American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-11-07

From ODE IMdln Times.
Among the many mawsIs and para.
/ doxes Of the American revolution there
is none greater than The part played By
/ President Lincoln himself That such a
man should have been called upon to
guide the destioies Of mighty nation
during grand historical crisis is surely
strange enough, but that he should have
bIund5red and vascilated as he has,
without for a moment losing confidence
in himself or altogether forfeiting tina; Of
his counlrymen, is stranger still. His
language on the great question at issue
has varied so much at different times as
to show that he never can have had any
thing worthy Of being called policy,
unless it be that which he described in
the wisest Of all his homely sayings as a
resolution to keep pegging away" II
we compare bis early addresses and bis
FIRST Presidential message with his SUBJ
sequent letters and his speeches, or with
his last message, we find degree of in.
consistency which is perfectly Iudicrous.
The great problem with which he has
had to deal has of course been slavery,
and it would be possible to Gull from his
declarations on this subject passages in
favor of every principle from abolitionism
to absolute intervention. Between
the elaborate and compensation scheme,
proposed in the message Of December,
1862, and the proclamation Of January,
contiscating the slaves of all the seced-
ing States as measure Of military ne
cessiy, there is theoretical abyss which
no argument can span. So far. h6wev-
err, from seeing this, the President jus.
Ilties both Unfortunately in the letter
to The unconditional Union men" Of
Illinois, which we published yesterday,
and manages to confound Both with the
arming of negroes on behalf of the IN
ion, which has nothing to do with either.
This letter is in other respects so re.
markable document, and so character
lstic of the Residents style and habits
of thought, that we cannot do better than
TO extract the most ambitious paragraphs
OF Il tor the benefit of our readers.
yliow any man in his sober senses
could have sat down to compose such a
rhapsody as this, or having composed it,
could have read it over with gravity, and
ordered i 10 be printed, passes our com
prehension. II is something between a
prophecy and an oracular response, with
dash of Yankee slang and terms of ex.
preston which remind US alternately Of
Osslan, of the incoherent utterances Of
the Maori chiefs, and of a school bow
Translation of corrupt chorusses in Greek
tragedy. Cromwell never spoke, and
Mr.. Carlyle never wrote, anything so
hopelessly obscure, and the persons, if
there be any such, TO whom such Gar.
gon can appear impressive or even in
teIllgible, must have faculties and tastes
OF which we can form no idea. One is
really tempted to think that Mr. Lincoln
cannot have been himself when he pen.
ed 80 gro'esque production. lIerodo.
tus tells us that the ancient Persian de-
liberated drunk as well as sober on i'm
porlant attairs Of State bat we may be
sure that tie conclusion of debate was
conducted in the latter condition. Il is
difficult to believe that the American
President can have observed this pre
caution though he winds up with the
timely injunction, Let us be quite sober
&nd soIeI0nly warns his readers not TO be
over sangnlne of a speedy triumph. And
yet 1t would not be fair to Judge of the
whole letter by this wild and vague dec
larauon. The early part, though by no
means tree from faults of grammar or
compatible with our notions of literary
dignity is not devoid of certain rough
honesty and force. 1t is This, tempered
by lawyerIike smartness, that secures
to Mr.. Lincoln, in spite of his arbitrary
weakness, certain popularity among
a people who enjoy a joke, even when
1t is praCticed at the expense of them.
selves or the dearest interests of their
country.
Something all should bear in Mind.
Every loyal man should remembe,
mat this war is not war for con.