Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-12-14
The election has exhibited another fact not


: The election has exhibited another fact not
less valuable to be known-the fact that we
do approach exhaustion in the most Inn
portant branch of the national resources
that of living men While IL is melancholy
10 reflect that the war has filled so many
graves and caused mourning to so many homes
it IS some relief to know that, compared with
the surviving the fallen have ben so few
While corps and divisions and brigades and
regiments have formed and fought and bled,
and gone ont of existence, great majority OF
the men who composed them are still living.
The same is true of the naval service; the
election returns prove this. So many voters
could not else be found. The States regularly
h ,ldlng elections, both now and four years
ago, to wit California, Co nectlcut, Della
ware Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent uckr, Maine,
MARYLAND, Massachusetts, Vie igau, .,iuneso-
IA, Missouri New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York Ohio, Oregon, Pennsy lvani
Rhode island Vermont, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin cast 8. $50 oil votes now against
5 SO, 222 cast then, allowing an aggregate
now of $3.50 OH. to which is to he aided
81. 162 east now tn the new States of Kansas
aud Nevada, which States did not vote il
500 thus swelling the aggregate 10 4. o1J, 113.
and the net increase during the three yea
| and a half of war. to l45, I5l. 4 table i a9-
| pend d showing particulars. t. this again
! should be add. the number of all the soldiers
| in the Fl Id from Mass lchuSettS. Ra,,de island.
| New J rSev. Delaware, Indiana, Illinois and
| California. who, bv the law of those States,
/ could not vote away from their homes. VIII ch
| number cannot be- less III 9O,0'0. Nor yet
! is this all The number III the organic d Ter
! ritorieS is triple now whit il was four wears
| ago while thousands white anu black. join
as the national arms press back the insUr-
| gent lines. So mach IL shown, atiirmativciy
| and negatively. by the election IL il not
/ material to inquire how the increase has been
! produced, or IL show that II would have been
] @reatcr but for the war, which is probably
| true The important fact remains demonst u
! ted that we have more men now than we had
| whe., the bega'-that we are not ex-
| hausted, nor i'll process of exhanstion--that
! we are Gaining strength, end may. if need be,
/ maintain the contest indefinitely.
This is 10 men. Oar material resources aIc
! now more complete and abundant than ov +.
| The national resources then are uncxhausted
and, as we believe, iueNhau>tible. The pun-
! lie purpose to re-establSh and maintain the
| national authority is unchanged, and, "s we
| believe, Interchangeable. The manner of con
| tinung the elf6rt remains to choose On
| careful consideration of all the evidence "a
! ccSsiblc, it seems to ME that 10 attempt AT
| negotiation with the inSurgent leader could
| nesu!t in any good He would accept of moth
! Wig short of the .verancr of the Union. Ills
! declarations to that eff ct ar" explicit and
| OFT repeated. He does not attempt to deceive
Us. He aft Ird- us no excuse to deceive
| selves. We cliuat voluntarily yield it, b
tween him and Us The issue is distinct, simple
| and inhexibc 1t i an issue whici can onl,
| he tried bv war and decided bv victory If
| yield, are heeten. If the Southern
/ people fail him, he : beaten. Either way
! it would be the Victory and d.feat folio wing
war. What is true, however, of him who
| heads the insurgent cause is not necessarily
! true of those who follow. Although he can
| not re-acccpt the Uuon, the, can. Some f
them, we know, already desire peace aud +,
union. The number of such NAV Increase
| They can ut any moment have peace simpls
| hv LAYING down their arms and su 1InItting TO
/ the national authority, under the onSttutior
/ After much, the ,vernIasnt could not, If
I 1t would, maintain war against them. The
! loyal people W Duld not sustain or allow it. II
| questions should remain, We would adjust
| them by the peaceful means of legiSlation
! conference, courts and votes, operating onl
| in Constitutional and lawful channels Some
certain and other possible questions are and
would he beyond the Executive power to adj
just. For instance, the admission of members
into Congress and whatever might require
,he appropriation of money. The Executive
power itself would be greatly diminished ly
the cessation OF actud war; Pardous and
remiSSions of forfcituTcs, would still be within
Executive control In what sp.r and mptr
this control would be exercised, can be fdirl,
Judged of hv tn" past A year ago General
Pardon and Amnesty, upon specified terms.
were offered TO all except cert ain designated
class, and it at the same time made known
hat the excepted classes were still within
contemplation 81 special clemcncr. Duriug
the year many av.,iled themselves of the ge,-
eral provision, and many mo would. only
that the signs OF bad faith in some led to such
p-ecautiun lrv measures as rendc ed the prac
tlcal process less easy and certain. Turing
the same time al"o, special pardO's have
been granted to individuals of excepted class
cs, and no voluntary application has been de-
MED. Taus, pr"cticallr the door has for a
full year been open to all such is we've not in
condition to make free choicc-that i. such
as were in custody or under c0nstraint. 1t i
still o9on t. all But the time may come
probably will come, when the public duty shall
damlnd tina, it be closed, and that in iieu
more vigorous measures than heretofore shall
be adopted
IN presenting the ablnd ,nm mt of armed
resistance to the Nationa! authority on the
part Of the insurgents. as the only ind,spensa-
bic condition to ending the the part
of the Government, rctract nothing hereto.
lore sad ~ 70 slavery, | repeat the decltrd-
ton made a YEAR ago, hat while remain in
my present position | shall not attempt to-
rtfrAct or mod fy the Emancipation Proclaim
alton, nor shall return TO slavery any per-
son who Is free by the terms of that proclaim
alton o. bv anv of the acts of Congress. If
the people should. by whatever rode means
make it my Executive duty 10 re-cnSlavr such
persons, another, and not |, must be their
instrument to perform il.
IL stating single condition of peace, l
mean simply TO say that the war will cease on
the part of the Government whenever it shall
have ceased on the par; Of those who began it.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN