Precisely the contrary is asserted in the inaugural address; and it was because of my belief in the continuation of those obligations that I was puzzled, for a time, as to denying the legal rights of those citizens who remained individually innocent of treason or rebellion. But I mean no more now than to merely call attention to the point.

Yours, very repectfully,

A. LINCOLN.

To MAJOR-GENERAL STEELE.

Eecutive Mansion, Washington, Jan. 20, 1864. Sundry citizens of the State of Arkansas petition me that an election may be held in that state, at which to elect a governor; that it be assumed ́at that election, and thenceforward, that the constitution and laws of that state, as before the rebellion, are in full force, except that the constitution is so modified as to declare that there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; that the general assembly may make such provisions for the freed people as shall recognize and declare their permanent freedom, and provide for their education, and which may yet be construed as a temporary arrangement suitable to their condition, as a laboring, landless, and homeless class; that said election shall be held on the 28th of March, 1864, at all the usual places of the state, or all such as voters may attend for that purpose; that the voters attending at eight o'clock in the morning of said day may choose judges and clerks of election for such purpose; that all persons qualified by said constitution and

day of

laws, and taking the oath presented in the President's proclamation of December 8, 1863, either before or at the election, and none others, may be voters; that each set of judges or clerks may make returns directly to you on or before the next; that in all other respects said election may be conducted according to said Constitution and laws; that on receipt of said returns, when 5,406 votes shall have been cast, you can receive said votes, and ascertain all who shall thereby appear to have been elected; that, on the day of next, all per

sons so appearing to have been elected, who shall appear before you at Little Rock, and take the oath, to be by you severally administered, to support the Constitution of the United States, and said modified Constitution of the State of Arkansas, may be declared by you qualified and empowered to immediately enter upon the duties of the offices to which they shall have been respectively elected.

You will please order an election to take place on the 28th of March, 1864, and returns to be made in fifteen days thereafter. A. LINCOLN.

LETTER TO GOVERNOR HAHN, OF LOUISIANA, MARCH 13,

1864.

Dear Sir:-I congratulate you on having fixed your name in history as the first free state governor of Louisiana. Now you are about to have a convention, which, among other things, will define the elective franchise, I barely suggest, for your private consideration, whether, some of the colored people may not be let in-as, for instance, the very intelligent,

and especially those who have fought gallantly in our rånks?

They would probably help, in some trying time to come, to keep the jewel of liberty in the family of freedom.

But this is only a suggestion, not to the public, but to you alone. Yours truly, A. LINCOLN.

ADDRESS AT THE PATENT OFFICE, WASHINGTON, MARCH 16, 1864.

Ladies and Gentlemen:-I appear to say but a word. This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but the most heavily upon the soldier.

For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance, the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then, is due to the soldier. In this extraordinary war, extraordinary developments have manifested themselves, such as have not been seen in former wars; and among these manifestations nothing has been more remarkable than these fairs for the relief of suffering soldiers and their families. And the chief agents in these fairs are the women of America. I am not accustomed to the use of the language of eulogy; I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say, that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the women of America, it would not do them

justice for their conduct during the war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America.

LINCOLN'S DESCRIPTION OF GRANT TO A FRIEND, MARCH, 1864.

Well, I hardly know what to think of him, altogether. He is the quietest little fellow you ever saw. Why, he makes the least fuss of any man you ever knew. I believe two or three times he has been in this room a minute or so before I knew he was here. Its about so all around. The only evidence you have that he's in any place, is that he makes things git. Wherever he is things move. Grant is the first general I've had. He's a general; I'll tell you what I

You know how its been with all the rest. As soon as I put a man in command of the army, he'd come to me with a plan of a campaign, and about as much as say, "Now, I don't believe I can do it, but if you say so, I'll try it on,” and so put the responsibility of success or failure on me. They all wanted me to be the general. Now, it isn't so with Grant. He hasn't told me what his plans are. I don't know, and I don't want to know. I'm glad to find a man that can go ahead without me. You see, when any of the rest set out on a campaign, they'd look over matters and pick out some one thing they were short of, and they knew I couldn't give 'em, and tell me they couldn't hope to win unless they had it; and it was the most generally cavalry. Now, when Grant took hold, I was waiting to see what his pet impossibility would be, and I reckoned it would be cavalry,

as a matter of course, for we hadn't horses enough to mount what men we had.

There were fifteen thousand, or thereabouts, up near Harper's Ferry, and no horses to put them on.

Well, the other day Grant sends to me about those very men, just as I expected, but what he wanted to know was whether he should make infantry of 'em or discharge 'em. He doesn't ask impossibilities of me, and he's the first general I've had that didn't.

TO MAJOR-GENERAL MEADE.

Executive Mansion, Washington, March 29, 1864. My Dear Sir:-Your letter to Colonel Townsend, inclosing a slip from the Herald, and asking a court of inquiry, has been laid before me by the Secretary of War, with the request that I would consider it. It is quite natural that you would feel some sensibility on the subject; yet I am not impressed, nor do I think the country is impressed, with the belief that your honor demands, or the public interest demands, such an inquiry. The country knows that at all events you have done good service, and I believe it agrees with me that it is much better for you to be engaged in trying to do more, than to be diverted as you necessarily would be by a court of inquiry. A. LINCOLN.

Yours, truly,

To MR. A. G. HODGES, OF FRANKFORT, KY., APRIL 4, 1864.

I did understand, however, that very oath to preserve the Constitution to the best of my ability imposed upon me the duty of preserving, by every in