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There are those who are dissatisfied with me. To such I would say: You desire peace; and you blame me that we do not have it. But how can we attain it? There are but three conceivable ways.
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First, to suppress the rebellion by force of arms. This I am trying to do. Are you for it? If you are, so far we are agreed.
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If you are not for it, a second way is to give up the Union. I am against this. Are you for it? If you are, you should say so plainly.
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If you are not for force, nor yet for dissolution, there only remains some imaginable compromise. I do not believe any compromise, embracing the maintenance of the Union, is now possible.”
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Abraham Lincoln Papers
