policy to be pursued by me as commander of the department;
that I must hold myself free to pursue such course as circumstances
should from time to time indicate, or such as might be ordered by
the President; my policy would be indicated from time to time by
my general orders; in some respects it would doubtless conflict
with that submitted by his Excellency. Nevertheless the governor
finally consented to withdraw his resignation.

The convention at length passed an ordinance providing for the
gradual extinction of slavery in the State, and adjourned. The
feeling of bitterness between the opposing factions rather increased
than diminished during its session.

ANTI-SLAVERY VIEWS

The following letter to my friend Mr. Williams, which was published
in the New York and St. Louis papers with my consent, made sufficiently
clear the views I then entertained upon the slavery question, and
left no reasonable ground for any emancipationist to quarrel with
me on that subject, however much he may have been dissatisfied with
the action of the convention,--just as my letter of June 1 to the
President left him no room for doubt--if, indeed, he had entertained
any before--upon the question then deemed so important:

"Headquarters, Dep't of the Missouri,
"St. Louis, June 1, 1863.
"J. E. Williams, Esq.
"Pres't Metropolitan Bank, New York.

"My dear Sir: Professor Bartlett has informed me of the interest
you have manifested in my promotion and connection with this
department, and, above all, that you have done me the kindness to
assert my soundness on the important question of the day.

"You are right in saying that I was an anti-slavery man, though
not an abolitionist, before the war. These terms have greatly
enlarged their relative meaning since the rebellion broke out. I
regard universal emancipation as one of the necessary consequences
of the rebellion, or rather as one of the means absolutely necessary
to a complete restoration of the Union--and this because slavery
was the great cause of the rebellion, and the only obstacle in the
way of a perfect union. The perception of these important truths
is spreading with almost astounding rapidity in this State. I have
great hope that the State Convention, which meets on the 15th
instant, will adopt some measure for the speedy emancipation of
slaves. If so, our difficulties will be substantially at an end.

"When