The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

486 THE LIFE, PUBLIC SERVICES, AND
my personal inclination. I shall do nothing in malice. What I deal with
is too vast for malicious dealing. Yours very truly,
A. LINCOLN.
As time went on, however, the disposition of the citizens
to exert themselves for the re-establishment of former
civil relations increased, and preparations were accordingly made to hold an election in the fall of that year for
members of the Congress of the United States. General
Shepley had been appointed Military Governor of the
State, and to him the President, in November, addressed
the following letter on that subject:EXEOUTIVZ MANSION, WASHINGTON, November 21,1862.
DEAR SIR:-Dr. Kennedy, bearer of this, has some apprehension that
Federal officers, not citizens of Louisiana, maybe set up as candidates for
Congress in that State. In my view there could be no possible object in
such an election. We do not particularly need members of Congress from
those States to enable us to get along with legislation here. What we do
want is the conclusive evidence that respectable citizens of Louisiana are
willing to be members of Congress and to swear support to the Constitution, and that other respectable citizens there are willing to vote for them
and send them. To send a parcel of Northern men here as representatives, elected, as would be understood (and perhaps really so), at the point
of the bayonet, would be disgraceful and outrageous; and were I a member of Congress here, I would vote against admitting any such man to a
seat. Yours, very truly,
A. LINCOLN.
Hon. G. F. SHEPLEY.'
The election was held, and Messrs. Flanders and Hahn
were chosen and admitted to their seats at the ensuing
session, as has been already seen.
On the 23d of May, 1863, the various Union associations
of New Orleans applied to the Military Governor of the
State for authority to call a convention of the loyal citizens of Louisiana, for the purpose of framing a new State
Constitution, and of re-establishing civil government
under the Constitution of the United States. What they
especially desired of him was that he should order a registration of the loyal voters of the State, and appoint commissioners of registration in each parish to register the
names of all citizens who should take the oath of alle