[Gianni]

From the looks of the quote as posted by Non, it seems Lincoln is referring to all the people of the South indifferent to race or status; which seems wholly plausible given his lack of compassion for both slaves and the aristocracy evidenced elsewhere.

[Non-Sequitur]

From the looks of the quote as posted by Non, it seems Lincoln is referring to all the people of the South indifferent to race or status; which seems wholly plausible given his lack of compassion for both slaves and the aristocracy evidenced elsewhere.

I would suggest that he is responding to the lack of concern for the slaves as evidenced by the so-called 'peace commissioners'. It is plain where their interests lay.