The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1876-08-25
Agents for the Register.
LINCOLN, nArEs. rLDEN.

On the journey to Washington, III
1861, where he was about to take the
oath ofotiice and assume the duties of the
Presidency, Mr.. Lincoln passed through
Philadelphia White there he made
brief speech upon the occasion of the
raising of the United States flag over
Independence Hall. He said
l have often pondered over the dan
gers incurred by the men who assembled
here and framed aud adopted the dec;a-
ration OF independence. / have ponder
ed over the tolls that were endured by
the officers and soldiers OF the. army
who achieved that Independence 1
have often inquired of myself what
great principle or idea it was that kept
this contederaey so long together. 1t
was not the mere matter of the sepera-
tion of the colonies from the mother
land but that sentiment in the Declara-
ton of Independence which gave liber-
ty, not alone to the people of this coun-
Try, but | hope, to the world tor all ia
ture time. IL was that which gave
promise that, in due time, tie weight
would be lifted from the shoulders of
all men. This is the sentiment en-
bodied III the Declaration of Indepen-
denee. Now. my friends. can this
country be saved on this basis If it
can / will consider myself one of the
happiest men IN the world if | can help
to save it. fit cannot be saved on
that basis it will be truly awful. But
it this country cannot be saved without
giving up that principle, | was about to
say that | would rather be assassnated
on the spot than Surrender it.
A few months later when it had be-
come necessary for Mr.. Lincoln to APP
peal to the people for volunteer soldiers
to save the country, the present Fsepub-
lican candidate for President, Ruther-
ford b. Hayes, i'll response to I.i1coln's
call, said
I would prefer to so into this war, If
I knew | was to die or be killed, rather
than live through and after it without
taking any part in it.
In 1864. after Mr. Lincoln had labor
ed three years for the salvation of the
country on the basis of the great princi-
pie of eqnal rights laid down III the
Declaration OF Indepen dence, and after
Colonel Hayes Lad fought three years
in the field IN fulfill meut of his patriotic
declaration of 1861, Samuel J. Tilden,
the Democratic can dldate for Presidents
being appointed member of the De-
mocratic National Convention Commit
tee on Platform, reported the following
resolution which was adopted
Resozced. That this Convention
does explicitly declare, as the sense of
the American people, that after four
years OF failure to restore the Union by
the experiment of war-during which,
under the pretense Of military recessity
or war power higher than the Constitu-
tion, the Constitution itself has been
dlsregarded In every part, and public
liberty and private right alike troddcn
down, and the material prosperity of the
country essentially impaired-iustice
demands immediate cessation of hos
tilities.
The American people sustained the
resolutions and acts of Abraham Lin
coin and Rutherford b. Hayes, and put
the soal of their emphatic condemnation
upon the resolution of Samuel ]. Tilden.
viii they aaotc trust the man who was
so false, so .cowardly and SO unpatriotic
twelve years ago.