Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-05-05
RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY, MAY ., 1884,


reference 10 shNtTls ~ ""S "iit~" "N
the rec AZ ~ Col Hodges, editor of the
Frankie. ,.y) Commonwealth, who
accomnanied Gov. Bramlette on his re-
cent visit to Washington and was pres
ent during the interview had by the lat
ter III the President upon the subject
OF the enlistmcn. OF slaves in Ken
lucky. Col. Hodges desired, in writing,
the substance of the Presidents remarks
made in that interview, and this letter
is the result. 1t is so clear, frank,
straightforward and forcible that it is
difficult TO see how any reasonable man
can fail to regard 1t as an impregnable
self-defense. He had no constitutional
right to interfere with slavery merely
because he believed it moral wrong
He could only await the course of events,
and when it became evident to his judg-
ment that the preservation of the con
stitution he had sworn to defend, rem
dered necessary the destruction of slave
ry, it became not only his right bat his
duty to act and he then acted in his
military capacity, as commander-in-
chief of the army and navy, in time of
instruction. Here the President an
swers the extreme radicals on the one
hand, who have accused him of being
too slow, and the extreme conserva-
tives" on the other, who have complain
ed of his being too fast Men would of
course differ as to the precise time when
the situation demanded the military in
reference with slavery as an indispcns-
able necessity to the maintenance of the
constitution and Union. Upon this
point il was clearly the Presidents duty
to act upon his own judgment. 1t was
neither competent for Gen. Fremont nor
Gen. Hunter nor any other military sub
ordinate to decide it for him. He could
not, as he regarded his powers under
the constitution, justify the act to his
conscience until in his own Judgment it
had become by the course of events a
military necessity" Then duty to the
same constitution and Union impera-
lively demanded the act, and he has
shown no reluctance in discharging this
duty. In regard to the soundness of
his Judgment in this matter, it may be
said that he acted as early as the loyal
people had generally reached the same
point and were ready to render their
verdict to sustain the Judgment, and
that any earlier action would have re
suited in no speedier practical advance
of slavery abolition or of the Union
cause. Slavery will be abolished as fast
as our armies can overcome the rebel
lion and growing Union and anti
slavery sentiment in the rebellious states
can, be protected ......
The following is the letter .........
Executive MANSION, }
@ Washington, April A.
A. G. Hodges, Esq, Frankfort, KY
You ask me to put in writing the sub
stance OF what | verbally said, the 9th
er day, in your presence, to Governor
Bramlette and Senator Dixon. 1t was
about as follows:
am naturally anti-slavery. If slave
ry IL not wrong, nothing is wrong. I
cannot remember when / did not so
think and feel. And yet, / have never
understood that the presidency confer
red upon me an unrestricted right to act
officially upon this judgment and feel
ing. II was In the oath | took, that I
would, to the best of my ability, pre-
serve, protect, and defend the constitu-
tion OF the United States. l could not
take the office without taking the oath.
Nor was, it my view, that might take
an oath to get power and break the
oath in using the power. understood,
too that in ordinary civil administra-
ton, this oath even forbade me to prac-
tically indulge my primary, abstract
judgment upon 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
official act in mere Difference to my alb
stract Judgment and 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 indispensa-
bic means, that goyernment-tha ma.
ton, 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 limb must be am
putated TO save a life; but life is new
er wisely given to save limb, / feel
that measures, otherwise unconstitu-
tionai, might become lawful by becom.
ing Indispensable to the preservation of
the constitution through the preserva-
ton Of the 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 preserve the
constitution, If to save slavery or any
minor matter, should permit the wreck
OF government, country and constitu-
ton, all together. When early in the
war Gen. Fremont attempted military
emancipation forbade it, because did
not then think it an Indispensable me-
cess'tr Whc~ . LITTLE later Gen. Cam
eron, a..-5es- .uai war suggeste,.
the arming of the blacks, / objected be-
cause ! did not yet think it an indis-
pensabie necessity. When, still later
Gen. Hunter attempted military eman-