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<strong>Lincoln</strong>'s answer to Greeley isLINCOLN THE UNKNOWN•159one of <strong>the</strong> classics of <strong>the</strong> war—clear, terse, and vigorous. He closed his reply with <strong>the</strong>sememorable words:My paramount object in this struggle is to save <strong>the</strong>Union, and is not ei<strong>the</strong>r to save or destroy slavery. If Icould save <strong>the</strong> Union without freeing any slave, I woulddo it; and if I could save it by freeing all <strong>the</strong> slaves, I woulddo it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leavingo<strong>the</strong>rs alone, I would also do that. What I do about slaveryand <strong>the</strong> colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save<strong>the</strong> Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do notbelieve it would help to save <strong>the</strong> Union. I shall do lesswhenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts <strong>the</strong> cause,and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing morewill help <strong>the</strong> cause. I shall try to correct errors when shownto be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as <strong>the</strong>yshall appear to be true views.I have here stated my purpose according to my view ofofficial duty; and I intend no modification of my oftexpressedpersonal wish that all men everywhere could befree.<strong>Lincoln</strong> believed that if he saved <strong>the</strong> Union and kept slaveryfrom spreading, slavery would, in due time, die a natural death.But if <strong>the</strong> Union were destroyed, it might persist for centuries.Four slave States had remained with <strong>the</strong> North, and <strong>Lincoln</strong>realized that if he issued his Emancipation Proclamation tooearly in <strong>the</strong> conflict he would drive <strong>the</strong>m into <strong>the</strong> Confederacy,streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> South, and perhaps destroy <strong>the</strong> Union forever.There was a saying at <strong>the</strong> time that "<strong>Lincoln</strong> would like to haveGod Almighty on his side; but he must have Kentucky."So he bided his time, and moved cautiously.He himself had married into a slave-owning, border-Statefamily. Part of <strong>the</strong> money that his wife received upon <strong>the</strong> settlementof her fa<strong>the</strong>r's estate had come from <strong>the</strong> sale of slaves.And <strong>the</strong> only really intimate friend that he ever had—JoshuaSpeed—was a member of a slave-owning family. <strong>Lincoln</strong> sympathizedwith <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn point of view. Besides, he had <strong>the</strong>attorney's traditional respect for <strong>the</strong> Constitution and for lawand property. He wanted to work no hardships on any one.He believed that <strong>the</strong> North was as much to blame for <strong>the</strong>existence of slavery in <strong>the</strong> United States as was <strong>the</strong> South; and