Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-05-08
SIMPLE FAITH OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
His Belief That He Was but an
Instrument in the Hands of
the Almighty.

''The Diary of Gideon Welies," Atlantic
Monthly for March.
Monday. September 22 1S62.-We had to-
day special cabinet meeting. The SUBJ
ject was the proclamation concerning
emancipating slaves after a certain date,
in states that should then be in rebellion.
For several weeks the subject has been
suspended, but the president says, never
lost sight OF. When the subject was sub
mitted in August, and indeed in taking 1t
up, the president stated that the question
was finally decided, but that he felt II to
be due to us to make us acquainted with
the fact and to invite criticism on the
proclamation. There We're some differ
ences III the cabinet, but he had formed
his own conclusions and made his own
decisions. He had. he said, made vow,
covenant, that IL God gave Us the VIC
tory In the approaching battle (Which had
just been Fought, he would consider It
his duty to move forward in the cause of
emancipation, We might think 1t strange,
he said, but there were times when he
| felt uncertain how TO act: that he had in
| this way submitted the disposal of mat
ters when the way was not clear to his
mind what he should do. God had decided
| this question in favor Of the slave. He
was satisfied il was right-was confirmed
| and strengthened in his action by the vow
and by the results. his mind was fixed,
! his decision made, but he wished his pa
| per announcing his Course TO be as cor
| rect In terms as II could be made without
| any attempt to change his determination.
| For that was fiNed--we must emancipate
the slaves or be ourselves subjugated. The
slaves must be with us or against US.
They were against us,
| He read the document, and Seward sug.
gested one or two unimportant amend
| ments that were approved. 1t was then
| handed to the secretary of state, to pub
| lish. After this Blair remarked that he
| considered 1t proper to say he did not
| concur in the eXpediency of the measure
at this time, though he approved of the
principle, and should therefore wish to
! file his objections. He stated at some
length his views, which were that we
ought not to put in greater jeopardy the
| patriotic element i'm the border states. He
apprehended that they would go over tG
| the Secessionists as soon as they had seen
the proclamation. II would be well also
| to remember that the army was not united
| on the subject, and that there was class
| of partsans In the free states endeavoring
To revive old parties who would have a
club put in their hands of which they
would avail themselves to beat the ad-
| ministration.
The president said he had considered
the danger to be apprehended from the
first objection. which was undoubtedly
| serious, but the objection was certainly
as great not to act; as regarded the last,
II had not so much weight with him; they
would use their clubs do what he might.
The question of power authority In the
government to set free the slaves was not
much discussed at this meeting, but had
been canvassed by the president in pri-
vate conversation with the members indi-
vidually. Some thought legislation advis-
able before the step was taken, but con-
gress was clothed with no authority on
this subject, nor is the executive except
under the war power, military necessity,
martial law, when there can be no legis-
lation. This was the view which | took
when the president first presented the sub
ject to Seward and myself last summer,
as we We're returning from the funeral Of
Stantons child. a ride of two or three
miles from beyond Georgetown. Seward
was at that time not at all communica-
tive, and l think not willing to advise,
though he did not dissent from the move
ment. II is momentous both in its imme-
date and remote results, and an exercise
OF extraordinary power which cannot be
justified on mere humanitarian principles
and would never have been attempted but
TO preserve the national existence The
slaves must be with us or against us in
the war. Let us have them. These were
my convictions, and this is the drift OF
the discussion.