The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-03-13
The First Year of Mr.. Lfncoln's Admin.
istration.---What he had to Do, and
what he has Done.

1t will be one year tomorrow since
the Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
as President Of the United States. 1t
has been the most eventful year in
American hlstOry-a year of severe
trial, exciting events, and extreme peril.
The Republic was OIL the very verge of
destruction when Mr.. Lincoln assumed
the Presidency. His predecessor, an
" old public functionary," whose imbe-
cility was only equalled by the cupidity
of his counsellors, bequeathed to him
Union dismembered, Treasury bank
rupt, Constitution perverted, Gov
ernment overwhelmed in all its depart
ments with chaotic confusion, and sur
rounded with all the dangers, embar-
rassments, and difficulties that an i'm
beetle and traitorous Administration
could originate.
Dark and terrible was the prospect
before the new President when he as
sumed the Office to which free people
had called him. No President before
him had anything like such embarrass-
ments to contend With, or such a stu
pendous task to perform-the embar-
easements of administering the affairs
of nation convulsed with revolution,
and the task of saving from hopeless
anarchy and ruin divided and shat
tered Republic. 1t is position that
scarcely one man out of ten thousand
would be willing to assume, under such
circumstances, and that not one in a
million wonld be qualified to fill-and
and we can well believe Mr. Lincoln,
modest, unassuming and truly honest
man, when previous to his Inauguration,
he said he would gladly transfer all the
prospective honors and responsibilities
of the Office to those who might envy
him in his position. But he felt and
trusted, as he still feels and trusts, that
that kind and all wise Providence
which has so long presided over the ca
reer and destiny of the Republic, had
chosen him as the agent that should
conduct the nation through this severe
ordeal, safely and refined and filled
with this faith, he willingly undertook
the office-and let us see how faithful
he has thus far been in his stewardship.
Seven of the Southern States had
been forced out of the Union by the
conspiracy of political demagogaes and
traitors, who were more ambitious of
selfish power and aggrandizement than
animated with patriotism, when MIR.
Lincoln was inaugurated. MIR. Bu-
chanan was the President of their own
election, and under his administration
they revolted, on the groundless pre-
text that his successor, being Repub-
lican would be sectional President,
ignoring the South, robbing her of her
rights, and interfering with her domes-
tic institutions. The strongest evil
dence of the dishonesty of the South
ern leaders was the fact that they
rushed their dupes into the revolt be-
fore waiting for an oUert act on the
part of the Republican President, det-
rimental to their interests or prejudi-
cial to their rights. They knew, or
had every reason to anticipate, that Mr..
Lincoln would prove as just. impartial
and Constitutional President as has
ever occupied the White House-but
so anxious were they to carry ont their
schemes of secession planned and ma
tured years before, that they could not
wait to give the Southern people an ep-
portunity to ascertain this fact for
themselves, lest secession, as popular
movement, would be a failure.
Fort Sumter was assaulted and taken
the sacred flag of the Union out
ragged, and how like the influence of
magic that high-handed outrage fred
the Northern heart and consolidated
the Northern people, who love the
Union with a deep sincerity, in the re-
solve to avenge the national insult and
cursh the wicked foe of the peace, unity
and integrity of the Republic. Then
the war commenced. Seventy five
thousand volunteers were called for,
and were enrolled almost in a day.
Washington and Maryland were saved.
Soon his army was ascertained to be