Year: 1862

| HNP 3EsTANT COBREsPGNDENCE
/ President EfsacoFa's sspPeGI 80 the Border
States.


| The Representatives and Senators of the Dor


der slavesoldiDg States having, by special in
vita!ion Of the President, been convened at Ex-
l ecutive Mansion on Saturday morning, last
week, Mr.. Lincoln addressed them as follows
/ from a written paper held in his hands:
GENTLEMEN: After the adjournment of Con
| gTess, now near shall have no opportunity OF
seeing you for several months. Believing that
| you of the border States hold more power for
| good than any other equal number Of members,
| l feel it duty which cannot iustiisbly waive,
| to make this appeal to you.


intend no reprOach OF complaint when l as
sure you that in my opinion, if you all had
voted for the resolution in the gradual emsnci-
patton messages of last March, the war would
now be substantially ended And the plan
therein proposed is yet one of the most potent
aud swift means Of ending it. Let the States


which are in rebellion see definitely and certain


ly that in no event viii the States you represent
ever join their proposed Confederacy and they


cannot much longer maintain the contest. But


you cannot divest them of their hope to ulti-


mately have you with them, so long as you


show determination to perpetuate the institu-


ton within your own States. Beat them at cleo


tions, as you have Overwhelmingly done, and


no hing dSUnted, they still claim you as their


own. You and know what the lever of their


power is. Break that lever before their faces,


aad they can shake you no more forever.


Most Of you have treated me with kindness
and consideration, and I trus you viii not now


think I improperly touch what is exclusively
your own, when for tho sake Of the country, l
ask, "can you, for your States, do better than


to take the course I urge?' Discarding pune
tiljo and mazims adapted to more manageable
times, and looking only to the unpTecedentedly
stem facts of our case can you do better in any
possible event You prefer that the constitu-
tional relation Of the States to the nation shall
be practically restored without disturbance of
the institution and, if this were done, my whole
dIty in this respect, under the Constitution and
my oath Of office, would be performed. But it
is not done, and we are trying to accomplish it
by war The incidents Of the war cannot be
avoided. If the war continues long, as it must
if the object be not sooner attained the institu-
ton in your States viii be extingujshed by mere
friction and abTsison-by the mere incidents of
the war. 1t will Oe gone, and you will have
nothing valuable in lieu of il. Much of its
value is gone already. How much better for
you AMI your people to tako the step which
shortens the war, and secures substantial COM
pensstion for that which is sure 70 bewholly lost
III any OEiCI GNlilt- LLCh tUUEl BcLLeT 70 90 IL
while we can, les. the War ere long render us
pecuniarily unable to DO it How much better
for you, as seller, and The ration, as buyer. to
sell out and buy out that without which the war
could never have been, than TO sink both the
thing TO be sold and the price Of it in cutting
one another's throsts.


l do not speak of emancipation at once, bu.
Of a decision at once to emsncipate graduaLg
Room in South America for coloniza ati0n can be
obtained cheaply, and in abundance, and when
numbers shall be large enough to be company
and encouragement for one another, The freed
people viii not be SO reluctant to go.


1 am pressed with difficulty not yet men,
tioned-one which threatens division among
those who, united, are none too strong. An
instance Of it is known to you. Gen. Hunter is
an honest man. he was, and l hope still is, my
friend. | valued him none the less for his agree
ing with me in the general wish that all men
everywheTe could be freed. He proclaimed all
men free within certain States, and I repudiated
the proclamation. He expected more good and
less harm from the measure than l could believe
would follow. Yet, in Tepudiating it, gave dis
satisfaction # not offense, TO many whose sup
port the country cannot afford to lose And this
is not the end of it. The pressure in this direc
ticn IS still upon me, and is increasing. By
conceding what 1 now ask you can relieve me,
and, much more, can relieve the country in this
important point.


Upon these considerations have again begged
your attention 10 the message of March last
Before leaving the capitol, consider and discuss
it among yourselves You are patriots and states
men. and rs such l pray you consider this pro-
position, and at the least commend it to the con-
slderstion of your States and people. As you
would peTpetuate popular government for the
best people in the world, beseech you that you


Il, -rrsz, fNv~a ,Evvr
is in great peril, demanding the loftiest views
and b0ldest action to bring & speedy relief. Once
relieved, its form of government IS saved to the
world its beloved history and cherished memo
ries are vindicsted, and its happy future fully
Insured and rendered incOnceivably grand. To
you more than to any others, the privilege is
given to assure that happiness and swell that
grandeur, and to link your names thereWith for
ever.


At the conclusion Of these remarks some con-
versation was had between the President and
several members of the delegations from the
border States, in which it was represented that
these States could not be expected TO move in so
great a matter as that brought to their notice in
the foregoing address, while as yet the Congress
had taken 10 step bayond the passage of a TesO-
luton expressive rather of sentiment than pre-
senting substantial and reliable basis of action.


The President acknowledged the force of this
view, end admitted that the border States were
entitled to expect a substantial pledge of pecu-
mary aid as the condition Of taking into conSid.
eration proposition SO important in its relations
to their social system.


1t was further represented, in the conference,
that the people of the border States were inter-
ested in knowing the great importance which
the President attached to the policyin question,
while it was equally due to the country, to the
President, and to themselves, that the Repre-
sentetives of the border slaveholding States
should publicly announce the motives under
which they were called to act, and the conside-
rations OF public policy urged upon them and
their constituents by the President


With a view to such q statement of their po
sition, the members thus addressed met in coun-
ell to deliberate on the reply they should make
to the President, and as the result of a compar-
ison of opinions among themselves, they deter
mined upon the adoption Of a majority and a
minority answer.