The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-05-06
The President on the Slavery Cues.
tion-Letter from Mr.. Lincoln,
EXECUTIVE MANSION. WAsHINe.1
AL


EXECUTIVE MANSION. WASHING,
TON, April 4tb, 1864.
A, @. Hodges. Esq Frankfort, Kentucky.
MY DEAR SIR You ask me TO nut in
writing the substance of what I verbally y
said, the other day, in your presence, TO
Governor Branletto aud Senator Dixon
1t was about as follows:
1 am naturally anti slavery. II slavery il
not wrong. nothing is wrong. I canno. ro.
member when did not So think and feel.
And yet, l have never rnderstood that the
Presidency conferred upon mo any unre.
strained right to &c, officially upon this
judgment and feeliug. 1t was in the oath 1
took, that would, to tho best of nv ability
preserve, protect and defend the cons,itu.
tion of The United States. could not take
the office without taking tho oath. Nor
was IL my view that might take on oath
to got power. and break tho oath, in using
the power. Il understood, too, that in or.
binary civil administration this oath even
forbade me to practically indulge in pri
mary, abstract judgment on the moral cues.
tion Of slavery. had publicly declared
this many times. and In many wave.
And aver that, to this day, have done no
official act in more Difference to my abstrac,
judgment Ind feeling on slavery.
did understand, however, that nv
oath to preserve the constitution to the
best OF my ability, imposed upon mo the
duty OF preserving. by every indispensable
means. that government--that nation. of
wn'oh that constitution was the organic law.
Was It possible to lose the nation, and vet
preserve the constitution (:
BY general law, life and limb must be
protected yet often limb must be smpu.
tated to save life; but life is never wise.
'ygiven to save limb. felt that meas.
nres, otherwise unconstitutional, might be-
come lawful, by becoming Indispensable to
the preservation of the constitution, through
the preservation of the nation. Right or
"rong,l assumed this ground, aud now avow
it. 1 could not feel that to the beat of nv
ability had oven tried to preserve the con.
a'itntion. it. to save slavery or any minor
matter, should permit the wrock of nv
government, country and constitution. al.
together. When. early in tho war. Ger.
Fremont attempted military emancipation.
forbade it, because did not then think il
an indispensable necessity. When, a little
later, Gen. Cameron, tben Secretary of
War, suggested the arming of the blacks. l
objected; because did not vet think II an
Indispensable necessity. When, still Ister.
Gen. Hunter attempted military emancipa.
aon. l again forbade it +; because did not
yes think the indispensable necessity had
come.
When. in March. and May, and JULY.
1862. made earnest and successive an.
peals to tho border States to favor compen.
stated emancipation, believed the indis.
pensable necessity for military emancipa.
tion aud arming the blacks would come.
unless averted by that measure. They de.
''ined the proposition and was, in nv
best Judgment, driven to the alternative of
either surrendering the Union, and with it
me constitution, or of laying strong hand
upon the colored element. chose the lat.
ter. In choosing It, hoped for greater
gain than loss; but of this was not entire. |
" confident. More than q year of trial
now shows no loss by IL. in our foreign re.
iatlons; none In our home popular senti.
ment; none in our white military force-no
loss by 1t, anyhow or anywhere. On the
contrary, it shows gain of quite hundred
and thirty thousand soldiers. seamen and
'aborers. These are palpable facts, abou.
which, as facts, there can be no caviinp.-
Wo have the men, and we could not have
bad them without the measure.
And now, let any Union man, who com.
plains of tho measure, test himself. BY wri.
ing down 10 one line. that be is for sub.
LUNG tho rebellion by force of arms. and iu
he next, that he is for taking these hundred !
md thirty thousand men from the Union :
ide. and placing thom where they would
10, but for the measure he condemns. ri =
10 cannot face bis cause SO stated, it is only :
'ecause no cannot face the truth.
/ add word, which was not in the verbal '
conversation. In telling this tale, 1 at. 8
emPl no compliment 10 my own sagacity. q
claim not TO have controlled events, but
oLfess plainly that events have controlled
ne. Now, at the end OF three years. d
truggle, the nations condition is not
'ha, eiteer parry or any man devised or A
expected. God alone can claim it,
Vbither it is tending seems plain. II !.
rod now wills the removal OF a great
,rong, and wills also that we Of the q
'orih, as well as you Of the South, shall n
ay fairly for our completely in that g
rong, impartial history will find therein Ii
ew causes TO attest and revere the JUS. G.
ce and goodness Of God. b
Yours, truly, A. LINCOLN. q