainly progressed
as favorably for US since the issue Of the Procla
nation as before. know, as fully as one cal
know the opinions Of others, that some Of tn
commanders of our armies in the field who hay
given US our most important victories, believe th
emancipation policy and the aid Of colored troop
constitute the heaviest blows yet dealt to the re
bellion, and that at least one Of these inportan
successes could not have been achieved when
was but for the aid of black soldiers. AmonI
some Of the commanders holding these views ar
some who have never had any affinity with wha
is called abolitionism, or with Republican part
politics, but who hold them purely as militar
opinions submit their opinions as being en-
titled to some weight against the objections ofte
urged, that emancipation and arming the black
are unwi,e as military measures, and were NO
adopted as such in good faith.
You say you will not fight TO free negroes
Some Of them seem to be willing TO fight for you
but no matter, fight you, then, exclusWely to sav
this Union. issued the proclamation on pui
pose to aid you in saving the Union. Wheneve
you shall have conquered oil resistance TO th
Union, il shall urge you to continue fighting
will be an apt time then for you TO declare tbs
you will not fight TO free negroes. thought tbs
10 your struggle 10 save the Union, TO whatevt
extent the negroes should cease helping the en-,
my, to that extent il weakened the enemy 10 b
resistance 10 you. DO you think differently
thought that whatever negroes can be got to d
as soldiers, leaves just SO much less for white so
ders to do in saving the Union. Does il sppes
otherwise to youP But negroes like other peop
act upon molivssj why should they do anythin
for u. if we do nothing for themP II they slak
their lives for US they must be prompted by II
strongest motives, even the promise Of freedom
and the promise being made, must be kept.
The signs look better. The Father Of waite
again goes ueyexed to the sea, thanks to Il
great Northwest for ii Nor yet wholly TO then
three hundred miles up they met New Englau
Empire Keystone, and Jersey, hewing their WI
( right and left. Tho sunny south, too, IN mo
coors than one, also lent hand. On the spC