The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1885-03-13
THE INAUGURATION OF
PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
The First President of the Party
that Retires Next Wednesday.
Atlanta Constitution.


that Retires Next Wednesday.
Atlanta Constitution.
Twenty-ionr years ago this morn
ing, Mr.. Buchanan, last of the
Democratic Presidents, sat in the
White House. grave aud carewOrn,
Only three days of Democratic rule
remained. Already Mr.. Lincoln, in
his rooms at Wizards awaited,
with a sense of conservatism, the
coming of the eventful day that
would usher in the Republican
regime.
AT this time the flag of the
United States flying at but three
points in the seven seeded States.
Two months before Robert TOombs
had said in the Senate /: ave are
as ready to fight now as we ever
will be. | will have equality or
war; Mr.. Jefferson Davis had
been President of the COutederacy
for two weeks, and the 'Bonnie
Blue Flag" was to be unfOlded
three days later. One hundred
thousand soldiers were under arms
in the Confederacy to be compact
ed into an army during that very
week. The South vas aHame with
excitement and the sentiment of
the North was rapidly hardening
into resolution. The Anglo-SaxOn
blood was up, in tue veins of Puri-
tan and Cavalier, and war was inc
vitable. 1t was amidst this gath
ering storm, soon to burst with nn
equalled fury, that The strong hands
of Lincoln took the reinS of gov
ernment from the honest but M
certain grasp Of Buchanan. The
statesman gave place to the hero
the diplomat to the martyr. The
Democratic party babe Il long fare
we'll TO power, and the Republicans
entered upon a career OF splendOr
and of corruption.
A quarter of Il century has
passed since that day. A war with.
out parallel in scope and energy
has swept the land. The graves of
halt million heroes testify to the
valOr of the survivors. From the
wreck of battle the Union has been
saved. Five millions of slaves
have been freed and entranchiSed.
The right of secession, submitted
to the verdict of tue sword, has
been cut down forever. An indis
soluble republic of equal and SOY
ereign States is the legacy of the
war-and "A tendereP and a strong
err and Il better people rise up TO
call it blessed.
President Lincoln, kindlieSt and
greatest OF Republicans, met the
death that Swallowed his lofty life
at the hands OF an assassin. His
party, slnewy and heroic in his
strong hands and strenuous times.
was corrupted and intlamed under
weak leadership aud circumstances.
1t left the straight and simple path
that. "with charity Tor all and ma
lice toward none,' he had pointed
out, aud filed the devious ways of
passion and pa~rtiSanShip. The
high.pulsing emotions that under
his ringing invocation inspired his
soldiers for battle, were prOStituled
to the doubtful nSes of the pOlitl
can, and strife aud bitterness dI.
vided his people, long after the
South had surrendered in perfrcI
good faith, aud the North had with
frank respect accepted her sheath
ed sword.
AT last-after longer wandeyings
and more stubborn ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
than We should have had it he had
been spared, but, in the patient
wisdom of God, at last-ail this
has passed, and the era of restored
and confluence opens before
us. Poor as the South is aud has
been-impoveriShed as she was by
the loss of four hundred million
dollars worth of slaves aud the sub
version of her social aud Industrial
system -desolate as the ravages OF
war lett her smiling valleys aud
bare her old red hills-pitiful as
was the resources of which she has
so bravely aud hopefully builded
her new prosperity-ten thousand
times more does she value the
Democratic restoration tor the as.
urance it gives of full peace aud
reconciliation between the sections,
han for all the spoils or power ten
such RESERVATIONS might bring. 1t
S tit, then, that we should set in
opposition the two great chapters
If our later histOry-tO-day, the
LONG out of the old Democratic
lynasty-next week, the coming in
ii the new. Let us take to our
in the moment of u tri-
lmph, the noble words uttered by
Mr.. Lincoln in his hOnr OF trial
ct us make the shibboleth of the
era of peace aud good tue
sentences with which, in his
inaugural, he met the era of strife
nd of waT-glOFious words that,
t%retching as a bow OF promise
cross the gulf of twenty five dark
nd Troublesome years, prefgure
be clOudless sunshine and pros +.
to come: :
awe are not enemies, but friends. )
We must be enemies. Though +.
assiOn may have strained, it must +
OF break, Our bonds OF affection. :
he mystic chord of memory,
tTetching from every battlefield
nd nnfrinf nrara To nrnrr Erinn I