Evansville daily journal., 1864-03-14
Henry Ward Beeeher On President
Lincoln.

lincoln.
We extract the following from speech
delivered by Henry Ward Beecher at
Philadelphia on Thursday of last week:
! The Chief Magistrates of these two
great sectonsof country are representa-
tives of the two corresponding principles.
Davis was formed by aristocratic insti-
tutions All his ideas of society and Of
government are aristocratic, for the
South Yas but nominally republican
Himself man Of experience ia public
affairs, of great administrative talent
with quick eye and firm hand, with a
great will-power, selfpower, with moth
ing subtraeted from it to the credit of
conscience's sake, laughter], he has
just that &ind of ability which is called
sharp, keen He is an adroit man. He
is cunning statesman. New, at the
beginning, almost every one admired
and enyied him. We granted that the
best side had only dull, honest man,
and the worst side such keen, shrewd
manager. and it was often said II the
first year, Let us have their President,
; and give them ours, and we'll whip them
in three months" But, ] think, no man
has heard that said within the last year.
Laughter and applause. Who believes
now in Davis's sagacity, in his states
: m lnship His cunning has ruined him.
Men laugh at the outcoming of those
very projects which they admire in their
. conception. There was never in civil
annals SO gigantic blunder as South
ern statesman have made They have
: irretrivably ruined themselves by their
! moves and inflicted vast evil on theil
! countrymen, and immeasurable DANA.
ges on their States, and this is what they
. have to show for their cunning states
notwithstanding and not wise Mr.
Lincoln is not cunning but he is wise
5 and wisdom tells in the long run. Great
applause Mr. Lincoln is man of the
r people. He was formed by Democracy
$ into a Democrat He believes in it
I with childike simplicity Of faith, as il
he didn't know there was anything
else in the world He came tc
: the Presidency by one of those
strange happenings which men cal
chance, and Christians, Providence
without one single gift which poetry and
aristoeraey associate with supreme
leader OF nation.e Ungainly in form
without beauty of features, with man
ner uncultivated even to that degree
that is common to American farmers
not a point was there for romance. With
natural shrewdness, with some expert
ence in the administration of public
affairs, not skillful, however, in discern
/ ing or selecting men, and then too kline
always to put down tool which he b,
in mistake had taken mp, he has been fo
three years learning how to govern
= and, though somewhat dull, he has stucl
TO his lessons night and day, with sucl
diligence that now, at least, jeff Dav
: could teach him nothing applause
while on the other hand President Lin
= coin could teach Davis a good man
things [applausel; among others, tha
honest principles, bravely adhered te
\. are better craftsmanship than trick
expedients Applause. Mr. Lincol
. is the homely President of a honel
people. He is honest, conscientious
single-minded, disinterestedly yseekiR
the welfare of the nation first, the part
next, and of himself not at all. Al
> plause He has been faithful to til
lrt great political truths of the America
nd system, and he has shown to the worl
/ that successful government is not tn
: mystery. is not the thing SO rare tn;
only privileged few can enact it, bt
that the good administration of gol
ernment requires only good commo
K. sense and uncommon honesty Laug
ter and applause. That is all. Instea
of requiring genius, instead of requirir
OR rare and extraordinary qualities, it r
Os quires Just those qualities which mo
politicians sacrifice in order to get go
ernment-common sense and comme
honesty Applause. This is lesst
a. for Europe to ponder over. Now, tn
- it is so, we would not have had o
President any other If he had be,
- an accomplished scholar, and learned
travel and experience; if he had eve
imaginable gift that could dazzle t
:. imagination or touch the heart, m
80 would say good leadership gave us t
victory; but now men can say the pt
pies power, through the President, ga
the victory. Applause Our Pre-
dent has been made butt of ridicule
s. our newspapers, and of derision amo
AN those exalted officials and elegant M
she ters of court ceremonies abroad; 70
and, confess Mr. Lincoln would cut but
and poor figure in the Courts of Euro
aU"' !" Laughter. But it is our pride, hc
. ever, TO show these people that we hs
carried through this terrific struge
= the like of which Europe never kn'
hs not by the skill of any extraordin
genius. They took man from amc
u 0f Kho lie
plain, simple, homely man, and this '
rns tory of liberty-loving Democracy
10 been achieved under the leadership
one of these Democrats When slav
antly was destroyed, it was we'll that it sho
2 lo, OF have the very best of leadership, that
-ly man should say it. was owing to
management 1t has. been managed
mirably; extraordinary skill and c'
age have been shown in the man;
. = ment of the cause IF Davis could
u save slavery, nobody could and h
after they can not say that the Den
racy Of the North was not guided b
.. Democratic President, or that the {
de-, toeracy of the South was not guided
an aristocratic President. This g
l. conflict, then, was between aristocr
w and Democratic Presidents, which
- 1' resented the two sections of the couT
ann,ar They had, throughout all their hist
awing carried out the respective nature
!: aristocrat and Democrat Let t
-CE. ponder that Victory is. sure on
UE side and we are coming to it montl
month. We will come to it if it t
N E. years longer yet. The progress of
.,aov Democracy may he slow, and it ma
NSoN some generations before it shall be
torious, but victorious it will be.
q, people are stronger than any lea
LENT and the world will yet find it out.
ANT plause.
ands zlta s7sA sRas
je filled Reffer. fa