796 



UNITED STATES. 



you at the proposed Peace Convention in this city. 

 on the 18th of next month. Very truly, yours 



ALEXANDER LONG. 



No public Convention was held in Cincinnati 

 as contemplated. 



The charge was made that Mr. Pendleton, 

 the nominee for the Vice-Presidency, sympa- 

 thized with the Peace Democrats, and which, 

 united with the charge that the policy of the 

 Chicago Convention tended to separation, 

 caused the publication of the following letter : 



CINCINNATI, October 17, 1864. 



Mr DEAR SIE : I have received your friendly letter. 

 Malignant misrepresentations and falsehoods are so 

 frequent in our political struggles, that I have rarely 

 undertaken to correct or refute them. I make no pro- 

 fessions of a new faith, only repeat my reiterated 

 professions of an old one, when I say there is no one 

 who cherishes a greater regard for the Union, who 

 has a higher sense of its inestimable benefits, who 

 would more earnestly labor for its restoration, bv all 

 means which will effect that end, than mvself. "The 

 Union is the guarantee of the peace, the power, the 

 prosperity of this people, and no man would depre- 

 cate more heartily, or oppose more persistently, the 

 establishment of another Government over any por- 

 tion of the territory ever within its limits. I am in 

 favor of extending no conditions, insisting upon no 

 terms not prescribed in the Constitution, and I am 

 opposed to any course of policy which will defeat the 

 reestablishment of the GoveVnment upon its old 

 foundations and its territorial integrity. 

 I am, very truly, yours, etc. 



GEO. H. PENDLETON. 



To Hon. JOHN B. HASKIN, New York. 



On October 19th a number of citizens of 

 Maryland, residing in Washington, accompanied 

 by a delegation of the Lincoln and Johnson 

 Club, iierenaded the President in the evening, 

 when }e made the following brief address : 



FRIBNDS AND FELLOW-CITIZENS : I am notified that 

 this is a compliment paid me by the loyal Marylanders 

 resident in this district. I infer that'the adoption of 

 the new Constitution for the State furnishes the occa- 

 sion, and that in your view the extirpation of slavery 

 constitutes the chief merit of the new Constitution. 



Most heartily do I congratulate you, and Maryland, 

 and the nation, and the world upon the event. I re- 

 gret that it did not occur two years sooner, which I 

 am sure, would have saved to the nation more money 

 than would have met all the private loss incident to 

 the measure. But it has come at last, and I sincerely 

 hope its friends may fully realize all their anticipa- 

 tions of good from it, and that its opponents may, by 

 its effects, be agreeably and profitably disappointed. 



A word upon another subject. Something said by 

 the Secretary of State, in his recent speech at Auburn, 

 has been construed by some into a threat that, if I 

 should be beaten at the election, I will, between then 

 and the end of my constitutional term, do what I may 

 be able to ruin the Government. Others regard the 

 fact that the Chicago Convention adjourned, not sine 

 die, but to meet again if called to do so by a particu- 

 lar individual, as the intimation of a purpose that if 

 their nominee shall be elected he will at once seize 

 control of the Government. 



I hope the good people will permit themselves to 

 suffer no uneasiness on either point. I am struggling 

 to maintain the Government, not to overthrow it. I 

 am struggling especially to pre 'ent others from over- 

 throwing it. I therefore say that, if I shall live, I 

 shall remain President until the fourth of next March, 

 and that whoever shall be constitutionally elected 

 therefore in November shall be duly installe ] as Pres- 

 ident on the fourth of March ; and that in th ^ interval 

 I shall do my utmost that whoever is to hold the helm 



for the next voyage shall start with the best possible 

 chance of saving the ship. This is due to the people 

 both on principle and under the Constitution. Their 

 will, constitutionally expressed, is the ultimate law 

 lor all. If they should deliberately resolve to have 

 Im f 1 dl ? t< : .Peace, even at the loss of their countrv 

 and their liberties, I know not the power or the right 

 to resist them. It is their own business, and they 

 must do as they please with their own. I believe 

 however, they are still resolved to preserve their 

 country and their liberties, and in this, in office or 

 out of it, I am resolved to stand by them. I may add 

 that, in this purpose to save the country and its lib- 

 ties, no classes of people seem so nearly unanimous 

 as the soldiers m the field and the sailors afloat Do 

 they not have the hardest of it? Who should'quail 

 while they do not? God bless the soldiers and sea 

 men, with all their brave commanders ! 



In order to enable the soldiers absent from a 

 State, and in the service of the United States, 

 to vote at elections, acts had been passed by 

 the Legislatures of several of the States. 



In some of these States it had been necessary 

 to amend the Constitution so as to authorize 

 the passage of such an act. On the part of the 

 Government, the following regulations were 

 issued from the Adjutant-General's Office at 

 ^\ ashington : 



In order to secure a fair distribution of tickets 

 among soldiers in the field, who, by the laws of their 

 respective States, are entitled to vote the approach, 

 ing elections, the following rules and regulations are 

 prescribed : 



1. One agent for each army corps may be designa- 

 ted by the State executive, or by the State commit- 

 tee of each political party, who, on presenting his 

 credentials from the State executive, or the chairman 

 of said committee, shall receive from this department 

 a pass to the headquarters of the corps for which he 

 is designated, with tickets, or proxies when required 

 by State laws, which may be placed by him in the 

 hands of such person or persons as he may select for 

 distribution among officers and soldiers. 



2. Civilian inspectors of each political party, not to 

 exceed one for each brigade, may in like manner be 

 designated, who shall receive passes on application 

 to the adjutant-general, to be present on the day of 

 election to see that the elections are fairly conducted. 



3. No political speeches, harangues, or canvassing 

 among the troops will be permitted. 



4. Commanding officers are enjoined to take such 

 measures as may be essential to secure freedom and 

 fairness in the elections, and that they be conducted 

 with due regard to good order and military discipline. 



5. Any officer or private who may wantonly destroy 

 tickets, or prevent their proper distribution among 

 the legal voters, interfere with the freedom of the 

 election, or make any false or fraudulent return, 

 will be deemed guilty of an offence against good order 

 and military discipline, and be punished by summary 

 dismissal or courUmartial. 



It was charged by one party that some of the 

 agents committed frauds, and they were ar- 

 rested and tried subsequently by a military 

 commission. It was charged by the opposite 

 party that the votes of soldiers sent through 

 the mails were delayed until after the election, 

 or that the letters were opened and the votes 

 changed by persons in the post-offices. 



As the day of election approached the rnilv 

 tary commanders of Departments considered it 

 to be their duty to take care that rebels did not 

 enter the country from Canada and vote for 

 President, and make raids upon the people. 





