American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-04
Abraham Lincoln.


trate, to be its choice for the next Presi-
dency. To this formal expression OF the
peoples wishes we take the earliest OPP
portunity 10 respond, and we do the more
promptly and cheerfully because we have
no mental reservation about the wisdom
of the choice which the Convention has
lust made. ~
A little more than three years ago, an
untficd and comparatively unknown man,
who had been reared in obscurity and edu.
Gated in the backwoods of the Great West
, became the President of this mighty ma
ton. When, protected by Federal bayon-
cts, he assumed the duties of his bigh po-
sition, the country was distracted by in
ternal dissensionsj seven States of the
Union had formally seeded and organi-
zed a new government, which had imme-
diately declared war against the United
States; our Treasury was empty, and the
public credit was greatly deprecated
the preceding Administration having been
compelled to pay twelve per cent. interest
d on small loan; we had an army of only
few thousand soldiers, scattered over our
Western frontiers. while many Of its best
officers had either entered the service of
the rebel States or were known to be SYM
pathizers with the insurgents our navy
was weak and scattered in distant seas.
and many of its officers, like those of the
army disafected towards the government;
the bureaus of the several departments at
Washington were infested with spies !;
alarm and CONSERVATION everywhere pre-
vailed; the Republic seemed to be falling
to pieces. 1t was under such clrcumstan-
ces that Abraham Lincoln assumed the
reins of government. Never did the ru
Ter of great people enter upon the dis
charge of his duties surrounded by great
er difficulties or encouraged by slighter
prospects of success. Mr.. Lincoln might
well distrust of his own fitness for the dis
charge of the responsibilities he had as
sumed. The wisest craftsmanship, the
calmest. self-possession, the completest
knowledge of men, the most unselfsh pa
triotism, and the strongest faith in the
righteousness of our cause, were some of
the essential elements of character which
the crisis demanded of Chief Magistrate,
and without which there could not be
hope of success. Did Abraham Lincoln
possess all these And, if he did, were
the people ready to Sustain him if he
should attempt to coerce the rebellious
States into submission to the laws? And
if the people showH sustain him, was
there not danger of foreign interference,
or, in default of that, a sectional struggle
that would not end in u lifetime? And
if the struggle shouH end in a reasonable
time, would it not leave the nation physi-
cally and financially exhausted ?-might
it not leave it divided into twenty or thir-
ty petty States, or at least, two hostile and
Independent governments These are
some of the questions with which, at the
outset, Mr.. Lincoln was confronted, and
which the whole country was asking
The future was indeed dark. There were
few loyal men whose hearts did not quail
at the prospect.
Abraham Lincoln quailed not. In his
Inaugural Address he declared his inten-
tion to enforce the lars. The patriotism
of the loyal North was appealed to, and it
answered with seventy five thousand men
to suppress the insurrecton Washington
was saved Baltimore was garrisoned by
Union troops; Maryland Secessionists were
arrested; Congress was called to assemble
in special session; the fact was established
that ace had a goUe,7meat. Disasters
came, and discouragements more troops
were called out butthe rebellion still kept
its traitorous flag fullhigh advanced and,
worse than all else, party arose in the
North which was opposed to the war, and
which encouraged the rebels to believe
that, in time, the Federal Government
would recognize their so-called Confedcr-
acy. But Abraham Lincoln trusted in
the loyal masses and in God of Justice,
and went on with his great work. He
called upon the loyal people to stand by
him with men and money, and they have
done it-nobly and gloriously, And the
result is, that, if the rebellion to day is
not subducd after three years of bloody
war, it is, at least, no longer the formida-
bic foe it once was, while its ultimate fate
is sealed as in book The rebellion must
die, if we are true to ourselves.
During all this timc-during these three
years of bloody and devastating war
Abraham Lincoln has displayed qualities
of craftsmanship and leadership which
have been rare in the worlds history. lie
has been slow sometimes when the people
clamored for him to go faster, but we can
see now that, if he had gone faster, the
effect would have been projudicial to the
best interests of the country If he has
not been fast, we know that he has been
safe. A holder or more impulsiye Pres
ident might long since have foundered the
ship. His proclamation of emancipation,
asissued at the right time the arming of
negroes could not with safety have been
undertaken sooner than, it was He has
been cool in judgment, firm in purpose,
persistent in execution. He has been con-
sistent with himself. He has always relied
upon the people, and, without any of the
airs of demagogue, has been much in
the habit of personally appealing to their
common sense in support of the measures
of his Administration. He has been frank
with them, and, upon occasion, has not
hesitated to reason with them as a father