The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-03-23
Henry Ward Beecher on President Lin.
coin

We extract the following from = speech
delivered by Henry Ward Beecher at
Philadelphia an Thursday of last week:
The Chief Magistrates of these two
great sections of country are representa-
tives of the two corresponding princi-
ciples. Davis was formed by aristocratic
institutions. All his ideas of society
and of government are aristocratic, for
the South was but nominally republican
Himself man of experience in public
affairs, of great administrative talent,
with quick eye and firm hand, with
great will-power, self-power. with moth
ing subtracted from it to the credit Of
conscience's sake [laughter,l he has
just that kind of ability which is called
sharp, keen. He is an adroit man. He
is a cunning statesman Now, ut the be-
ginnig. almost every one admired and
envied him. We regret that the best
side had only dull honest man, and the
worst side such keen, shrewd manager;
and it was often said in the first year.
Let us have the President, and give
them ours, and well whip them in three
L
that said within the last year. Laughter
and applause. Who believe now in
Davis sagasity, in his statesmanship.
His cunning has ruined him. Men laugh
at the outcoming of those very projects
which they admire in their conception
There was never in civillife so gigantic
blunder as Southern statesmen have
made. They have irretrievably ruined
themselves by their moves, and inflicted
vast evil on their countrymen, and i'm
measurable damage on their States, and
this is what they have to show for cum
ming esmanship-cunning and not
wise Mr.. Lincoln is not cunning but he
is wise, and wisdom tells in the long run.
TGreat applause. Mr.. Lincoln is a man
of the people. He was formed by De-
mocracy into a Democrat. He believed
in it with child like simplicity of faith,
as if he didn't know there was any thing
else in the world. He came to the Presi-
dency by one of those strange happen
ings which men call chance, and Chris
tian Providence, without one single gift
which poetry and aristocracy associate
with supreme leader of a nation. I'm
Cainly in form, without beauty of features
with manner uncultivated even to that
degree that is common to American far
mers, not point was there for romance.
With natural shrewdness, with some eN-
perience in the administration of public
affairs, not skiilful, however, in discern
ing or selecting men, and too kind
always to put down tool which by mis-
take he had taken up, he has been three
years learning to govern, and though
somewhat dull he has stuck to his lessons
night and day, with such diligence that
To-
Tapplause while on the other hand Presi-
dent Lincoln could teach Davis a good
many things; Tapplause,l among others,
that honest principles, bravely adhered
to, are better craftsmanship always than
tricky expedients Applause Mr.. Lin
coin is the homely President of homely
people. He is honest, conscientious,
single minded, disinterestedly seeking
the welfare of the nation first, the party
next, and of himself not at all. APP
plause He has been faithful to the
great political truths of our American
system, and he has shown to the world
that successful government is not the
mystery, is not the thing SO rare that only
privileged few can enact it, but that
the good administration of q Govern
ment requires only good common sense
and uncommon honesty. Laughter and
applause. That is all. Instead Of re-
quiring genius, instead OF requiring rare
and extraordinary qualities, it requires
just those qualities which most politicians
sacrifice in order to get government
common sense and common honesty.
I Applause This is n lesson for Europe
to ponder over. Now, that it is so, we
would not have had our President any
other. If he had been an accomplished
scholar, and learned by travel and expe-
rience; if he had every conceivable gift
that could dazzle the Imagination or touch
the heart, men would say good leadership
give us the victory, but now men can say
the peoples power through the Presi-
dent, gave the victory. Applause] Our
President has been made the butt Of
ridieule of our newspapers, and Of de-
rision among those exalted officials and
elegant masters of court ceremonies
abroad for 1 confess Mr. Lincoln would
cut but a poor figure in the Courts Of
Europe. Laughter. But it is our
pride, however, to show these people that
we have carried through this terrific
struggle, the like of which Europe never
knew, not by skill of any extraordinary
genius. They took man from among
themselves, q real man of the people, .
pidii- slIhpie, HOuclS ulaH, anu ILLS VIC
tory Of liberty loving Democray has been
achieved under the leadership Of one of
these Democrats. When slavery was de-
stroyed, it was well that it should have
the very best leadership, that no man
should say it was owing to bad manage
ment- 1t has been managed admirably;
extraordinary skill and courage have
been shown in the management of the
cause. If Davis could not save slavery
no body could, and hereafter they cannot
say that the Democracy Of the North was
not guided by q democratic President, or
that the aristocracy of the South was not
guided by an aristocrAtic President This
great conflict, then, was between aristocrat
ic and Democratic Presidents, which rep-
resented the two sections ofthe country.
They had, throughout all their history,
carried out the respective natures Of
aristocrat and Democrat Let them pom
der that Victory ia surn ov THE .;a>