Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-07
LINCOLN.
The Approaching Testimonial = Pre-
pRratiOns for its Proper Celebration. |

The Approaching Testimonial = Pre-
ParatiOns for its Proper Celebration.
Washington dispatch to the Phila. Press.
Very great preparations are being made
by the joint committee of the two Houses,
of which Hen. Solomon Foot, of Yer
mont, is chairman, for passing an appro-
pirate Congressional tribute to the mem-
ory of Abraham Lincoln, on the coming
anniversary of his birthday-whioh will
be Sunday, the 18th of this month. It is
known that Hon. George Bancroft, of New
York, has consented to pronounce the
orstion. Mr.. and Mrs. Bancroft will be
the guests of the Presidential mansion
during their stay in Washington, in ao-
Cordanoe with the invitation of the Presi-
dent himself. The ceremonies will take
place in the Hall of the House of Repres-
entatives, before both branches of Con-
gress, the foreign embassies, the Supreme
Court the Cabinet, and the most distin-
guished officers of the army and the navy
The galleries will accumodate about three
thousand persons, and as the rush will be
very great, it is proposed, in order to
silence complaints, to distribute the tickets
equally among the members and Senators,
which will give about twelve to each. This
is Senator Foot's plan, and he deserves
great credit for it. 1t will be twenty-one
years ago next summer since Mr.. Ban
croft pronounced the funeral eulogy at the
great jackson testimonial in this city,
while james K. Polk was President of the
United States. Mr.. Bancroft was then
Secretary of the Navy and acting Secre-
tary of War; and it is related that he
prepared that uncommon production
still claimed to be among the classics of
American oratory-in so short
time, that when it was de-
livered, people who knew what
a brief notice lie had to arrange and per
feet it SKers astonished at the splendor of
its dietion, the correctness of its data and
the moderation of its style. That event,
occurring when party strife had not been
quelled, and directly after violent Pres
idential campaign, in which the great
popular favorite, Henry Clay, had been
defeated, produced, nevertheless, a pro-
found impression, and the tributes paid to
Jackson engaged the highest talents. But
Mr,iiBancroft's Grafton led the way. When,
however, he comes to speak of Lincoln,
he will have more solemn and probably
a more difficult theme. Like the venera-
Bile hero-sage whom he celebrated in ls45,
Mr.. Bancroft is descending into the vale
of years. If he has outliyed many of his
cotemporaries who were present when he
spoke for Jackson-if Van Buren and
Dallas, Benjamin F. Butler, Francis r.
Skunk and William L. Marcy, james 4.
Polk, Daniel Webster, John G. Calhoun,
Thomas 81. Benton and their friends and
associates, have gone to their long homes,
and have left him living among their pos
terity-it is a sanctifying consolation that
George Bancroft has also outlived party
passion, and that, from having been one of
the most unquestioning supporters of the
institution of slavery, he is now oneof the
most radical" and Thorough supporters
of that stern policy, without which the
new disafsction against the Government
cannot be put down.