The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-09-05
BY TELEGRAPH
Letter nom President Linoeln

Executive MANSION, WASHINGTON,
Aug &.-Ib Hon. James C.. Cbnktsn:-
DEAR SIR--Your letter inviting me to at
tend q mass meeting of unconditional
Union men, to be held at the capital OF
Illinois, on the Sd of September, has been
received. II would be agreeable to me
thus to meet my old friends at my own
home but / cannot, just now, be absent
from this city SO long as visit there would
require. The meeting ia to be OF all those
who maintain unconditional devotlon 10
the Union, and am sure my old pohtical
friends will thank me for rendering as
do, the nations gratitude to those other
noble men whom no partizan malice or
hate can make false to the nations life.
There are those who are dissatisfied with
me- To such Iwoulds say: You 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 sup
press the rebellion by force of arms.
This am trying to do. Are you for it?
are not for it, second way is to give up
the Union. l am against this. If you
are, Won should say so plainly-if you
are not for force, yet Tor dissolution,
there only remains some Imaginable
compromise. l do not believe that any
compromise, embracing the maintenance
of this Union, is now possible. All that 1
The strength of the rebellion is its militia
ry, its army. That army dominates all the
country and all the people within its range.
Any offer of terms by any man or men
within that range, in opposition to that ar
my, is simply nothing, for the present, be-
cause such man or men have no power
whatever to enforce their side of a compro
mise, if one were madewith them.
To illustrate: suppose refugees from the
South and peace men Of the North meet in
Convention and frame and proclaim a
compromise, embracing restoration of
the Union. In what way can that COM
promise be used to keep Gen. Lees army
out of Pennsylvania? Gen. Meade's army
can keep Gen. Lees army out of Penn
sylvania and think can ultimately drive
it out of existence. But no paper compro-
mise to which the controllers of Gen. Lees
army are not agreed, can at all affect that
army.
In an effort at such compromise wewould
waste time, which the enemy would i'm
prove 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 the domination of that army by
the success of our army.
Now, allow me to assure you that no
word or intimation from the rebel army or
from any of the men controlling it, in re-
come to my knowledge or belief. All
charges and intimations to the contrary
are receptions and groundless, and prom
Use you that if any such proposition shall
hereafter come, it shall not be rejected and
be kept secret from you.
l freely acknowledge myself to be the
servant of the people, according to the
bond of the service, the United States
Constitution, and that as such I am re-
sponsible to them. But, to be plain, you
are dissatisfied with me about the negro.
Quite likely there is difference of Opin-
ion between you and myself upon that SUBJ
ject. certainly wish that all men could be
have neither adopted nor proposed any
measure which is not consistent with even
your views, provided that you are for the
Union. l suggested compensated emanci-
patton, to which you replied that you
wished not to be taxed to buy negroes. But
1 had not asked you to be taxed to buy ne
groes, except in such way as to save you
from greater taxation, to save the Union
exclusively by other means. You dislike
the Emancipation Proclamation. Perhaps
you would have it retracted. Yousay it is
unconstitutional. think the Constitution
vests its 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 prop
erty. Is there, has there ever been any ques-
ton that, by the laws of war, property
both of enemies and friends, may be taken
when needed? And is it not needed when
ever taking it helps us or hurts the en-
envy? Armies, the world over, destroy ene-
mics property, when they can use it.
and even destroy their own to keep it from
the enemy.
Civilized belligerents do all in their DOW
er to help themselves or hurt the enemy,
except few things regarded as barbarols
or cruel. Among the exceptions are the
massacre of vanquished foes and non-c com
batants, male and female. But the procla-
nation is law and valid, or is not valid. Il
it is not valid, it needs no retraction. If it
is valid, it cannot be retracted any more
than the dead can be brought to life.
Some Of you profess to think that retrac-
ton would operate favorably to the Union,
looking better after the retraction than be-
fore the issue: There was more than a
year and a half of trial to suppress the re-
bellion before the proclamation was issued.
The last hundred days of which passed un-
der an explicit notice that it was coming
unless averted by those in revolt returning
to their allegiance.
The war has certainly progressed as ia.
vorahly to us since the issue of the Pro.
clamation as before. / know as fully as
one can know the opinions of others, that
some OF the commanders of our armies
in the field, who have given us our mos
important victories, believe the emancipa
ton policy and the aid of colored troop.
constitute the heaviest blows yet dealt t,
the rebellion, and that at least these i'm
portant successes could not have beer
achieved but for the aid of black soldiers
Among the commanders holding thes,
views are some who have never had any
affinity with what is called Abolitionism
or with the Republican party policy, blu
who hold them purely as military opinions
submit their opinions as being entitled t.
some weight, against the objections offer
urged, that emancipation and arming The
blacks are unwise as military measures
and we're not adopted as such in good faith
You say that you will not fight to fret
negroes. Some of them seem willing
enough to fight for you. But no matter
Fight you then exclusively, to save the
Union. issued the proclamation on pur.
pose to aid you in saving the Union.-
Whenever you shall have conquer.
ed all resistance to the Union, if
should urge you to continue fighting
it will be an apt time then for you to de
clare that you will not fight to free negroes
1 thought that in your struggle fol
the Union, to whatever extent the negroe:
should cease helping the enemy, to thai
QYtant if apaA bo in fhoiv