Year: 1863




EXECUTIVE MANSION


WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 1863.


Hon. James C.. Ccnkiiag:


My DEAR SIR Your letter inviting
me to attend mass meeting of un-
conditional Union men, to be held at
the Capital OF Illinois, on the Sd day
of September, has been received


1t would be very agreeable to me,
TO thus meet my old friends, at my
own home ; but | cannot just now be
absent from here, so long as visit
there would require.


The meeting is to be of all those who
maintain unconditional devotion to
the Union and | am sure my old
political friends will thank me for ten
dering, as | do, the nations gratitude
to those other noble men, whom no par.
tisan malice, or partisan hope, can
make false to the nations life.


There are those who are dissatisfied
with me- To such would say You
Edesre peace, and you blame me that
we do not have it. But how can we
attain it .? There are but three con-
ceivable ways. First, to suppress
the rebellion by the force of arms.
This am trying to do. Are you for
it? lfyou are, SO far we are agreed
If you are not for it, a second way is,
to give up the Union | am against
this, Are you for it ? If you are, you
should say SO plainly. If you are not
for peace, nor yet for dissolution, there
only remains some imaginable compr0-
mise. | do not believe any compro-
mise, embracing the maintenance of
the Union. is now possible. All |
learn leads to a directly opposite be-
lief. The strength of the rebellion is
its military, its army. That army do
inmates all the country, and all the
people, within its range. Any offer
of terms made by any man, or men,
within that range, in opposition to
that army, is simply nothing for the
present; because such man, or men,
have no power whatever TO enforce
their side of a compromise if one were
made with them. To illustrate Sup
pose refugees from the South, and
peace men in the North, get together
in convention, and frame and pro-
claim compromise embracing res
toration of the Union, in what way
can that compromise be used to keep
Lees army ont of Pennsylvania ?
Meade's army can keep Lees army
ont of Pennsylvania, aud | think can
ultimately drive it ont of existence.
But no compromise in which the con
tTollers of Lees army are not agreed
can. at all, affect that army. In an
effort at such compromise we should
waste time, which the enemy would
improve to our disadvantage and
that would be all. A compromise, to
he effective, must be made either with
those who coutrol 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 in
timation from the rebel army, or from
any of the men controlling it, in rela
tion to any peace compromise, has ev
er come to my knowledge or belief
All charges or insinuations to the
contrary are deceptive and ground
less and promise you that if any
such proposition shall hereafter come
it shall not be rejected and kept Sc
cret from you. | freely acknowledge
myself the servant of the people, ac'
cording to the bond Of service-the
United States Constitution and that,
as such, ! am responsible to them.
But to be plain: You arc dissatls-
fled with me about the negro. Quite
likely there is difference OF opinion
between you and myself upon that
subject. / certainly wish that all
men could be free. while suppose
YOU do not. Yet / have neither adopt
ed or proposed any measure which is
not consistent with even your view
provided you are for the Union.
suggested compensated emancipation
to which yon replied yon wished no
to be taxed to buy negroes, except II
'such a way as to save you from