St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-05-05
LETTER FROM PRECEDENT LIN.
COLIN. ,,

4. g. Hodges, Esq, Frankfort, Ky: .'@ III
n" ExEcUrlvk MANSION, KAsHlAtjtf6N, April
1, l864.-My Dear STR: You ask me to
put in writing the substance Of What I
verbally said tie other day in your pres
ence to Gov. Bramle<te and Senator Dix
on. 1t was about AZ follows: ~ L.as
l am naturally anti-slavery. # Slavery
is not wrong, nothing is wrong. l cannot
remember when did not so think and feel.
Ana yet have never understood that the
Presidency conferred upon me an unre-
strictcd right to act officially upon this
judgement and feeling. 1t was in the oath
took, that l would to tho best Of my abil-
ity, preserve, protect and defend The Con-
the oe: Hftsa s ia s:,h eSSl 9 ss
it my view that might take an oath in
order to get power md break the oath in
using the power. understood, too, that
in ordinary civil administration this oath
even forbade me to practically indulge in
primary, abstract judgment on the moral
question Of slavey> had publicly leclar
ed this 'tnany einrcs aud in many ways.
And I aver that, to this day, have done
no official act in mere. difference to my all
stract judgment ana feeling On slavery.
did understand, however, that my oath
to preserve the Constitution to the best OF
my ability, Imposed upon me the duty Of
preserving, by every F.fifapensabte means,
that Government-,hat nation, Of which
that Constitution was the organic law. Was
1t possi6ie to lose the nation, and preserve
the Constitution! ..,.rt.. 81 IL 81
by general law, life and limb must be
pro, ected; yet often limb must be ampu-
| tated to save life. but life is never wise.
| ~ given to save limb. 1 felt that meas
ures, otherwise Unconstitutional, might 10.
come lawful by becoming Indispensable IL
the preservation Of the Constitution
through me preservation of tho nation
Right or wrong, assumed this ground. and
now avow it. could not feel that to the
best Of my ability: had even tried to pre-.
serve the constitution, if, TO save slavery
or minor matters, I should permit th<
wreck Of Government, country and consti,
, .ntion, slltoeexhsr, .fy.s.. .ve4s, ~:
When. early il the war, Gen. Fremont
attempted military emancipation, forbade
it, because I did not then think it mn indis,
4 'pensable nocessity. { When, . little late or
Gen. Cameron, then Secretary Of War
suggested the arming Of blacks objected
because I did not yetthin il an indispen
sable necessity: When, still later, "a en-
Hunter attempted Military emancipation,
again forbade it.; because l did not 20
think The indispensable necessity had come
When, in March and May, and July
1862, made earnest and successive appeal
to the border States to favor compensate,
emancipation, I believed the indispensable
necessity tor military emancipation, an,
ArAiAg the blacks would come,i unles
avertcd by that measure. They, declined
the proposition, and i was in my bes
judgment, driven to the alternative, 8
either eufrehdsrihg the Union, and with i
the Constitution, oriof laying strong hand
upon the colored element: i chose the lat
ter In choosing it | hoped for create
gain than loss; but Of this l was not on
tirely confident. More than 5saf Of tri
al now shows ne loss by it, in our fsreig.
relations !; none in our home, popular sehti
ment none in our white military fofce-
40 loss BY i, any how or any where. O.
the contrary, it shows again 'of quiz . 100,
600 soldiers, seamen and laborsrs: Thes
are pslpable facts, about which, A. facts
/, there n can be no, caviling. We have tn
men, and We could not haye had them with
out tho measure. &2@5fGS ,Da1td2ts Is K
and now, let any Union msn, who com
plains Of tho. measure, test ,himss1 b,
writing, down in one. line, that. he il 70
subdhing the rebellion BY force 81 arms ii.
and in the next, that he ID fdt taking jthss
$50, 600 men from the Union side and :plac
ing them whore they would be- but for tn,
measure he condemns. If he cannot fac
his cause 80 stated, It ii only because HI
cantot face the TRUTH 500 1aa E,a6r0 =
oladd = word; which was not in the yerba
conversation. III telling thistale, / lttemp
no compliment to my own sagacity G
claim hotat0 have controlled events, bu
confess plainly that events have; oontrolle,
me-: Now. at the end Of three years strur
gle, the nations condition IS not VIVA
eithet partt u any man devised or expect
ed. God alottss can claim It. Whithsr IL i
tending seems plain. II God now will
also that W Of the North, o. we'll q 70,
Of The South, shall pay fairly for our com
plicity In that wrong, impartial history vii
thne therein new causes tbsattest and reyer
the justice and goodness Of God. 81,
/ ssstss Yours. truly q. :.
r. 2as,s fataesz ssat y.a#7Sz sa.y .a5l.ga'7 8,