The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-09-04
EXECUTIVE MANsIoN,

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 1893. ! |
lion. James @. Conklia:
My DEAR SlR:--Your letter inviting me
to attend a mass meeting of Union men,
to be held at the Capital of Illinois on |
the I'd day of September has been re-
ceived.
1t would be very agreeable to me thus
to meet my old friends at my own home,
but | cannot thus now be absent from
this city 80 long as a visit there would
require. The meeting is to be of all
those who maintain unconditional deVo-
ton to the Union and Administration, so
that old politicians will thank me for
sending, As do the nations gratitude to
those other noble men whom no partisan
malice or partisan hope can make false to
the nations life. There are those who
are dissatisfied with me. To such |
would say, you desire peace, and you
blame me that we do not have it, but how
can We attain it?
There are but three conceivable ways:
lst To suppr ess the rebellion by force
of arms. This am trying TO do. Are
| you for it? If you are so far we agree
| If you are not for it, second way is to
| give up the Union. | am against this.
Ii you arc you should say 80 plainly. Ii
you are not for force, nor yet for dissolu
ton, there only remains some Imaginative
compromise. / do not believe that any
compromise, requiring the maintenance
of the Union, is now possible. All that
! learn leads to a directly opposite be-
| lief. The strength of the rebellion is i q
military-its aTmy-that army draining
all the country and all the people with
in it's 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 compromise if
one wero made with them. To illustrate,
suppose refugees from the South and
peace men of the North meet together in
convention and frame and proclaim a
compromise, embracing a restoration of
the Union, in what way can that COM
promise be used TO keep Gen. Lees army
out of Pennsylvania?
General Meade's army can can keep
General Lees army out of Pennsy lvania,
and think can ultimately drive it out
of exi1tence; but no paper compromise
to which the controllers OF General Lee 8
army are not agreed can at all af-
feet that army In an effort to make
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 fret lib
Grated from the dominion of that army
, by the success of our army.
Now, allow me to assure you that M
I word or intimatiOn from the rebel army
or from any OF the men controlling il, il
relation to any peace compromise, hGl
e ever came to my knowledge or belief -
, All charges and intimatlons to the con
trary are deceptive and groundless; anC
promise you that if any such PROPOSE
ton shall hereafter come, il shall not b.
e rejected aud kept secret from you,
8 | freely acknowledge my self to be thu
. servant Of the people-according TO tn
bond of the service, the United State
~ Constiution-and that as such | am re
o sponsible to them. But, 20 be plain, 20
II are dissatisfied with me about the negro
y Quite likely there is a difference OF opin
NJ ION between you and myself upon tina
subject
ID certainly wish that all men coul
d be free, which you, l suppose, do not
II yet have neither adopted nor propose
a any measure that is not consistent vii
even your view, provided that you are Il
the Union. suggested compensate
Is emancipation TO which you replied th'
e. you wished not to be taxed to buy neg
roes, except in such way to save you fro
greater taxation TO save the Union 60
Ar c!us,y,ly by other means.
/, ARRAmAM ILN.-LN.