Year: 1862

HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES. July l5. l-i2


SIR: Tbs magnitude and gravity of the pro
position submitted By you 90 the Representatives
Of the slave States, would naturally occasion
diversity, if not cOutTariety of opinion. You
viii not, therefore, be surprised that have not
been able to concur in view with the majority Of
them. This is attributable, possibly, 20 the fact
that my Stsie is not border S-sss, properly
so-called, and that my immediate cGEsdtGent5
are not yet dissnthralled from the hostile arms
Of the rebellion. This fact is q physical obstacle
in the way Of my now submitting to their con-
sideration this or any other proposition looking
to political action, especially such, as In this
case, would require change II the organic law
Of the State


But do not infer that I am insensibls 90 your
appeal. l am not You are surrounded with
difficulties far greater than have embarrassed
any of your predecessors. You need the sup
port Of every American citizen, and you ought
20 have Is; active, Jealous and honest. The
union of every Union man to ali you in pre-
serving the Union is the duty OF the time. DIFF
ferences as to policy and methods must be sub
ordinated to the common Purposa-
In looking for the cause Of this rebellion. it is
natural that each section and each party should
ascribs as little blame IS possible 10 itself, and
as much as possible to its opponent section and
party Possibly you and might not agree on
q
be differences of opinion as to the best mode of
conducting our military operations, and the best
men to lead our armies, as equally natural.
Contests on such questions weaken ourselves
and strengthen our enemies They are unprOf-
table and possibly unPatriotic Somebody
must yield, OF we waste cur sire myth in con-
temptible struggle amongst ourselves.


You appeal to the loyal men of the slave States
to eacrifce something Of feeling and great deal
of interest. The sacrifices they have alresdy
made and the suffsIings they have endured give
the best assurance that the appeal will not have
been made in vain. He who IS not ready to
yield all his material interests, and foregO his
most cherished sentiments and opinions for the
preservation Of his country, although be may
have peTiled his life on the battlefield in her de-
fense, is but half a patriot. Among the loyal
people that represent there are no half patriots.


Already the rebellion has cost Us much, even
to cur UndOing; we arc content if need be, to
give up the rest to suppress It. We have stood
by you from the beginning of this struggle, and
we mean to stand by you, God willing, till the
end Of it.


1 did not vote for the resolution to which you
allude, solely for the reason that at that tiue I
was absent at the capital Of my ovH@ s. It
is right.


Should any of the slave States think proper
to terminate that institution as several of them,
l understand, or at least soms of their citizens
propose, justice and a generous e0mmity require
that the country sheuId interpOse 70 aid 1t in
lessening the burden, public snd private, oe-
casiOned by so radical q change in its social and
industrial relations.


I will not now speculate upon the effect, at
home or abroad of TIE adoption of your policy,
nor inquire what action of the rebel leaders has
rendered something Of the kind important.
Your whole administration gives the highest as
surance that you are moved, not so much from
a desire to see all men everywhere made free, as
from 4 far higher desire to preserve free insttu-
tiOns for the benefit Of men slready free ; not 70
make slaves freemen, but to prevent fTeemen
rom being made slaves not to destroy an insti-
tuition, which portion Of us only consider bad,
but to save institutions which We al alike con
slider good am satisfied you would not ask
from any of your fellOw-ciHzens sacrifice not,
in your judgment, imperatively required by the
safety Of the country.


This is the spirit of your appeal, and respond
to it in the same spirit.


L am, very respectfully your Obedient servant,


HORACE MAYNARD.


To tde President