Nebraska advertiser., 1864-12-22


ulete and abundant than ever. The ma
tional resources, then, inexhaustable.-
The public purpose to r~e-establsh and
maintain the national authority is IN
changed, and, as we believe. u~nchange-
able The manner Of coplinulng the eff
fort remains 10 chOOse. On careful con-
sideralion Of al! the evidences accessible.
il seems TO me that no attempt at nego-
tiation with the insurgent leader could
result any good:
He would except of nothing shor, of
The severance of the Union. His dec
~larations to this effect are explicit and
~oft-repeated. He does not attempt TO
deceive US. He affords US no excuse to
deceive ourselves. We cannot vOlun-
tarily yield il. Between him and us the
issue is distinct, simple and infisxible.-
Il is an issue which can only be tried by
war, and decided by victory.
If we yield we are beaten; IL the
Southern people fail him. be Is beaten:
either way it would be the victory and
defeat following war. War is true, how
ever, of him who holds the insurgent
cause, is not necessarily true of those
who follow. Although he cannot reac-
cept the Union, they can. Some Of them
we know. already desire peace and re-
union. The number of such may in
crease.
They can at any moment have peace
simply BY laying down their arms and
submitting to the National authority un-
der the Constitution. After so much the
Government could not, if it would. main
tain war against them. The loyal peO
pie would not sustain or allow ii. If
questsons should remain we would adjust
them by the peaceful means of legIsla-
ton, conference, courts and votes.
Operating only in constitutional and
lawful channels, some certain and other
possible questions are and would DO be-
yond the Executive power to adjust; for
instance; the admission of members into
Congress, and whatever might require
appropriation of money.
The Executive power itself would be
diminished by the cessation of actual
war. Pardons and remissionS of for
fixture, however, would still be under
Executive control. In what spirit and
temper this control would Do exercised
can by fairly judged Of by the past. A
year ago general terms were offered TO
all except certain designated classes, and
it was a, the same time made known thai
the excepted class were sill within con-
temptation of special Clemency.
During the year many availed them
selves of the general provision, and many
more would, only the signs of bad faith
in some led to such PrecautIsnary meas
ures as rendered the practical process
less easy and certain. During the same
time also, special pardons have been
granted to individuals of excepted class
es, and no voluntary application haa been
denied.
Thus practically the door has been for
a full year open to all, except such as
were not in condition TO make free
choise; that is, such as were in custody
or under co~nstraint. Il is still open TO
all, but the time may ONE probably
will come, when public duty shall de-
mand that it be closed, and that in lieu
more vigorous. measures Than hereto
fore shall be adopted
In presenting the aband onment of
armed resistance Of the National au-
th0rity On the part of the insurgents
condition 10 ending the war on the part
of the Government, | retract nothing
heretofore said as to Slavery. / repeat
the declaration made a year ago, and
and that while l remain in my present
position. shall not attempt TO retract
or modify the Emancipation Proclamation
Nor shalt / return to Slavery any per-
son who is free by the terms of that
Reclamation or by the Ac's of Con-
gress.
If the people should, by whatever
mode or means, make 1t as executive du-
ty to re-enslave such persons, another,
and not |, must be their instrument 10
perform it.
In stating a single condition of peace,
| mean simply to say, that the war will
cease on the part of the Government
whenever it shall have ceased on the
part of those who began it.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.