Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-09-11
Important Letter From Abra
ham Lincoln.
Full Exposition Of his Fieys on the Pros
pect and Conditions Of Peace.
THE NEG 70 QUESTION REVIEWED

Uect ana COHIGtOUS " 4 tt~CO.
THE NEGRO QUESTION REVIEWED.
We have received copy cf the Balti-
more American of the Ord inst, containing
the following letter from the, President Of
he United States tosths Springfield Mas
meeting
EsfcuTIyE MANSION, i.
u .WAsnINtiBoN. August 26. s.
Hon Janaes e. Conkling:
N.Y. Dear Sir: Your letter inviting me
to attend a mass meeting Of unconditional
Union men, to b. held at the Capitol Of H.
iinos on the Bird day Of September, has
been received It would be very agreeable
| to he TO thus meet my old friends at my
| own home, but cannot just now be abb
sent from this city SO long as visit there
would require.
The mesting is to be of all those who
maintaih Unconditional devotion to the
Union, and am Sure my old political
friends will thank lie for rendering, as |
| do, the nations gratitude to those other no.
Bile men whom 40 partisan fhalfSe or parti
san hope can make false to the tation's life
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me- To such I would say; yot1 desire
peace and you blame me that we do not
have it. But how can We obtain it There
are but three conceivable ways First:
to suppress the rebellion by force ofarms.-
This am trying to do Are you for it !?
! Ii you are, so far we are agreed. If you
are not for it. we are not agreed.
A second way is to give upvhe Union
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
imaginary compromises. do not believe
that any compromises embracing the main
tenancc of the Union is now possible. All
that ] learn leads to directly the opposite
belief TIE strength Of the rebellion is It's
military-its arihy. That army DONNA
/ tsb all the country and all the people with
il its range. Any fer Of terms made BY
ang man or men within that rang in o. po
sltion to that army is simply nothing. fr
the present, because such man or me have
no power whatever to elforce their side OF
tue compromise, if one were made With
them
To illustrate Suppose refugee from
the South and the peace men of tie North
get together and frame aud proclaim com
! promise embracing the restoration of the
! Union; in what way can they comprom Use
be used to keep General Lees army out OF
| Pennsylvania ? General Mcade's army eau
keep Lees army out OF Pennsylvania, md
/ [ ihipk can ultimately drive II GU! of exis
tence. but no paper compromise to which
the controllers OF Gen. Lees army are not
agreed, can at ell effect that army. In an
effort at such compromise we would waste
4 time. which tie eneihr would improve to
oar disadvantage, ard hat would be all.
4 A compromise to be effective, iiiust be
n.ade either with those eho control the ara
my, or with the people FIRST liberated from
the domination Of that army, by the success
of our army. Now, allow me to assiire You
THAT no word or limitation from the rebel
army or from any of the men controlling it,
III relation to any peace compromise, has
ever come to my knowledge or belief All
charges or intimations to the contrary are
you that if any such propositions shall here
after come, it shall not be rejected and kert
secret from you.
! freely acknowledge myself to be the
servant of the people according to the bond
of servlce--the United States Constitution
-=aud that as such | am responsible to them
But, to be plain. you are dissatisfied with
me about the negro. Quite likely there is
a difference Of opinion between you and
myself upon that subject. certainly wish
that all men could be free, while you. Isup-
pose, do not. Yet have neither adopted
nor proposed any measure which is not con-
sistent 9Th even yotr views, provided you
are for the Union. | suggested compensa-
ted emancipated, TO which you replied that
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 froE. greater taxation. to save the
Union exclusively by other means. You
dislike the emancipation proclamation, and
perhaps, you want to have it retractcd.-
You cay it Ii unconstitutional think diff
fercntly. / think that the Constitution in
tcStS LID SUiuuudbOcIl Ill OLItI Will tilG Id w
of war in time Of war The most that eau
( be said-if so 1huch-is that slaves are prop
erty: Is there. has there ever been. any
quession that by the law Of war the proper
ty both Of enemies ind friends may be ia
ken when needed And is it not needed
whenever taken it helps us or shits the enc
!, my? Armies, tie world over, destroy the
enemy'S property when they cannot use it,
and even destroy their own to keep it from
the enemy. Civilized belligerents do all in
their power to help themselves or hurt the
etemy, except few things recorded as bar
baropssor cruel Among the exceptions
are the massacre of vanqush foes aud non
cdmhatants. male and female
But The proclamation as law is valid OF
is not valid. If it is not valid it needs nc
retraction Ifit.is valid it cannot be re.
tracted any more than the dead can be
brought toslife. Some of you profess to
think that its retraction would operate ia.
yorably for the Union. Why better after
the retraction than before the is, ne? There
was more than a year ani half for trial tt
suppress the rebellion before the proclama
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