Year: 1863

wAsHrSorOS, Aug, 20.


To Hon. Jas. O. conklin,


Ny DEAR SIR--Your letter inviting
me TO attend mass meeting of uncon-
ditional Union men, 10 be held at
the capitol Of Illinois, on the 3D. day
of September, has been received. 1t
would be very agreeable to me thus to
meet my old friends at my own home,
but l cannot just now be absent from
this city so long as a visit there would
require. The meeting is to be of all
those who maintain unconditional de-
votion to the Union, and i am sure
that my political friends will thank
me for rendering as ! do the nations
gratitude to those other noble men
whom no partisan malice or partisan
hope can make false 10 nations life
There are those who are dissatisfied
with me. TO. such L would say, you
desire peace, and you blame me that
we do not have it. But how can we
obtain it ? There are but three con-
ceivable ways: frst-to suppress the
rebellion 10y force of arms. This ! am
trying to do. Are you for il? Ifyou are,
SO far we are agreed. If you are not for
it, a second way is to give up the I'm
ion, | am against this. If you are,
you shouldsay so plainly. Ifyouarenot
for force, nor yet for dissolution, there
only remains some imaginable COM
promise. l do not believe that any
compromise, embracing the maintain
ance of the Union, is now possible
All that | learn leads to directly OPP
posite belief. The strength Of the
rebellion is its military-its army that
dominates all the country and all the
people within its range Any ofIer of
terms made by any man ormen within
that range, in opposition to that army
is simply nothing for the present, be-
cause such man or men have no pow
er whatever to enforce their side of
a compromise if one were made with
them. To llustrate-suppose refugees
from the South and peace men of the
North met together in convention and
frame and proclaim compromise,
embracing n restoration Of the Union.
In what way can that compromise be
used to keep Gen. Lees army out of
Pennsylvania Gen. Meade's army
can keep General Lees army out of
Pennsylvania, and, think, can ulti-
mately put it out Of existence, but no
proper compromise to which the con-
trolers of Gen. Lees army arc not
agreed, can at all effect that army
In an effort at such compromise, we
would waste time, which the enemy
would improve TO our disadvantage
and that would be ALL A compromise
to be effective, must be made either
with those who control the rebel army,
on the people, first liberated from the
domination of that army, by the sue
cess Of our army. Now, allow me to
assure you that no word or intimation
from the rebel army or from any of
the men controlling it in relation to
any peace compromise has ever come
to my knowledge or belief All char
ges and intimations to the contrary
are deceptive and groundless, and |
promise YOU that if any such PROPOSE
ton shall hereafter come it shall not
be rejected and kept secret from you,
| freely acknowledge myself to be the
servant of the people, according to the
bond of the service of tho United
States constitution, and that as such l
am responsible to them; but to. be
plain, you are dissatisfied with me
about the negro. Quite likely there
is difference of opinion between you
and myself upon that subject. | cer-
tainly wish that all men could be free,
while you, ! suppose, do not. Yet |
have neither adopted nor proposed
any measure which is not consistent
with even your view, provided that
YOU are for. the Union. ! suggested
compensated emancipation, TO which
you replied that you wished not to be
taxed to buy negroes, but had not
asked you to be taxed to buy negroes
except in such way to save YOU from
greater taxation to save the Union eX-
clusivcly by other means.


You dislike the emancipation proc
lamation, and perhaps YOU would have
it retracted. You say it is unconsti-
tutional. | think differently. Think
that the constitution vests its Com
mauder-in-C 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 not needed whenever taking it
helps us or hurts the enemies? Ar
mics the world over destroy enemies
property when they can't use it, and
even destroy their own to keep it from
the enemy. Civilized beligerents do
all in their power TO help themselves
to hurt the enemy, except few things
regarded as barbarous or cruel
Among the exceptions are the massacre
Of vanquishcd foes and non-combat-
ants, male and female But the proc
lamation is law and valid. or is not
valid. If it is not valid, it needs no
retiaction. If it is valid, il cannot be
retractcd any more than the dead can
be brought to life. Some of you pro
fcss to thinksthat retraction would OPP
crate flvorably to the Union. Why
better after the rctractiQn than before?
More than a year and q half's trial
before the proclamation was issued,
the last one hundred days Of which
passed under an explicit notice chat it
was coming unless averted by those
in revolt returning to allegiance. 1t
has certainly progressed as favorably
to us since the issue of the proclama-
ton as before, | know as fully as any
one can know, the opinions of others,