Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-05-06
Letter From PresiaaatI.inooln.
FIis Reslicy on the Slavery Question.

FIis Relicy on the Slavery Question.
The FRANKFORT kentucky Commonwealth publish.
es correspondence betweeo Governor Bramlette and
Colonel Hodges, who accompanied the Governor to
Washington, with the following letter addressed to
Colonel Hodges by Mr.. Lincoln:
ssExEcurIvE MANSION, Washington, April 4.
!" A. G. Hodges, Esq, Frankfort, Ky:
q My Dear Sir: You ask me to put in writing the
substance fwhatI verbally said the other day, in
yorx presence, TO Governor BraEnlette and Senator
Dixon 1t was aboutss follows;
!" Il am naturally antiislavery. If slavery is not
wrong nothing is wrong cannot remember when
l did net so think and feel. And yet have never
understood that the Presidencyconerred upon me an
unrestricted right TO act officially upon this Judgment
aud feeling. 1t was in the oath took that would. to
the best of NY ability preserve, protect and defend
he constitution of the United States. could not
take the Office. without taking the oath. Nor it
my yiew that might take oath to get power and
break.the oath ia using the power understand
too thst in ordinary civil administration, this oath
forbade me to practically indulge my primary
abstract Judgement on the moral question Of slavery
had publicly declaEsd this many times and in many
ways. Anal aver that to this day, have done no
official act in mere Difference TO my abstract Judge
ment and feeling on slavery.
" did understand hqBever, that mysoath 10 pre-
serve the constitution tothe best ofmy ability, impos
ed upoa nae the duty of praser wing, by. every iudis
pensible means, that goyernrlent, that aatien, of
which that constitution was the organic law. Was it
possible to lose the nation and yet preserve the con
gtitution?
la
vet often limb mpst be amputaaed to save 3. lfe
but life is never wsey given to save limb. feel
that measures otherwise unconstitutional, might be-
come lawful by becoming Indispensable to the pres
ervation of the nation. Right or wrong, assumed
this ground, and aqw avow it. could not feel that
to the best of my ability had tried to preserve
the constitutions ifto slavery, say minor mat
ter, should permit the wreck of government country
and constitutions altogether. When earlwin the
General Fremont attempted military emancipation,
forbade it, because did notthen think it an indis-
pensable necessity. When little later, General
Cameron, then Secretary of War, suggested the arm
ing of the blacks, objected, because | did not yet
think it an indispensable necessity When sti later,
General HuBtaF sHempted military emancipation,
again forbade it, because did not yet think the inds-
pensible necessity had come,
81 When, in March, and NAV, and July. 1852
made earnest and successive appeals to the border
states 10 favor compensated emancipation, | believed
the indispensable necessity forsmiary emancipation
and arming the blacks would come unless averted by
that measure. They declined the proposition and
in my best Judgement driven to the alternative of
either surrenderng the Union, and, with it, the CON
stitntion, or OF laying strong hands upon the coored
element. chose the latter. In choosing it hoped
for greater gant loss; but Of this was not entirely
confident Moreithan a year of trial now shows no
loss by it. in our foreign relations; none in our home
popular sentiments in our white military force
no loss byit, anyhow OF anywhere, On the contrary
it shows gain Of quite hundred and thirty thon-
sand soldiers seamep, and laboreEs These are pal
pable facts, about which, as facts, there can be no
caviing. We have the men, and we could not have
had them without the measure,
I And now, letany Union man who complains Of
the measure, test himself, by writing down in one
line thst he is for subduing the rebellion by force of
arms, and nhe next that he is for taking these hun
dred and thirty thousand men from the Union side
placing them where they would be but for the
measure he condemns. Ifhe cannot face his cause
so stated, it is only because he cannot face the
truth.
= add aword which was not in the verbal conver-
satlon In telling this tale, attempt no compliment
70 my sagaeity claim not 10 have controlled events,
but confess plainly that events have controlled me-
Now at the end Of three years struggle, the nations
condition. not what either party any devised
or expected. God alone can claim 1t. Whittier IT is
tending plain. II God now wills the removal
of great wrong and wills also that we of the North,
as well you ofths South, shall pay fairly for our
completely in that wrong impartial history win find
therein neweause to attest and revere the justice and
goodness of God.
9 Yours truly, A. I4ycQLs,n