Year: 1861

navy who have been favored with Office, have re.


signed and proved false to the hand that pampered


trem, not one common soldier or common sailor


Is known to have deserted his flag Great honor


Is que to those officers who remained true despite


tne example of their treacherous associates. Blu.


the greatest honor and m st emphatic part of all


is tne unanimous hrmnesS of the common soldiers


and common sailors, the last man, so far as


known, they successfully resisted tn, traitorous
efforts of those whose commands within an hour
before they obeyed as absolute law. This is a


patriotic instinct of plain men. They understand
| without an argument that the destroying OF the
Government which was made by Washington


means no good for them. Our popular Govern.


mcnt has often been called an experiment.
Two points in it our people have settled The


successful establishing and the successful ad.


administering of it. One still remains. Its sue
cessful maintenance against the formidable in


ternal attempt to overthrow it. 1t is now for


them to demonstrate to the world that those who
can fairly carry an election, can also suppress a


rebellion, That ballots are the rightful and


peaceful successors of bullets, and that when
ballots are fairly and costtutionaly decided, there
can be no successful appeal back to bullets; that
there can be no successful appeal back to ballots
themseves-at seeding election. Such will


be great lesson of peace, teaching men that
what they cannot take by an election, neither
can they take it by war; teaching all the folly


of being the beginners of war, lest there be
some uneasiness in the minds of candid men, as to
what is to be the course of the Government towards
the Southern States, after the rebellion shall have
been suppressed. The Executive deems it prop
er to say it shall be his purpose then as ever to
be guided by the constitution and the laws, and
that he will probably have no different understand
ing of the powers and duties of the Federal Gov
ernment relative to the rights of the States and
the people under the Constitution than that ex-
pressed in the Inaugural Address. He desires to
preserve the Government that it may be ad-
ministered for all as it was administered by
the men who made it, Loyal citizens every
where have the right to claim this of their
Governments. The Government has no right to
withhold or neglect it, and it is not perceived in
giving it, that there is any coercion any conquest
or any subiugation in any just sense of these
terms the Constitution provided, and all the
States accepted its provision; that the United
States shall guarantee to every State in this
Union republican form of government. If
State may lawfully go out of the Union. Having
done so it may also discard the Republican form
of Government, SO that to prevent its going out
is an indispensable means to obtaining the guar
antee mentioned. and when an end is lawful and
obligatory, the indispensable means to it are also
lawful and obliging. Itwas with the deepest re-
gret that the Executive assumed the duty Of en-
ploJing the war power in defence of the Govern
ment forced upou him. He could but perform
this duty or surrender the existence of the Gov
ernment. No compromise by public servants
could in this be a cure.


Not that the compromises are not often proper,
ut that no popular government can long survive
a marked precedent that those who carry an elec-
ton can only save the government from immedi-
ate destruction by giving up the main point upon
which the people give the election. The people
themselves, and not their servants, can safely re-
verse their own delibeiate decision.


As private citizen the Executive could not
have consented that these institutions shall perish,
much less could he in betrayal of so vast and so
sacred trust as these free people have conGded to
him. He felt that he had no moral right to
shrink or even count the chances of his own life
in what may follow. In full view of his great
responsibility. he has so far done what he has
deemed his duty. Will you not, according to your
own judgment, performs yours?


He sincerely hopes that your views and your
actions may so accord with his as to assure oil
faithful citizens who have been disturbed in their
rights, of certain and speedy restoration to them
under the Constitution and The laws, and having |
on his chosen our without guilty, and with
pure perpose let US renew trust in God and go
forward without fear and with manly hearts.


Signed, ABRAHAM LINCOLN


July 4th, 1861.