The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-01-28
AiaCes OF Advertising,


hard to believe that men had any real horror
of sectional war, who were busy in foment-
ing jealousies between East and West that
they could be in favor of a war for the Union
as it was, who were for accepting the violent
amendments of rebellion; that they could be
heartily opposed to instruction in the Sou tn
who threatened the Government with fercible
resistance in the North; or that they were hui
manly anxious to stay the eifuSion of blotd
who did not scruple to stir up the mob of our
chief CITY to murder and arson, and to COM
pliment the patriotism of ssssgsins with arms
| in their hands. Believers, if they believe an
ything, in the divine right of Sham, they
brought the petty engineering OF the caucus
to cope with the resistless march OF events,
and hoped to stay the steady drift Of the
nations purpose, always setting deeper and
stronger in one direction, with the scoop-nets
| that had served their turn so well In dipping
fish from the turbid eddies of politics. They
have given an example Of the easiest and
shortest way of reducing great party to an
inconsideroble faction
| The change which three years have brought
about is too rainarkahle 10 be pasSed over With
out comment, too woighty in its lesson not
! to be laid to heart. Never did President
enter upon office with less means ct his COM
mand, outside his own strength of heart and
steadlness understanding, for inspiring con-
| fidence in the people, and so winning it for
himself as Mr.. Lincoln. All that was known
of him was that he was good Stump-speak-
er nominated for his availabiIity-tha IL, be-
cause he had no history-and chosen by
party with whose more extreme opinions he
was not in sympathy. 1t might well be fear
cd that man past fifty, against whom the
ingenuity of hostile partisans could rake up
no accusation, must be lacking IN manlness OF
character, in decision Of principle, III strength
Of will-that a man who was at best only the
representative of party, and who yet did not
fairly represent even that would fail Of polit-
ical, much more Of popular, support And
certainly 10 one ever entered upon office with
SO few resources of power in the past, and 80
many materials of weakness III the preSentas
| Mr.. Lincoln Even in that half OF the Union
which acknowledged him as President there
was a large, at that time dangerous, mlnorl-
| ty that hardly admitted his claim to the OF
fee, and in the party that elected him there
was also large minority that suspected INN
of being secretly commandment with the
church of Laodices, All that he did was sure
to be virulently attacked as ultra on one side;
al that was left undone, to be stlgmatzed as
prsot of his lukewarmness and backshdlng by
the other Meanwhile, he was to carry ON y
truly colossal war by IneenS OF both he was
to disengage the country from diplomatic en-
ENGAGEMENTS of unprecedented peril, undlsturo-
ed by the help or hindrAnce Of either and to
win from the crowning dangers OF his ad-
ministration, in the confidence OF the people,
the means of his safety and their own II 9
has contrived to do il, ana perhaps none OF
IN hno off, 90
firm in the confidence of the people ~ he does,
after three years of stormy AUGMENTATION
Mr.. LincoIn's policy was q tsStative one,
and rightly lie laid down no programme
which must compel him to be either incen-
sistant er unwise, no cast-iron theorem to
which circumstances must be fitted as they
rose or else be useless to his ends lie seem
ed to have chosen Mazarin's motto, LIE temp
ct moi. The moi, to be sure was not very
prominent at first; but it has grown more ana
more so, till the world is beginning to be
persuaded that it stands for a character oil
marked individuality and capacity for AFFAIRS
Time was his prime minister, and, we began
to think at one period. his general -in-chlef al
So At first he was so slow that be tired out
all those who see no evidence i'll progress but
in blowing up the engine; then he was SO
fast, that lie took the breath away from those
who think there is no way Of getting OH safe
Iv while there is a spark of fire under the boil
ers. God is the only being who has time
enough but prudent man, who knows how
to sieze occasion, can commonly make shift
to find as much as he needs. Mr.. Lincoln, as
it seems to us in reviewing his career, though
we have sometimes in our impotence thought
| otherwise, has always waited, as wise man
should, till the right moment brought up all
his reserves ScmDer a0cHt dIBeIe p@f"t'S Is
sound axiom, but the really et1lcaclous man
will also be sure to know when he is MOI
ready, and be sure against all persuasion an
reproach till he is.
| One would be apt to think, from some OF
the criticisms made ON Mr. Lincoln's course
NV those who mainly agree with him in prin-
ciple, that the chief object of statesman should
| be rather to proclaim his adhesion to certain
doctrines, than to achieve their triumph by
quietly accomplishing his ends. Ia our opln-
| ion there is no more unsafe politician than
copscientiously rigid doctrjnGire, nothing
more sure to end in disaster than theoretic
scheme of policy that admits Of no pliablllty
far CONTINGENCIES. True, there is a popular
image of an impossible He, in whose plastic
hands the submissive destinies OF mankind
become as wax, and to whose commanding
necessity the toughest facts yield with the
graceful pIiancy Of fiction; but in real life
we commonly find that the men W no control
circumstances, as it is called, are those who
have learned to allow for theinfuence OF their
eddios, and have the nerve to turn them TO
account at the happy instant. Mr.; Lncoins
perious task has been to carry rather shaGh'
ing raft through the rapids, making last inc
uNrulier logs as he could snatch opportunity NJ
and the country is to be congratulated tiiat
he did not think it his duty to run straight al
all hazards, but cautiously to assure himself
was, and keep steadily to that he is still in
Wild water, but we have faith that; bis skill
and surencss Of eye will bring him out RICH
at last
The following table showS the lowest range
of the thermometer at various points during
the late cold term. The figures given lndl-