Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1865-05-26
HON. JOHN sHERnar ON 1BzsKHADI
LINCOLN.

AlHCULNs
Ennaesy Delivered 90 aEpasnsIa, Qnla
BsinTIiatioa 81 psoninehs inaesatlhl cilizens
of Rlchlaud county, Ohio Senator John ssher-
man delivered an address at Mansfield, May 6,
upon the life, character and services Of A Abrshsm
LincoID. After speaking Of TIE manner Of Mr.
Liueoln.s death. ar- Sherman said:
"Yea ask meto pronounce In, ealogy. Pei
low-citizens, his enlogy is the history of onr
time. Poetry viii perpetaate It. The songs Of
our country VIII impress it upon The minds of
young and old. bot more imperishsble than all
four millions of human beings viii transmit
to their Femotest Posterity the name efthe nan
who gave them liberty. | may recall few Of
the incidents of his life bot after we are all gath
cred IniO the chutchyard. crowded of isto for
gsnulness and. oblivion by the gensrati0n now
pressing upon Our footsteps, his eul0gy viii
be echoed and re-eeboed by the Qenins and
learning Of untold geDefatiosss Alter aIt .be
bitterness Of party strife shall hsvsl sunk ints
the grave; when the rebellion viii be regarded
by all mankind the great crime against evil
ization, his name viii be remembered ss the IN
siTument of Almighty God to lesda chosen peo-
pie through the storms and Perils Of expistion
for great national ain. When the links OF the
great chain Of events through which We are
passing, will no longer BIZ secured by Temporary
passions. mankind will perceive how wonder
fully the character Of Abraham Lincoln was
moulded By early trials, by peculiar traits of
head and heart; by mixtnre OF gentleness and
teBscity. for the great part he was to play in our
nationsl drama Perhaps that which Is now
obscure 10 us-why, when be wasin view Of the
chosen land of peace. he was suddenly taken
from us by the band of violence-will BE- made
plain by the course Of events Now we can Of-
ly bow 10 reverentisl ssbmission to the divine
decree and seek from the lesson of our calamity
some light to guide ms IN the future.
Mr.. LINcoLNs EoRsFARAsck- -s
The torbesrsuee Of Mr. Lincoln at the he
ginning of this war Is not yet appreciated by
his country men. ] know, fellnw -cifizens. with
what anxious solicitude he endesvOred To avaid
it. During the irsi few weeks that followed
bis inauguration, he was hopeful It could be
sverted. He endeavored with every means in
his power to stay the secession. movement m
Virginia He relied upon the large Union ma
Ioriiy in the convention OF that State. He gave
INSTRUCTIONS to all military and naval authori-
ties in the South to do nothing to provoke a
conflict He frequently expressed a hope Of
avoiding war; An officer since distinguished
in our military service, stated to MF Lincoln.
IN my presence, that be could bot avoid war
without agreeing TO secession but he was then
of different opinion
"In April, 1861, he gave notice to South Car
eIlns that an effort would be made to supply
Fort S'smteF with provisions, and if that was
permlttsd no effort would be made 20 rsinfvree
It with men. He never gave up his hope for
peace until Font Sumter was attacked, and with
sHch bitter insults and provocstioH thst the IN
dignsnt voice gf the " hole country and of every
organ of public opinion within it denanded
war.
HIS FIRST WAR PRocLAMAIIos
Il had an interview with Mr.. Lincoln o., the
day the first proclamation was issued he stat
ed to me his purpose ta issue the proclamation,
and the purp0rt ct it, and can bear witness To
the profound Sorrow with which he performed
that great public iuty To me war had long
seemed inevitable The naughty iusulence of
an overbearing oiigsichy would have pressed all
rnauhood ont et our people, world have beId us
up, a. they long did hold us up.to the scorn
aud contempt Of mankind. would not enly asye
disrupted our DatIopsl Union, but flushed with
then easy success would soon have seized our
capital and overFun what was left of our eoun-
try They had brought then people to regard
US as a nation of shopkespers aud laborers, with
ont manhood or courage. Even now, when
most of their leading men are dead, when their
families are impoverished and are drawing ra-
tons from the charity of our people, when their
cities are captured and their lands desolate
when the hand Of Heaven has fallen heavy upon
them and the slaves upon whose labor they III
oied in luxury and pride, are free; even now II
is difficult to read Of the scenes Of outrage and
insult committed by the rebels immediately
preceding the war without flush Of anger -
They entered upon it with sverweeninE pride,
with naughty arrogance and seerB. They
poured upon Mr.. Lincoln all the epithets OF bate
They undoubtedly arranged for hrs sssassins-
ton at Baltimore, and plainly manifested their
ebsgrin when be arrived at Washington safely
And yet during all this fierce civil war there
was no retaliation on cruelty on his part Stead
! lily, firmly, but without reproaehes or hate, he
has maintained our cause against them.
ARRESTS.
| "Of the very few arrests made for words
spoken when discussing political questions, all
Of them were cases where the direct tendency of
the words was 10 excite acts Of violent resistance
to the laws, aud when these cases were brought
before the President the sentence was more or
| less modified or pardoned by him.
at so happened that my colleague, Mr. Wade.
and myself weIe consulted by the President in
regard to the case which excited the most at
| tentiou at the time, that of citizen of Ohio
| He had heen arrested by General Burnside. and
tried and convicted for the vioIatiOnsi militia
~ order | know that the decision 10 " hicb
the President arrived in that case was not IN
fuenced by any feelings Of resentment OF polit-
zeal prejudice, or by any intention TO usurp pow
els not gFaBted To bin, nor from any motive ex-
cept the public good, and the moderation and
discretion with which he acted in such cases. in
the darkest period OF this war when division
and almost anarchy were springing I'D in the
North, entitle him TO the highest thanks of his
eOuDtrymen.
Mr.. LINcoLN's ToLERAIIoN.
"In all the controversies with political friends
that grew out Of this question, Mr.. Lincoln new
er betrayed any impatieuce He was equally
blind to the ctitielsm Of his hiepds or the de-
nUnoiations of his adverssrles. Iu some cases.
efforts were made to estrange him from person.
al and political frieDds. BY qnoting some adTe.>
opinion TO his policy OF some casual remark, but
Mr.. Lincoln always met such attempts with
such frankDess and humor as To- lead to recon-
cIliatiou instead Of quarrel. His tolertion of
differences; of opinion, and his fotbearance 70
political friends for harsh criticisms, was almost
unexswpled. In the last speech he ever made,
but three days before his death, in speaking Of
the differences of opinion as to Louisiana be
says: As geBeralrHle abstain from reading
the reports Of attacks upon myself, wishing not
to be provoked by that to which cannot prop
erly offer an answer. The last conversation I
had with Mr.. Lincoln was about the mode of
bringing back the rebellious States into harmO-
monious relations to the Union, and especially
as to the government organized in Louisiana =
| His most earnest desire was 10 establish civil
governments and withdraw military authority
| He said he could not say whether Louisiana
was out or in the Union, but that 1t was easier
| to get her in than to decide that question. His
great anxiety was to see each State restored to
It's full constitutional power, subject only TO
such changes as would secure the freedom PROM
s.f. 4.
ly declared, shall any person declared free by
me ever be returned to slavery
THE LESSON.
IL do not now demand vengeance over
the dead body of our murdered President, but
do demand that alb he has promised shall be
made good; that before amnesty is proclaimed
the rebel flag and the rebel uniform shalfbe a
badge of disgrace. And here is the crowning
lesson of the war. All the malignant passions
Of the rebels turn upon aud rsDd them They
commenced the war TO enforce the doctrine Of
Al 4