, 1864-08-12
LETTER FROM GATHER
EM1N1QUY.
His Interview with President Lincoln,

washington July ~,
EDITOR kASKAKEH GAzE1TE:-1o my last
lspoke ot our bleeding and wounded SOL
diers who are filling the hospitals Of Wash
ington; told you something Of what felt
when had the privilege OF couverslng with
those thousands OF heroes, who, covered
With wounds, unable to move, have
still their hearts filled with tue purest love
mot to be able to fight any more for their
glorious flag" No one can visit those thou
sands OF wounded soldiers without blessing
God to belong to acountry which can boast
OF possessing, millions Of such men md wien
one has seen ind heard them, he has no more
North must conquer; armies composed With
such men. lead by Grant, must, at. the end
destroy the last vestige Of slavery"
Now, permit me to say word about our
President It was my good luck to be paying
my respects to our good President, the honest
Dir: Lincoln, when the delegates OF the Ma
tional Union Convention came to announce
to him his denomination to the Presidency.
There IL not single thoughtful man in
Europe or in America who does not recognize
in Abraham Lincoln one of the most remark
able and worthy men of our age. have
read somewhere that the young men who
were working with him on the shores Of the
Mississippi had declared him not only the
best zaf1'eplitter but Tie most Aoaess young
man; and hare no doubt the United States
will pronounce him also one OF the Wisest,
and ablestr and most honest Presidents. No
doubt, also, that postcr1tT which will study
htH eyeDttul life With more calmess thnn we
can Go, will say, thaf from the days lie was
handling the axe on tue shores Of the great
river, to the days he was holding the helm of
our great Republic, he has done remarkably
,rea al aetafhe has do.s.
Abraham Lincoln Is one Of the few men
Whoee large views and profound wisdom will
be better understood as the generations of
men pass away to give place3to new genera.
tions. =.
Lille the few giants whom the hands of
God hare placed at long distance from each
other, on the top Of the high mountains OF
humanity, Abraham Lincoln will grow grcat-
eI to the eyes OF the generations which will
cross the plains GeloT:
1t is only whe1 hdve seen Abraham Lin
coin surrounded By bis most devoted friends,
that have been struck with tho marked
fnrrows -hich tlese last three years have
left on his forehead. It Ii then that / have
fully understood tue sublitnity Of the
words " hich he framed in the darkest hours
Of our civil war; "H the damned In hell do
suffer, moro than I do, ]. pity them. Per-
never been expressed with'more eloquence.
After the President had listened to the ad.
dress OF the deputation, lie told them, tn my
presence, with his usual kind and, 1ovial
mspner of talking -" The convention aud
the league have not concluded, know we'll,
to decide thatl am either the greatest or the
best man IN America But rather they have
concluded that 1t is not best to swap horses
, when croesirg the river; they have further
concluded that am not so poor horse that
they might make botch oft to sWap.'
4 few days after had hard those words
Philadelphia; heard in the cars genuine
Copperhead saying to his neghbcr Of the
same blood and skin, "Lincoln has done
more with that joke to help his election,
than by>au the stump epeeche5 OF the id
abolitionists. The people will fear to swap
will elect him again." and, no doubt, that
new Balaam ass prophecy will be- correct
one
In Abraham Lincoln, we. have more than
IN able ant honest man for our President;
we have the personiacation Of the most sub
lime and consoling words falling from the
lips Of Christ: ~ eare all brethren, children
OF the same father.
When travel back, in Imagination, to the
shores Of the Mississippi, some thirty years
ago, md there see the young Abraham Lin
coin, covered with dust and sweet, handling
bis axe md split ting his rails; md then
few years after SEES him here to day. in our
France, England, Russia, Austria; sc hold
3ng with firm hand the reins Of the greatest,
Republic Of modern titaes, am proud to be-
long to country where such thing eau be
seen. understand. that ii there is tyranny
and oppression everywhere else, here there
is true equality beIore the lan; If every where
else the poor is the slave Of the rich; the
weak the footstool of the strong; hare In
America, virtue, honesty and intelligence,
make the poor king aud the weak man
giaht. .
As long as the American people will be true
to that ereat and sacred principle Of equality
before the law. as long as the great priuct-
Fles rhich have brought step, BY step the
honest young rail- splitter to the Presidential
chair Of the United States, SHALL be carried
out and respected, ali this honest and intel!t.
gent poor from! every part ofthe world will
ask God In their prayers to grant them or
their children the privilege to come mere; all
tie oppressed ana trampled down FROM every
WHERE, will look to this country. as the Is-
rae1ites, in the burning deserts LOOKED to the
prcmi:ed land; all who love liberty, from ull
pnrts of the world sill come and help us to
tight and destroy to the last vesttge the de-
mon Of human servitudc and slavery.
Truly yours.
n 7.v1N.,nr.-