The Portland daily press., 1864-04-29
BY TELEGRAPH
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EVENING PAPEEss.
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The World contains the following;

New YORK, April %.
Inc World contains the following;
WASHINGTON, April 4, 1854
TO A. q. Hodges, Esq., Frankfort, Ku.:
MY DEAR SIR:-lou ask me to put in writ
ing the substance of what verbally said the
other day In your presence to Gov. Bramlette
and Senator Dixon. 1t was about as follows
u am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is
not wrong, nothing is wrong. | cannot re-
member when did not see. feel and think
that 1t was wrong, and yet have never un-
derstood that the Presidency conferred upon
me au unrestricted right to act officially upon
TINS Judgment; and feeling it was in the oath
L took, that would, to the best of nv ability
10 preserve, protect and defend the Constitu-
tioD, 1 could not take the office without TAX
ing tne oasl. Nor was it in my view that |
might take an oath to get power. and break
the oath IN using the power. | understood,
TOO, that In ordinary civil administration this
oath even forbade me to practically indulge
my private, abstract Judgment on the moral
question oil slavery. 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 abstract Judgment and
feeling on slavery. | did understand, how
ever, that my oath to preserve the Constitu-
ton to the best OF my ability imposed upon
me the duty of preserving, by every indis-
pensabie means, that Government and that Ma
ton OF which that Constitution was the organic
law. Was 1t possible to lose the Nation and
yet preserve the Constitution? BY general
law life and limb must be protected,-yet often
limb must be amputated to save life; but
llie is never wisely given to save a limb.
feel that measures, otherwise unconstitu-
tlonal, might become lawful by becdhinc in
dispensable to the preservation of the nation.
Right or wrong, assumed this ground and
now avow 1t. l could not feel that to the best
OF my ability had ever tried to preserve the
constitution II, to preserve slavery or any
minor matter, should permit the wreck of
the Government, country and Constitution al
together. When, early in the war, Gen. FIRE.
mont attempted military emancipation. I-for-
bade It, because L did not then think ii an in
dispensable necessity. When, a little later,
ten. Cameron, then Secretary of War, sug-
gested the arming OF the blacks, objected,
because did not yet think it an indispensable
necessity. When, still later, Gen. Hunter at
tempted military emancipation, / again for
babe ii, because did not yet think the indis-
pensable necessity had come When, in March,
May and July, 1862, made earnest and sue
cessive appeals TO the border States to favor
compensated emancipation, i believed the in
dispensable necessity Tor military emancpa-
ton and arming of the blacks would come un-
less averted by that measure. They declined
the proposition, and / was, in my best iudg-
ment, driven to the alternative of either sur
rendering the Union, and with it the Consti-
tuition, or OF laying the strong hand upon the
colored elements. | chose the latter.
In choosing it / hoped for greater gain than
loss. But OF this | was not entirely confident.
More than Jesr of trial now shows no loss
by il in our foreign relations,-none in our
home popular sentiment,-none in our white
military force,-no loss by it anywhere. On
the contrary, 1t shows gain of quite 10000
soldiers, seamen and laborers. These are pal
pable facts about which. rs facts, there can be
no caviling. We have the men, and we could
not have had them without the measure.
Now let any Union man, who complains of
the measure, test himself by writing down in
one line that he is for subduing the rebellion
by force OF arms, and next, that he is for TAX
ing these 10000 men from the Union side
and place them where they would be but for
the measure he condemns. IL he cannot face
his cause so stated, 1t is because he cannot
face the truth. / will add a word which was
not in the verbal conversation. In telling this
tale l attempt no compliment 10 my own sa-
gacity. l claim not TO have controlled events,
but confess plainly that events have con-
trolled me. Now, at the end of three yesrs
struggle, the nations condition is not what
either party or any man devised or expected.
God alone can claim ii. Whittier it is tending
ouvur5 Piaiii. IT uuu uuw WINS Ine removal
OF great wrong, and wills also that we OF
the North, as well as you of the South, shall
pay fairly for our completely in that wrong.
impartial history will find therein new cause
to revere the justice and goodness of God"
Yours, truly,
(Signedl A. LINCOLN.