Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-22
The Country,s Calamity.

lamity to the country-not calamity be
cause the act was simply criminal to th'
greatest degree; but calamity becaus'
through President LINCOLN there woulf
have come to the country speedy and en-
during Peace Unitedly they speak of hin
as man. who would have extended 10 those
who had been engaged In the bad work o.
Rebellion humane and generous terms, an6
thus have won them back to their duty In
the Union. II Is, therefore, a calamity, be-
cause the work of pacifcatlon and recon-
ciliation are likely to be greatly retarded
They do not discredit the patriotism OF
President JOHNSON, nor do they pretend
that In point of ability he is not the equal
of the now almost universally mourned
President and it is now averred that since
his Inauguration as Vice President he has
abstained totally from the use of irtoxicat-
ing beverages, and that he promises to do so
hereafter. Despite this, however, there
is feeling peryading the Press that
he will not administer the Government
so much for the welfare of the
country, as President LINCOLN would
have done, inasmuch as he is regarded as
holding to the opinion that extreme pun
ishment should be visited upon the men
who with the appliances of War sought to
accomplish the dismemberment OF the I'm
ion. II it were understood that President
JOHNSON would temper his administration
with the same mercy and generosity that
it was understood President LINCOLN would
temper his, the assassination of President
LINCOLN would, in all probability, be dwelt
upon more for its fiendish atrocity than as
calamity to the Country. .oa0t
There are those outside of the secular
Press, however, who seek to enlighten the
understanding and elevate the feelings of
the heart who do not look upon the assas-
sination of President LINCOLN as calami-
ty to the country. A representative of this
class is to be found in the person of the Rev.
HENRY w. BELLOWS. In his sermon on the
death of the President delivered at "All
Souls" church, New York, he said:
Sand seeing it isGod who has afflicted
us, who doeth all things well, let us believe
that 1t is expedient for us that our beloved
chiet shouldsgo away. #~
I"And maywe not have needed this loss,
in which we gain national martyr and an
ascended leader, to inspire us from his
heavenly seat where with the other father
of his country he sits in glory, while they
send united sbenedictions and lessons of
comfort and of guidance down upon
their common children-may we not
have needed this loss to sober our
hearts in the midst of our national
triumph, lest in the excess of our
oy and our pride we should overstep the
bounds of that prudence and the limits of
hat earnest seriousness which our affairs
IS lemand? We have stern and solemn duties
X ret to perform, great and anxious
N asks to achieve. We must not, after
s. ,loughing the fields with the burning
" hare of civil war; aud fertilizing them
n With the blood and bones of half million
oble youth, lose the great harvest by vast
lg the short season of ingathering in fes-
We Joy at its promise and its fullness! We
ave, perhaps, been prematurely glad. In
N. ne joy of seeing our haven in view we
ave been disposed to slacken the cordage
/. i'd let the sails flap idly, and the hands go
s8 Glow, when the storm was not fairly over
Dr. all the breakers out of sighti God has
I'M artled US, to apprise us of our peril; TO
k arm US of possible mischances, and to
.ution us how we abuse our confidence
I'd overtrust our enemy. ] hope and pray
at the nation may feel itself, by the dread
calamity that has befallen ii, summoned
its knees; called to still more pious sense
.R& its dependence, toned up to its duties,
d compelled to watch with the most
ger patience the course of its generals,
E8 statesmen and its press. 1t cannot be
nothing vast and important, that the
f nerated and beloved head of this
,ple and his chief counselor and COM
lion have thus been brought low in an
ir, one to his very grave, the other to the
es or death ~
\ I've hope we have something like just
probation of the character of God but
do not believe that God has afflicted us,
hat 'God has startled us, to apprise US
A pur peril; to warn US of possible mis-
noes, and to caution us how we abuse
confidence and overtrust our enemy"
,ugh the assassination of 0resident LIN
n. Is it not an insult to His Divinity to
4 ually claim that He works through as
ins to accomplish "a purposep What
Rev. Mr.. BELLOWS believes to be ''our
u was that Prssident LINCOLN was dis
s to be too lenient towards the South,
cd also believed this could he not have
it into President LINcoLN's heart to be
& exacting? Was 1t not as easy for Him
i've done this as to have put II into the
{ of man to terminate his earthly ex-
CO by the foul deed of assassination?
~ this was not His pleasure, could He
lave removed President LINCOLN by
raj death? HIS removal in the natural
would have sufficiently startled the
try. God knew what Vice President
sons views were. He knew that, as
essed, they were infinitely more exact
1an President LNcoIN's were under
to be, AMI thatii He were disposed to
Use any agency in the matter, Hecouid
ectually accomplish His purpose by re-
ng the latter by. A natural death as by
''uation. To intimate that God works
81 oh assassination we hold to be BIAS
GUS.
,M The Oircleviile Democrdt we learn
,ol. HENRY sAGE, one of the oldestres-
OF Circleyille, died on Tuesday, the
~ lII1 IHli'IN rii. .fs