Fellow Citizens. A few words only– I was born in Kentucky, raised
in Indiana, resided in Illinois, and now here, it is my duty to care equally
for the good people of all the States. I am to-day see glad of seeing it in the
power of an Indiana regiment to present this captured flag to the good governor
of their State. And you yet I would not wish to compliment Indiana above other
states, remembering that all have done so well. There are but few aspects of
this great war on which I have not already expressed my views by speaking or
writing– There is one – the recent effort of our erring brethren, sometimes
so-called, to employ the slaves in their armies– The great question with them
has been; “will the negro fight for them?” They ought to know better than we;
and, doubtless, do know better than we– I may incidentally remark, however,
that having, in my life, heard many arguments, – or strings of words meant to
pass for arguments, – intended to show that this negro ought to be a slave,
that if he shall now really fight to keep himself a slave, it will be a far
better argument why should remain a slave than I have ever before heard– He,
perhaps, ought to be a slave, if he desires it ardently enough to fight for it–
Or, if one out of four will, for his own freedom, fight to keep the other three
in slavery, he ought to be a slave for his selfish meanness– I have always
thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves it should be
first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire
it for others– Whenever [I] hear any one, even a preacher, arguing for
slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him peronally–
There is one thing about the negroes fighting for the rebels which we
can know as well as they can; and that is that they can not, at same time fight
in their armies, and stay at home and make bread for them– And this being known
and remembered we can have but little concern whether they become soldiers or
not– I am rather in favor of the measure; and would at any time if I could,
have loaned them a vote to carry it– We have to reach the bottom of the insurgent
resources; and that they employ, or seriously think of employing, the slaves as
soldiers, gives us glimpses of the bottom. Therefore I am glad of what we learn
on this subject—
SOURCE: Abraham Lincoln Papers
at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
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