Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-12-11
President Lincoln's Messages

Having preferred Lincoln for President
over Seward or any other aspirant long
before the convention which nominated
him, preference that we have as yet seen
no cause to regret but rather much to con
firm; and not having any administration
patronage to operate as a means to quiet
what might be deemed by Us wrong in the
Message-besides possessing just indepon-
dence enough to speak freely Of friend Or
foe, we feel free to approve or disapproYe
according to conviction what Mr.. Lincoln
has 10 say. We are particular in Offering
this explanation, because we notice that
nearly every paper receiving government
patronage appears to side with the Presi-
dent in all things, oven to the dirty work Of
killing off John G. Fremont, for his al
VANCE position on the confscation subject.
The N. Y. Independent is one Of the noble
exceptions to the numoer Of pandenng
sheets in receipt Of Executive support, q
support which has probably been with
drawn ERE now. Mr. Lincoln is orr Pres
dent more than he is the President Of
those who took him as a second choice,
then only because they couldn't help tt
Then as to bis message, all Of which we
cordially approve, except as follows:
His p,oject for railroad through Ker-
lucky to East Tennessee, is most consum-
mate humbug-calculated to operate as
splendid joke in the North and fancy
bait to wheedle Kentucky to stay iu the
Union. Tt is mere policy bid which the
masses are to pocket, and it presumes a
monstrops stage ofignorance among then
The Presidents illusions to his inabiI-
ity to see why Ha aud Liberia are with
held our negotiat as Independent gov
ernments are incongruos, for they mean
nothing; he does not even say they ought
to be recognized, but is willing to suggest
that sort Of agent be posted witGiu stink
distance of them on account Of commercial
adyantages-not of right or for their good.
Is the President afraid to recognize the
right of blacks to even try to maintain 4
government Of their own? Or, is be too
one Of those who denies the abilities Of
the blacks to govern themselves and to
prcye it, would refuse them trial-afirIns
their ignorance and inability to rise and 10
prove it withholds from them the school
and means Of learnipgl
Mr. Lincolh's plan to re-organize the
Supreme and Circuit courts is sound; but
his reason for not appointing Judges to
fill the vacancies show the gristle where
his backbone ought to be.
His suggestions as to what ought to
be done with contrabands ought to be pat
entod and is Of the same piece with his
Kentucky railroad joke. Had any less of
man than the President suggested the
like, the thing could rise no higher than
the fog from COW drop. lie would have
the slaves of rebels fairly valued, the value
10 be nm offset to the taxes of the States
to which such confiscated slaves belonged.
His language does not imply that he
means the emancipated slaves Of Union
men, probably because scarcely a Union
man in the South owns any slaves. lie
means simply this, that the government
ought to pay for the confscated slaves Of
rebels, substantially this and nothing else /;
now as the value of such rebel slaves is at
least twenty hundred millions Of dollars, or
two or three times the cost Of the waEand
as the South would be far richer without
their slaves, therefore, the South will make
money out Of this rebellion and can richly
afford to carry on the war, until we carry
it into Africa-we paying the expenses and
they making rich thing of it!
What the President says Of that alb
straction as to labor and capital and the
public duty to prefer the interests of labor
over the interests by Capitol IS all very
well; Gen, Jackson tried to impress on the
public the same points, but as Calhounlsin
Shortly after became the settled policy 81
tie democratic party, all who would prac-
Elc0 us humane aDSlTdCtiolls NtJS dtiNCi Ill
to political exile by the cry Of demagogis'n
or aboitionism against them.
Father Abraham is on the right track
at heart, but the miserable climate, fogs
associations and consumptiye atmosphere
about Washington, have beat upon that
heart as the rains and storms beat upon
the house described ~ the Savior as built
upon a bad foundation. We fear too he
is on the aspirant's fatal track, track that
must'send linn down into that sea Of des-
truction along with the swine whose exit
down the Precipice before the devils loco
motive is also most beautifully displayed
by that same master essayist on human
character. There too, his Delilah, wo-
man triangular reflections, two brothers In
Southern army and Sympathies VIGOROUSLY
rebel. May she not be tamperng With his
locks Of strength in view Of weakening his
powers to pull down that slavery edifice
She who is suspected Of revealing cabinet
plans md secrets, may not that one be as