The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-05-07
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
s..HIS BORDER STATE POLICY.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, }
WAsHINoNoE, April 4, 1864 {

WAsHINoNoE, April 4, 1864
Il. g. Hoges, Esq., Frankfort, Kentucky i:
MY DEAR SIR You ask ne to put in
writing the substance of what verbally
said the other day in your presence, to Gov.
ernor Bramlette and Senator Dixon. Il was
about as follows:
al am naturally Anti-slavery. IF slavery
is not wrong, nothing is wrong. / cannot
remember when did not so think aud feel
And yet, / have never understood that the
Presidency conferred upon me an uure-
stricted right to act officially upon this
judgment and feeling. 1t was in the oath l
took, that would to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitu-
ton of the United States. could not take
the Office without taking the oath. Nor
was it my view that l might take the oath
to get power, aud break the oath in using
the power. understand, too, that in or
binary civil administration, this oath even
forbade me to practically indulge in prima-
~, abstract judgment on the moral question
of slavery. I had publicly declared this
many times, and in many ways. And
aver that, TO this day, have done no Off
cial act in mere Difference to my abstract
judgment and feeling on slavery.
81 did understand, however, that my
oath to preserve the Constitution to the best
of my ability, imposed upon me the duty
ofpreserVing. by every indispensable means,
that Government-th 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
protected yet often a limb must be ampu-
tated to save life but a life is never wise
ly given to save limb. felt that measures,
otherwise unconstitutional, might become
lawful, by becoming indispensable to the
preservation Of the Constitution, through
the preservIti ton of the Nation. Right or
wrong, l assumed this ground, and now
aVow it. l could not feel, that to the best
of my ability had even tried to preserve
the Constitution, if, to save slavery, or any
minor matter, should permit the wreck of
Government, Country aud Constitution,
altogether. When, early in the war, Gen
eral Fremont attempted military emancipa-
ton, forbade it, because did not then
think it an indispensable necessity. When,
a little later, Gen. Cameron. then Secretary
of War, suggested the arming of the blacks,
objected; because did not yet think it
an Indispensable necessity. When, still la
ter, Gen. Hunter attempted military eman-
cipation, l again forbade it; because l did
not yet think the indispensable necessity
had come.
when. in March. and May, and July,
1862, made earnest and successive appeals
to the border States to favor compensated
emancipation, believed the indispensable
necessity for military emancipation, and
arming the blacks, would come, unless
averted by that measure. They declined
the proposition and was, in my best
judgment, driven to the alternative of eth
er surrendering the Union, and with it the
Constitution, or Of laying strong hand up
on the colored element. / ch ose the latter.
In choosing 1t, hoped for greater gain
than loss but of this I was not entirely
confident. More than year of trial now
shows no loss by it in our foreign relations
none in our home popular sentiment none
in our white military force-no loss by it
any how or any where. On the contrary,
1t shows a gain of quite hundred and
thirty thousand soldiers, seamen and labor
ers. These are palpable facts, about which,
as facts, there can be no caviing. We have
the men, and we could not have had them
without the measure.
"And now, let any Union man, who com
plains of the measure, test himself, by writ
ing down in one line that he is for taking
these hundred and thirty thousand men
from the Union side, and placing them
where they would be but for the measure
be condemns. If he cannot face the case
so stated, it is only because he cannot face
the truth"
And 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 the end of three years struggle, the
nations condition is not what either party
or any mar devised or expected. God alone
can claim it. Whittier it is tending seems
plain. II God wills the removal of great
wrong, and wills also that we of the North,
as well as you OF the South, shall pay fair
ly for our completely in that wrong, Impair
tial history will find therein new causes to
attest aud revere the justice and goodness
of God.
Yours truly, A. LINCOLN.