braced the maintenance of the Union. The strength
of the rebellion is in its army, which dominates all the country and
all the people within its range. Any offer of terms made by men within
that range, in opposition to that army, is simply nothing for the
present, because such men have no power whatever to enforce their side
of a compromise if one were made with them. Suppose refugees from the
South and peace men from the North hold a convention of the States,
how can their action keep Lee out of Pennsylvania? To be effective a
compromise must come from those in control of the rebel army, or from
the people after our army has suppressed that army. As no suggestion
of peace has yet come from that source, all thought of peace for the
present was out of the question. If any proposition shall hereafter
come, it shall not be rejected and kept a secret from you.

To be plain, he continued, you are dissatisfied about the negro. You
opposed compensated emancipation and you dislike proclaimed
emancipation. If slaves are property, is there any question that by
the law of war such property, both of enemies and friends, may be
taken when needed? And is it not needed when its taking helps us and
hurts our enemy? But you say the proclamation is unconstitutional. If
it is not valid, it needs no retraction. If it is valid, it cannot be
retracted any more than the dead can be brought to life. You profess
to think its retraction would help the Union. Why better _after_ the
retraction than _before_ the issue? Those in revolt had one hundred
days to consider it, and the war, since its issuance, has progressed
as favourably for us as before. Some of the commanders who have won
our most important victories believe the emancipation policy the
heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebels, and that in one instance, at
least, victory came with the aid of black soldiers. You say you will
not fight to free negroes. Whenever you are urged, after resistance to
the Union is conquered, to continue to fight, it will be time enough
to refuse. Do you not think, in the struggle for the Union, that the
withdrawal of negro help from the enemy weakens his resistance to you?
That what negroes can do as soldiers leaves so much less for white
soldiers to do? But why should negroes do anything for us, if we will
do nothing for them? and if they, on the promise of freedom, stake
their lives to save the Union, shall the promise not be kept?

The signs look better, he co