, 1864-01-07
ments the common country, it's guilty Of
crime for which 1t is difficult to imagine an

bloody trialstronEcr, more free, more worth
Of the E. noble destiny to which GOD SUN
It has been demonstrated to us, it is true
that the re-cstabllshmcnt Of the Union wa
:. impossible; but it IVES not also demonstrate,
10 uE, and by irrcfutablc argument, that Jol
would be always ard Of necessity. defeated
tLct you would never know how to handl.
uluekct; that recruiting would become i'm
practicable; that your 1fmnees Toufd be ex
that yon would become bankrupt; that riot
would faVage your cities; that your govern
ment won!d be oycrth1 own. You have givct
to all these oracles the simplest and best m
sWeE. You will reply in tho same manner tt
those Who assert that the re-establ blishment o
What seems really Impossible is not to re
store ahe Union: Where draw the line be
TWEEN North and South ? How maintain be
| tween them q stntc Of peace, or even q
truce HoW elal slavery and liberty 1iv<
si3e bF side? How, moreover, restrain the
What means arrest tho 1rightdul consequence
Of such proteetoratcs? Geographically, NOR
ally, politically, separation would create NJ
unnatural situation, i situation violent and
hazardous, where each would lire, arms in
hand, waiting for the hour Of conflict.
We hare full faith, gentlemen, that such q
trial will be spared 10 you. It Is not that We
for Jou to overcome; they are great, greater
perhaps than we imagine. War has Its vicls.
6itudcs, and you may perhaps be yet called
| upon to pass through periods Of ill-fortune.
Yet one fact always remains, and shows on
which side the final triumph Will be found,
supposlng that there be no foreign fntcrven-
ton. The flag Of the Union has now, for
two years, never paused in its advance 1t
floats to-dny over the soil Of every reyolted
State without exception.
The South bus had its victories; 1t: has
never gained IN inch Of ground: The North
Master. to-day Of the entire conrse Of. the
mississippi, master Of the Border States and
| Of IOutsiauo, all that remains Is to stlfle the
I revolt in the narrow territory where it first
turst forth and back to which 1t has been
| driven. Wo believe that you will succeed in
South, seems NOW little disposed to give her
/ aid.
In short, the rebellion is already reduced
to such narrow proportions that should 1t
eTer become distinct confederation, accep-
ted rs such from Wcariness Of war, the Con-
federaey thus created will net be born with
the functions Of life. Neither European
recognition nor your own could give it Sc
rious chance Of duration. It wontd end In d
return to you. But we delight to bclleyG the
re-establlshment of the Union less distant
| And, In the presence Of that prospect which
l AAA1Ae O4I ut4fl6 h1lu JQjt pEIu1I uBs18 your
| friends, to otEer ,you some sincere advice,
The dangers Of victory, you are aware, arc
| not less than those Of the combat VIC give
you, therefore, our loyal, frank opinion, sure
that iu the main it will agree with your own,
and feeling, also, that these COMMUNICATIONS
between us have IN aim more serious than d
simple exchange of words of sYmpath1.-
7e hold 1t to be Of the first importance that
the cause OF the war shall not survive tile
war; that yonr real foe, slavery, shall not re-
main upon the field. We have often asked
ourselves these Inst three years why God per
mitted the pro1ongation Of this bloody strug:
gle. Was it not That the real issue might
present itself with perfect clearncsse Con
4uering earlier, tie Federal Government
would, perhaps, have been led to make con-,
cessions, to enter anew upon the fatal path
Of compromise. To-day all eyes, not will
breaking out at an appointed day to aid the
invasion Of Lee, and falling Instantly upon
tie negro in way to slsow to every witness
/ of its cowaraly ferocity wAat kind Of spirit
animated certain friends Of the south-thc
Ne,y York riot WIS . supreme warning to
your country: Tour line Of action is clearly
traced. So long as anything Of slavery re-
main, there will be q cause Of antagonism in
the bosom of the Union. There must be no
longer my question Of slavery. It must be
SO ordered and settled rs never to return. An
amendment to the constitution to this end
must b. proposed and adopted before the re-
The condition Of the free blacks must also
be recurred against the iniquities which they
hare SO long endured. No more plans Of
colonization abroad, no more disabling laws,
no more inequality. Those whom yoa huve
armed, Who fought 30 bfaVcly before the
walls Of Port Hudson and Fort Wagner, can
never be other than citizens. Leave the prob
| lin Of the races to It's own solution-the
most natural solutions are always the best.
