Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-05-17
Mr.. Lincoln the Finest Character De-
e vei0Dsd by the War.

E q The appalling tfagedy Whleh mas Just
been perpsiraledaf a. Washington is abb
soInteiyi without historical precedent.
] Not in the records Of the 6egcest Euro,
pean convulsioD, in the darkest hour OF
partisan hatredt have We ea exampieof
40 assassin plot ~ once 10 foul and 20
seDseless, so horrible aud so successfal,
as that 10 which Abraham Lincoln has
already fallen q victim, and from which
William II. Seward can hardly eacape.G
Oniy ia, such instances as the murder Of
William Of Orange Henri Quatfs : or
flAppdistria, have we any dead approach;
ing in, hideons ferocity 70 that which has
insGrobbed- the ~UAited States Of one OF,
Inc greatest Of their yPresidsnts. 7Bpt
from the fanatics hateful point of view
there was at least something 70 be saids
for men like Balthazar Gerard and Ra-
vailiac. They at least might have be-
lisged that they saw embodied in their
victims the whole living principle and
motive power Of that religious freedom
which they deiestAdl They might have
srpposed that With the man wpnlds die.
agreas hopes and, the great cause he in
spired aud guided. No, 100, with OrsinL
That unfortunate and guilty, being be-
lieved, at leest thetin Napoleon abe Ill.
there stood an embodied and concen-
trated system, Bat Abraham Lincoln
was no dictator and no AautocratD He
|,represented simply the Fesohtiou and
resources of great people, The miser-
able excuse which fanatieisni might at
tempt 10 plead for other Political Rssass
Sins has mo application to the wretch
whose feHon> Rand dealt death a. the
pure and noble magistrate ofi& free ua-
ton. ~ ~ q - &#M ~ "a
The. chivalry of the South has had
much European compliment Of late, 1t
has been discovered 70 be the tount and
origin Of all, themoAf nobIa and kuighfly
qualities which the world heretofore had
Principally known, Let Il not be. for
gotten. that Southern brains lately
planned the conhagration of peaceful
city. 1t never can be forgotten while
history ID read, that the hands Of South.
ern partisans have been Redeemed BY the
fonlest assassin plot the world has ever
known; that they have been treacherons-
ly dipped IN the blood Of one Of the best
citizens and pnrest patriots to whom the
bind Of Washington gave birth. r.
n ForI Abraham Lincoln one rcry-o of
universal regret wifi be raised all over
the civilized earth We do not believe
thatueven the fercest partisan of the
Confederacy 10 this country will enter
tain any sentiment at such o time but
one Of grief and horror. Ts M Abra.a
ham Lincoln has always seemed the
finest character produced -hF tia AmaEi.
can war on either side Of the struggle.
lie was great, not merely By the force
loI renius-and only the word genius
will describe the power of intellect BY
which he guided himself and his country
through such erisis-but by the simple,
natural strength and grandeur of bis
chatacter. Talleyrahda once said ofIa
kreas American lstatesnIshf ,that without
| experience ne "divined bis way thEough
any crisis. Mr.. LINCOLN thus fdiyiped
his way through the petilous, exha1stiog
and Unprecedented difficulties which
might have broken the strength and
blinded the prescience Of the best trained
professional .statesman.a He seemed to
arrive by instinct-by the instinct of a
4 noble, unsel6sh and manly natu re-
al the very ends of which the highest
I of political .genius, 3tae .iDngest Of POI
l litical experience could have done no
more than reach. 10 He bore himself fear
4 lesalyin danger, czimfy IN tiifficuity, naoes
estly in success. The %orld was at last
beginning to know how good, and, in the
Ebest sense, how great man he was,
LII. had long indeed learnedthat he was
as devoid OF vanity as of fear; but it
had only Just come to know what mag
7 natitnity and mercy the hour of trl-
umph would prove that he possessed
Reluctant enemies we're Just beginning
to break into eulogy overhis wise and
Y noble elemenoY when The bastard hand
of vilS murderer destroyed his noble
aud valuable life. We in England have
something to be ashamed of when We
u Mediate upon the true greatness Of tht
man so ruthlesslg slain. Too NAM
Eakshmen lent themselves to the vulgai
and ignoble cry which was raised agains
! him. Z English writers degraded them
! selves to the level of the coarsest carl
rcamrists when they had toaell Of Abra
ham Eneolu
IN They stopped to crihcise q foreign pa
triiot as menial might comment on th,
bearing of hero. They sneered at hl
manners, as If Cromwell was Chester
Geld; they accused him Of agliness, q
tifS Mirabeau was q beauty; they mad
J coarse pleasantly of his figure, as thoug
a. Peel was q posture master; they wer
I, facetieus about his dress, as if Cavou
ttwas9 q D,Qrsays they were indignar
$ about his jokes. a. If Palnerston neve
Y rested SWe do not remember any IA
' stance since the widest days of Britis
fury against the "Corsican Ogre"
which q foreign statesmanswas ever s
dealt with in English writings as Nj
Lincoln. And when we make the con
3 harrison we cannot but remember tbs
while Napoleon was our ansqupulor
g enemy, Lineoln was our steady trien,
as Assailea hs 4he caarseA attacks On IA
in side the ocean, tried by the sorest temp
ations on that, Abraham Lincoln calm
( eand. steadfastly maintained policy
peace with. England, and never did
deed, neverswSote orspoke q Wot ivhii
"a was unjust or nntriendly TO the1 Buns
90 nationsazHad@ sReh-A man died. hE n
al hand of disease in the hour OF his II
x npmph the world must have mourhed fl
ie. his1oss. That hs has fallen hy the Co
re- ardly hand of vile assassin, exaspe
nnS ates and emhitters the grief beyond a.
by power Of langasge to express @'
Had Lincoln Been a vain uuniSn,nE
v might have almost amhisioned. such
death. The weapon of the murderer b
made sErre-for=h =hfFIa- an immortal place.
> history; disappoin tment, failnre, polite
"a change popular caprice, the efforts
"a rivals the malice Of enemies, can tou
him no. more, BE lived long enough
sry aeeomplish' his great, patriotic Wo
and then he became its martyr