The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-10-13

I oCScT ucSSU NAT. AllleOtO 0SfN0ty con
denim any man, nor did l ever hear him
praise but two men-One. Thomas Jof-
fersOn. on paper. aud tho other, Henry
Clay. in his apeech and letters and in
his heart. Was this jealousy or what !!
l think he cared for principles and not
much for men, especially if he did not
want to use them for Iii. own ends,
which were GENERALLY highaud noble.
Mr.. Lincoln had no low, cunning ways.
was not II tr,ckstrr, n mere wire puiIer.
H,s mind required aud lived ia facts,
figures aud principles. He was desti
tnto Of faith which "me aud cues with
out evidence. His Own reason aud In
man experience We're his authority, aud
these only with him were authority.
1t IL u tact that Mr.. Lincoln was u ne
culiar man, u wonderful, marvellous aud
mysterious ,n"n to the world generally.
l was with him for about twenty. five
years ; und l think l knew him Well.
Mr.. Lincoln never took the advice Of
any man Or Set Of men, generally speak
ing. H" never asked the opinion or nd
vice of any lie was s~-if-reliaut,
sslf- pOise'', self l'cirin. and self asser
tive. but not d"gmatic by auy means.
He chung like gravity t" his W upin
ions. He wits til" most continuous and
sev-rest thinker iu America. He read
but little, and that for an end. Poll
tics were his Heaven, and his hades me
taphy.ics. His tendency in philosophy
was materialistic ; he was All evolution
i>t ; aud yet h. believed in God, u Ma
ker, immortality aud Heaven.
MIR. Lincoln knew that Senator Dou
glas was j" his way in the North, and
:" he at Freeport, determined to kill
him politically. He put question:
aud that, too. against his friends nd.
vice aud importunities-t0 Senator
Douglas, which he knew the Senator
answer one way or the other. and
se further knew that to answer the
question either way Was death to Dou
glas@dea.h in the North if he answer.
ed one way. aud death in the South if
another. Douglas answered., and Of
that answer he died. Again, after Dou
gias' death, in the North Was only Sc
ward to oppose him, and Lincoln de-
termiued to kill or Uutstrip him. Hence
his ''ii0use divided against itself'' speech
here in 1858, and his speeches. his ''irre
pressible conflict" speeches, in Ohio.
Lincoln ridiculed. when he could, Sc
wards higher law" idea, scared some
Of the Republicans with it, and got the
confidence somewhat Of the extreme
Republicans: aud in his great Cooper
Institute speech ia New York in 1860
h drove the nail in Stewards political
coffin. All this WAS planned aud cold
ly calculated by Lincoln. l know this
to be true.
What! this a supplemented mani this
a politically ''iDnOcent-dear'' mani? this
IL mere thing without ideas and poll
ciess Away with all such opinions
Look how he treated his Cabinet in the
issuance Of his great Proclamation If
Emancipation. He consulted them
about little and unimp"rtant matters,
and so saidt"them before he read it. He
drcreed to issue it.. He simply wanted
his Cabinet to hear it read, aud that
WAS all. This proclamation was issued
AS by doom, and what he did was not
for the 10 Z Of the slave or liberty, but
to save the Union. 1t WAS to preserve.
his ''oa,h registered in Heaven" He
kept his oath. saved the Union, aud
with IL qnick dash of the military pen
he freed 100000 people.
In philosophy Mr.. Lincoln was a real
ist Us opposed to an ideaiis,, Was a sen
s%ationallst as opposed to an intuitiOnal-
lst. Il muteriaiist as opposed to a spirit
ualist. l SAID to you in a private let
ter that Mr.. Lincoln was ut all times
and places AMI under all circumstances
a deeply and II thoroughly religious
man. sincerely, firmly, broadly and
50. 1 do not say he was a
Christian. l do not say he was not.
l gave no opinion the one way or the
l simply state facts and let
each person judge for himself.
l say. in short, in terms of contradic
ton if you please, that Mr.. Lincoln was
Il perfect and an imperfect man. astrong
and weak n ; but tax" him ali
all, he was one Of the best, wisest.
greatest and nOblest Of men in all the
ages.-Wm. H.. Hermdon.