Under the rule Of the common law, the free
blacks OF the South and Of the North will find
their legitimate place ln your societE of which
they Will become useful members, honorable
and honored.
In thus ordering In definite manner al1
that rclntas to Slavery and the colored race,
you viii hare done more than Is generally
Imagined ior the lasting pacifcation of be
South. Whnt remains for you to do on this
point may be stated in three woris-Molera-
t1on, Generosity, Liberty.
There can be no question. as yon have OFT
en- said, Of an occupation Of the South, Of re-
dncing the Southern States to the condition
Of provinces, where the eonqneror will nain-
suspended. Save in the districts yet ravaged
By guerillas and in the heart Of which the
Federal troops must finish their work, vic
tory will every where bring with the re-estab-
liEhment Of the Union the re-establlshment
as psomptly.as possible Of constitutional
iA7Ate. Aou Aope, Geua!tineu, lnat I1ose
who you conquer today will tomorrow meet
yoa in debate, and son will accept in all their
truth the struggle Of the press, of the lesis-
}atiye hall, md oi tho ballot, which viii re-
place the strife Of the battle field.
We all feel It is much better that ION shonid
erty, than TINT you should seek for yourselves
the deceit1ul advantages Of dictatorial re-
gime. To apply to the South on exceptional
rule would be, nlas, quite easy. It would be
e.sy also to pronounce the death penalty, to
outlaw; to exccute cont'scation bills; bnt In
treading this path Of vulgar Tyranny you
would sacridce two th1nes-yonr 1ligl, re-
nown in the present, a lasting Union with the
| South in the fntnre.
But il, on tie other hand, you show the
! world the norcl spectacle of victory without
1eprisals, Of liberty strong enough TO survive
civil war; If yonT constitution remain, and
slayery alone fall In such conflict; II on
the morrow Of the struggle the law remain
supreme, II elections tor the Senate and
Horse Of Representatives be again open as In
the old time; If the representatives OF the
Southern States reappear at Washington: !:
and to support the modified constitution
they find themselves on a footing Of perfect
equality with the Representatives Of the
North, If It be permitted to them to attnck
and to embazrass the government, you will
have won the most glorious of victories, aud
prosperity aud greatness.
Accept, gentlemen, in the advice which yTe
| fendCr to you, proof Of our esteem. It Il
not Of every government, 1t is not OF every
people TINT such things can be asked Pro!
lracted ciyil.wats tend to arbitrary customs,
| stir up passions and hates, and at last eugcn-
| der O development Of military power and ir-
responsible authority which generally hind
! e-s return to control, to free opinion and to
| strict letter Of the law. We honor the United
States enough to believe TINT they will be
! capable OF setting us this, too, otter so many
| other examples.
The moderation which VIC hope for from
you at home We LOOK for also from you
| abroad Assuredly on the morrow of the
submission Of the south there will not be
wanting class Of persons eager to recall to
| hands OF: tits or that power: They willpoint
to your armies and disposablc fleet They
will prove to you that 2 foreign war is per
| haps The surest way to draw together thetwo
sectiope. so lately hostile; They will tellyou
the cement needed to strengthen your shat
tered cdifice. - =.
Yon willno believe them, gentlemen, .You
will feel that after these jars It Is needful bo-
| fore all else, to restore to America peace and
liberty. You will not seek new adventures,
torshlps, the peril Of exceptional rule. ;. :,
! Yon will fear return to the aggressive
| policy which, with its inyasions and turbu-
1ence, the influence Of the South forced upon
| you7 the day, when, to assure the extension OF
| slavery, 1t awakened in your hearts wicked
| eoyctousness and pushed you almost to the
! violation Of the law of nations. Your g}o-
r. will be to take the opposite Of those Sio-
lent declarations, Of those allibustering ex-
| peditions, Of those interruptions ambitions.
The temptations which great army ex-
cites nre Of the clats most difficult to repress:
| May you not hesitate, to reduce your forces
a11er peace! Not only your material pros:
Eerity, but yonr very liberty, is involved in