River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-03-01
nee to his thoughts and his wishes, a

/ no Imagination and no fancy, was mate
| rial and purely practical. He had one OF
| the very best balanced heads in America;
| and it was poised well on his shoulders.
| Henry Clay was his ideal statesman--a
| purely material and practical man. Mr..
| LincoIn's mind was purely logical, and
| he followed his conclusions to the ulti-
| mate end, though the world persisted. /
never heard Mr. Lincoln harshly con-
| denim any man, nor did | ever hear him
| praise but two men-one, Thomas Jeffer-
son, on paper; and the other, Henry
| Clay, in his speech and letters and in bis
heart Was this jealousy, or what?
think he cared for principles and not
much for men, especially if he did moi
want 10 use them for his own ends,
which were generally high and noble.
| Mr.. Lidcoln had no low cunning, was
| not trickster, mere wire puller. be
| scurned and detested all such political
arts. His mind required and lived on
| facts, figures and principles. He was
destitute of faith which comes and goes
without evidence. His own reason and
| human experience were his authority,
and these only with him was authority.
"It is fact that Mr.. Lincoln was a
peculiar man, wonderful, marvellous
and mysterious man to the world gener-
ally. was with him for about twenty
five years, and think knew him well.
Mr. Lincoln never took the advice of
any man or set of men generally speak
ing. He never asked the opinion or adj
vice of any man. He was self-reliant.
self poised, selfhelping and self-asser-
tive, but not dogmatic by any means.
He chung like gravity to his own opinions.
He was the most continuous and sever
est thinker in America. He read but
little, and that for an end. Politics were
his Heaven, and his Hades metaphysics.
His tendency in philosophy was mate
realistic; he was an evolutionist; and yet,
as the letter now presented to you
shows, he believed in God, Maker, I'm
mortality and Heaven. / am not now
advocating any particular opinion on
any subject, nor denying one. / am
simply stating facts, letting each man or
woman draw hiso her own conclusions.
l give no decided opinion about the let
ter, except | know it it is genuine, and
now yours, which | hope you will keep
to the end of your time; and then it
may descend to the family as an heir
loom, great treasure indeed.
'May | say again that Mr.. Lincoln was
shrewd man, long-headed man,
wise man, full of policies? Mr.. Lincoln
knew that Senator Douglas was in his
way in the north, and so he, at Free
port, determined to kill him politically.
He put question: and that, too, against
his friends advice and opportunities
to Senator Douglas, which he knew the
senator must answer one way or the
other, and he further knew that to an
swer the question either way was death
to Douglas-death in the north if he an
swered one way, and death in the south
If ano her. 1t was cold, well-calculated
death anyway. Douglas answered, and
of that answer he died. Again after
Douglas death, in the north was only
Seward to oppose him, and Lincoln de-
termined to kill or outstrip him. Hence
his 'house dlvided-against-its speech
here in 1858, and his speeches, his cir
represslble conflict speeches in Ohio.
Lincoln ridiculed. when he could, Sew
ards ''higher law" idea, scared some of
the republicans with it, and got the con-
tidence somewhat of the extreme repub-
licans; and in his great Cooper Institute
speech in New York in 1860 he drove
the nail in Stewards political coffin. All
this was planned and coldly calculated
by Lincoln. / know this to be true.
"What! this is simple minded man?
this politically innocent dear" man?
this mere thing without ideas and poll
icies? Away with all such opinions!
Look how he'treated his cabinet in tn Q
issuance OF his great Proclamation OF En-
ancipation. He consulted them simply
about little and unimportant matters,
and SO said to them before he read il
He decreed to issue it. He simnly
wanted his cabinet to hear 1t read, and
that is all. This proclamation was issued
as by doom, and what he did was not for
the love of the slave or liberty, but to
save the Union. 1t was to preserve his
''oath registered in heaven" He kept
his oath, saved the Union, and with a
quick dash of the military pen he freed
four million of people.
SIN philosophy Mr.. Lincoln was a
realist as opposed to an idealist, was q
sensationalist as opposed to an intuition
alst. materialist as opposed to spirit
uaIist, and yet remember what ne s,ys
in his letter. l said to you in private
letter that Mr.. Lincoln was at all times
and places and under all circumstances
deeply and thoroughly religious man,
sincerely, firmly, broadly and grandly
so. do not say he was q Christian. /
do not say that he was not. / give no
opinion the one way or the other. /
simply state facts and let each person
Judge for himself.
81 say, in short, in terms of contradict
ton, if you please, that Mr.. Line oln was
perfect and imperfect man strong
man and weak onej but take him all
in all, he was one OF the best, wisest,
greatest and noblest of men in all the
ages. Most respectfully yours,
WIN. II. HERNDoN.
MR. LINCoLN's LETTER TO HIS sTEP-BRoTHER.
SPRINGFIELD, January II, 1851.
DEAR BROTHER: On the day before
Yesterday / received letter from Har-
riet, written at Greenup. She says she
has Just returned from your house, and
that father is very low and will hardly
recover She also says that you have
written me two letters, aud that although
you do not exl ect me to come now, you
wonder that | do not write. | received
both of your letters, and although have
not answered them, it is not because |
| have forgotten them or been unlnter-
ested about them, but because 1T APP
peared to me | could write nothing
which could do any good. You alrea dy
know | desire that neither father nor
mother shall he in want of any comfort
either in health or sickness, while they
live; and l feel sure you have not failed
to use my name, if necessary, to pro-
curea doctor, oranything else for father
in his pres ent sickness. My business is
such that could hardly leave home
now, if it was not as it is, that my own
wife is sick a-bed. / sincerely hope
father may recover his health; but at
all events tell him to remember to cali
upon and confide in our great and good
and merciful Maker, who will not turn
away from him in any extremity. He
noted the fall of sparrow, and numbers
the hairs of our heads, and He will not
forget the dying man who puts his trust
in him. Say to him that if we could
meet how it is doubtful whether it would
not be more painful than pleasant; but
that if ii be his lot to go now, he viii
soon have joyous meeting with many
loved ones gone before, and where the
rest Of us, through the help of God,
hope erelong to join them.
"Write to me again when you receive
this. Affectionateally. A. LINCOLN"