Year: 1863

~~S~' HoN. JAMES c. CoNKLING-My Dear Sir Your letter inviting me to attend g mass meet ing of unconditional Union men. to be held a the capital of Illinois on the Sd day of Sep tember, has been received. It would be very agreeable for me thus to meet my old friends at my own home; but l cannot just now be absent from here so long as Q visit there would require.

 The meeting is to be of all those who main tain unconditional devotion to the Union ane I am sure that my old political friends will thank me for rendering, as do, the nations gratitude to those other noble men whom nc l partisan malice or partisan hope gan make false to the nations lite.

 l There are those who are dissatisfied with me To such would say-You desire peace, and you blame me that we do not have it. But how can we attain it? There arc but three conceivable ways. First-to suppress the re- bellion by force of arms. This l am trying to do. Are you for it7 If you are, so far we are agreed. If you are not for it, @ second way is to give up the Union. l am against this.- Are you for it? If you are, yoq should say so plainly. If you are not for force, nor yet for dissolution, there only remains some imag inable conapr0mise.

 do not believe that any compromise em bracing the maintenance of the Union is now possible. All that learn leads to directly opposite belief. The strength of the Rebel lion is it's military, it's army. That army dom mates all the country and all the people within it's range. Any offer of terms made by any man or men within that range, in opposition to that army. is simply nothing for the pres ent because such man or men have no powel whatever to enforce their side of compro. mise, if one were made with them.

 To illustrate Suppose refugees from the South and peace men of the North get togeth- CT in convention, and frame and proclaim a compromise embracing a restoration of the Union. In what way can that compromise be used to keep Lees army out of Pennsylvania Meade's army can keep Lees army out of Pennsylvania, and. think, can ultimately drive it out of existence. But no paper compromise to which the controllers of Lees army are not agreed can at all affect that army. In an effort at such compromise we would waste time, which the enemy would improve to our disad- vantage; and that would be all.

 A compromise, to be effective, must be made either with those who control the Rebel army, or with the people, first liberated from the domination of that army by the success of our own army. Now, allow me to assure you that no word or intimation from that Rebel army, or from any of the men controlling it, in rela- ton to any peace compromise, has ever come to my knowledge or belief. All charges and insinuations to the contrary are deceptive and groundless. And promise you that if any, such proposition shall hereafter come, it shall not be rejected and kept secret from you. l freely acknowledge myself to be the servant Of the people, according to the bond of service, the United States Constitution, and that as such, l am responsible to them.

 But, to be plain. You are dissatisfied with me apont the negro. Quite likely there 1 is ,s g difference of opinion between you and myself unon @ that subject. I certainly wish that all men men could be free, while you, Suppose, do not. Yet, I have neither adopted nor proposed any measure which is not consistent with even your view provided that you are for the Union. l suggested compensated emancipation to which you replied you wished not to be taxed tc buy negroes. But had not asked you to be taxed to buy negroes, except in such