Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-05-06
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
W AsHINGToN. April 4. 1861.


A. e. HoDGE-, Esq Frankfort, Ky:
Ny DEAR SIR-You ask me to put in writing
the substance OF what verbally said, the other
day in your presence, to Governor BranIlette
aud Senator Dixon. 1t was about as follows:
Il am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery IS
not wrong, nothing is wrong. | cannot remem-
Der when l did notso think aud feel. Aud yet
l have never understood that the Presidency
conferred upon me an Unrestricted right TO act
officially upon this Judgment and feeling. 1t
was ne oath took that ! would to the best
of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution Of the United States. l could not
take the office without taking the oath. Nor
was it my view, that might takean oath to get
power. understood, TOO that in ordinary civ
Il administration, tins oath even forbade me to
practically indulge in primary, abstract judg.
ment ON the moral quesliono Of slavery. / had
publicly declared this many times, and in MANY
ways. And aver That, to this day. ] have done
no official act Ia mere Difference to my abstract
Judgment and feeling ON slavery.
Il did unders and, however, that my oath to
preserve the. Co 5itution to the best of my abil
ity, imposed upon the the duty Ofpreserving, by
every indispensable means, that Government
that nation, of which that CONSTITUTION was the
organic law. Was It possible TO lose the Nation
and yet preserve the Constitution?
"By general law, life and limb must be pro-
tected; yet often q limb must be smputated to
save life; but life is never wisely given TO
save a limb. Ifelt that measures, otherwise un-
constitutional might become lawful, by becOm-
ing indispensable iothe preservation ofthe Con-
stitutiOn, through the preservation of the Nation
Right or wrong ! assumed this ground, and now
avow it. could not feel, that to to the best of
my ability had even tried to preserve the Con-.
stitution, if to save slavery or any minor matter
-,
Country and Constitution, altogether When
early in the war, Gen. Fremont attempted mill
tary emancipation, forbade it, because did
not then think il an indispensable necessity.
When a little later General Cameron then Sec
retary of War, suggested the arnIing Of the
blacks, l objected; because did not think IL an
indispensable necessity. Wnen still later. Gen.
Hunter attempted military emancipation again
forbade it, because did not vet think the in.
I dispensible necessity had come.
"When. in March, and May, and July 1862, /
made earnest and successive appeals to the bor-
der States to favor compensated emancipation,
believed the indispensable necessity for litary
emancipation, and arming the blacks would
come, unless averted by that measure. They
declined the proposition; and Twas, in my best
Judgment driven to the alternative, of either
surrendering the Union, and with it. the Con-
stitution, or of laying strong hand upon the col
ored element | chose the latter. In choosing
it. hoped for greater gain-thsn loss; but ofthis
was not entirely confident More than year
of trial now shows 10 loss by it 10 our foreign
relations; none in our home popular sentiment;
none in our white military force-no loss by it,
any how, any where. On the contrary it
shows gain of quite hundred and
thirty thousand soldiers, seamen and labOrers
These are palpable facts about which, as facts,
there can be no caviling, We have the men,
and we could not have had them without the
measure.
+And now, let auy Union man. who complains
of the measure test himself, by writing down in
one line, that he is for subduing the rebellion by
force of arms, and in the next that he is for tax
ing these hundred aud thirty thousand men
from the Union side, aud placing them where
they would be but forthe measure he condemns.
Ilhe cannot face his cause - stated, it is only
BECAUSE he cannot face the truth.
Il add word which WAS not in the verbal
conversation. In telling this tale, attempt NO
compliment to my own sagacity. ] claim not
to have controlled events, but confess plainly
that events have controlled me. Now at tbe ei,d
of three years struggle, the Nation condition.
is not what either party or any man devised or
expected. God alone can claim it. Whittier il
is tending seems plain. If God now wills the
removal Of great wrong, and wills also shat we
of the North, as well you OF the South, shall
pay fairly for our completely, IN that wrong,
impartial history viii find therein new causes to
attest and revere the justice and goodness Of
God.
Vonrs trrIv A LINCOLN