Year: 1863

1


Those who have read the singularly clea


aud ingenious letter Of the President, which


was printed in the Erening Post YESTERDAY


will see why the people of Illinois confer


red upon him the familiar nickusme o


" Honest" Thorough and manly homes


ty, sincere desire to do right. a eonscien


tious intention TO observe faithfully hi.
4 oath Of Office, and to do his duty as ar


American citizen, aud lover of democrat


ic Institutions and upon that liberty upon


which our governments is founded-these


are the traits which mark every sentence Of


the letter. To these must be added quaint
/ yet sbrewd and pointed way of putting his
argument, which is Characteristic of man
who is of the "plain people," and has not
mixed much with those great managers oi
! the worlds affairs, who are accustomed 10
use language to conceal their thoughts.-
Mr.. Lincoln's statements are curiousiy de-
void of redundant or unnecessary words
He addresses himself to the ''plain peo-
ple," as he called them once with them
he is most at home and in speaking to
them he knows that the fewest and most
direct words are the best.


The President points out, what we had
occasion yesterday to show also, that the
only men who have. at present, any power
in the South. are those who control the reb-
ell armies. From those men. be says, mo
word or in,ima,ion" :" has come to him of
any desire for peace compromise. And
as for what any persons in opposition to the
rebel leaders in the South may desire, he
asks. would any plan Of compromise they
might agree keep Lees army out of
Pennsylvania That is to say--it is the
rebel armies we have to deal with till they
are broken up all talk of reconstruction is
idle; and so far as it dissrac,s the attention
Of the people from the single object of keep
ing our armies in an efficient state, such dis
cussions are injurious.


AS for the Emancipation proclamation.
and the arming of negroes, he says that in
the opinion of some of our most successful
commanders they could not have gained
those victories which day give us our
hopes of an early peace. if the blacks Of the
South had not been won to our side by the
promise of freedom, and if they had not
been armed. He points out that these peo
pie were induced to help us by the promise
of freedom and he says. what no honor
able man will dispute. that :" the promise,
being made. must be kept" As for those
who say that they will not fight to free ne
groes, he tells them to wait until they are
asked to. For the present. he says. we are
fighting to destroy the rebel armies, to put
down unlawful and armed resistance to he
supreme law of the land. Whenever you
shall have conquered all resistance to the
Union. If shall urge you to continue fight
ing, it will be apt time then for you to
declare you will not Fl 5ht to free negroes"


lie adds that, whatever negro can do
to serve the Union cause relieves a white
sol ho f.a -, ha
pro-slavery men Of the North would do
well to bear in mind. that i" the war has GER
tainly prospered as favorably for US since
the issue OF the Proclamation as before. -
He might safely have said that our creates.
and most important victories have been
gained since the issue of the Proclamation.


We notice in a pro slavery morning jour
nal sneer at the Presidents letter. As an
appeal to the people. Why should he not
speak to the people? This is free gov
ernmeut, one which rests upon the opinions
of the citizens and it is eminently proper
that the President. the first citizen. should
speak to his fellows on the affairs of the ma
ton, which are their affairs should take
them into council, and tell them in plain
words what he has done, what he proposes
to do. and the reasons which seem to him
to make his course judcious and for the best
interests of those who have called him to
administer their affairs. In doing this he
acts the part of an honorable man, penetra-
ted with The spirit Of our institutions, which
abhor secresy and make the good of the
country the care of every citizen. Nothing
can be more beni6cial. especially in such
times as these, than unreserved confidence
between government and people. We have
sometimes thought that there has not been
enough of this open intercourse between
the Administration and the nation-and we
feel sure that many an adroit misrepresenta-
ton of the disaffected. by which the self
possession of the people has been shaken.
during our struggle. might have been avoi.
ded had such communications as this letter
of Abe Presidents been even more frequent.
Whatever partisan spite may say, we are
sure "the plain people " will read the
Presidents letter in the same spirit OF sim.
pie good faith and honest candor in wh ch
it was written.-N. Y Post, Sept. 9.