Year: 1863

patton, to which you replied you


wished not to be taxed to buy ne


groes. But l had not asked YOU &c


be taxed to buy negroes, except il


such way as TO save you from great


er taxation to save the Union ex


clusively by other means.


You dislike the Emancipation


Proclamation, and perhaps you would


have it retracted You say it is un-


constitutional. | think differently


/ think that the Constitution invests
its Commander-inC Chief with the law
of war in time Of war The most
that can be said, if so much, is that
slaves are property. Is there, has
there ever been, any question that,
by the law of war, property, both OF
enemies and friends, may be taken
when needed


And is it not needed whenever ta-
king 1t helps us or hurts the enemy?
Armies the world over destroy enc
mics property when they cannot use
it; and even destroy their own to
keep it from the enemy. Civilized
belligerents do all in their power to
help themselves or hurt the enemy,
except few things regarded as bar
barous or cruel. Among the excep-
tions are the massacre of vanquished
foes and non combatants, male and
female.


But the Proclamation, as law, Ell
ther is or is not valid If it is not
valid, it needs no retraction. If it is
valid, it cannot be retracted, any
more than the dead can be brought
to life. Some of YOU profess to
think its retraction would operate
favorably for the Union. Why bet
Ger after the retraction than before
the issue?


There was more than year and q
half of trial to suppress the REBEL
ion before the Proclamation was is
sued; the last one hundred DAYS of
which passed under an explicit no
tIce that it was coming unless avert
ed by those in revolt returning to
their allegiance The war has GER
tainly progressed as favorablv for us
since the issue Of the Proclamation
- before


| know, rs fully as one can know
the opinion of others, that some of
the commanders of our armies in the
field who have given us our most
important successes, believe the
emancipation policy and the use of
colored troops constitute the hpavi-
est blow vet dealt to the rebellion
and that at least one of those impor-
tant successes could not have been
achieved when it was, but for the aid
Of black soldiers.


Among the commanders holding
these views are some who have new
er had any affinity with what is call
ed Abolitionism. or with Republican
party politics. but who hold them
purely as military opinions sub
NIT these opinions rs being entitled
to some weight against the objections
often urged, that emancipation and
arming blacks are unwisc rs military
measures, and were not adopted as
such in good faith


You say that YOU will not fight to
free negroes. Some of them seem
to he willing to fight for you. But
no matter; fight YOU then exclusive
ly to save the Union. | issued the
Proclamation on purpose to aid you
in saving the Union.


Whenever you shall have conquer
ed all resistance to the Union, if
shall urge you to continue fighting,
it will be an apt time then for you 10
declare that you will not fight to free
negroes.


l thought that in your struggle for
the Union, to whatever extent the
negroes should cease helping the en-
envy, to that extent it weakened the I
enemy in his resistance to you Do
you think differently? | thought
that whatever negroes can be got to





less for white soldiers to do in say
ing the Union. Does it appear 9th +
erwise to you? But negroes. like
other people, act upon motives. Why +
should they do anything for us if we
will do nothing for them? If they
stake their lives for us, they must be
prompted by the strongest motive,
even the promise Of their freedom.
And the promise being made, must
be kept.


The signs look better. The Faith
er of Waters again goes unvcXed to
the sea. Thanks to the great North
west for it. Nor yet wholly to them.
Three hundred miles up they met
New England, Empire. Keystone,
and Jersey, hewing their way right
and left. The sunny South, too, in
more colors than one, also lent a
hand. On the spot their part Of the
history was iotted down in black and
white The job was n great national
one. and let none be banned who
bore an honorable part in it. While
those who have cleared the great riv-
or may well be proud, even that Is
not all.


II is hard TO say that anything has
been more bravely and well done than
at Antietam, Murfreesboro. Gettys-
burg. and on many fields of lesser
note.


Nor must Uncle Sam 5 web-feet be
I =