The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-04
LINCOLN, GRANT, AND DAVIS.
Three Lives Which Bound in the POssibilitis
of the Past and Present.

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of the Past and Present.
"Gath,' in Cincinnati Enquirer
Abraham Lincoln has been the subject Of
more biographies than any other person in the
United States, probably, except Washington and
Grant. own large lives of Abraham Lincoln
by Arnold, Raymond, Barrett, Bartlett, Holland
and several others, and yet it is singular fact
that Lincoln, as long as he lived and was Pres-
dent, was considered by the intellectual stripe
of people in this country, of whom Minister
Marsh is an exponent, as entirely beneath the
requirements of his situation, beneath it in
moral standard, in dignity of character, scholar
ship, and everything but political finesse. What
made Mr.. Lincoln was the politician in him; al
though he turned out to be good writer and
used touching language under the burdens of his
cares, he was not political economist in har-
mony with any of the high stepping schools of
the present day, was aprotectOnist, spokesman,
and knew the value of every piece of patronage
he gave away.
His great art was in keeping together an ad-
Ascsffistratson which should get Conference and
much but defeat attended Mr.. Lincoln's Cabinet
but he was able to weed out of that Cabinet the
unruly and mutinous members of the mugwump
pattern, like Montgomery Blair and Chase,
who considered Mr. Lincoln entirely beneath
themselves and with Stanton Seward Welles
and other old fashioned politicians, he brought
honey out of death.
Jefferson Davis was born in 1903, about eight
months before Abraham Lincoln. Grant was
born in 1922, on the 9th day of April If he
sixty three years old. Lincoln lived to be fifty
six, and might possibly be living man to day if
nature had worked her full result. jefferson
Davis will be seventy seven years old if he lives
till next June. Davis was born in Jefer-
sons administration, for whom he was
named; Lincoln was born within Jefferson's ad-
ministration, also, but when he was three weeks
old Madison became President Grant was born
in Monroes administration. Two of these gen.
temen had the full benefit Of an official military
President Monroe in 1924, and Grant was sent
there in Van Burens administration by Mr.
Poinsett of South Carolina, who had been an
anti Nullifer in 1882.
Davis remained in the regular army only seven
years after graduating. Grant remained in it
eleven years after graduating, and resigned
Both these men after resigning settled in slave
States-Grant in Missouri, and Davis in Missis-
sippi But Davis had property on which to go
and slaves to till the soil. Grant had nothing
but what land and assistance his father-in-law
would give him. Lincoln had nothing at ALL
Yet two of these men educated themselves
Davis always kept up his reading habits and
but for the great opportunities afforded Abraham
Lincoln, which brought into extraordinary re-
lief his scant political writings, it would be
thought that Davis had the better literary mind
of the two. The difference between Jefferson
Davis and Abraham Lincoln is essentially the
difference between talent and genius. Genius
has model; neither had Lincoln in his writing.
He was based on no author at all. What he had
liked he committed to memory; what he read
that impressed him he digested. He never read
to substantate some preconceived opinion he
had, which talent generally does. Genius often
lies falow and common, like the old horse in the
field with racing qualities, until some milkman
or trucker discovers them and presents him to
the world
1t was the great war which brought out this
man of genius, and it took all the wise men in
this country all the rest of Lincon's life to un-
derstand him. Suddenly he died, and then it
was felt that our mildest and greatest star had
gone out What made Lincoln a great man was
his possession of all the homeliest traits of
mon people The books he handled in his youth
were hardly ever such books as the reviews
notice. He had an undignifed way Of trusting
to his impulses. His state papers got their lit
erary faculty, in reality, from that mixture of
pathos concerning himself and times which he
inwove there. He was the creation of his
enemies In front all the power of slavery
was hammering at him; in the rear he
had hardly a friend on the American
press The high-styled papers, especially
spoke of him with scorn He had no past which
any mugwump could respect His wife seldom
behaved according to standard. The mistakes
that Lincoln made in appointing men not only
to Office, but to great military positions, seemed
to be constant He put at the head of the Army
Of the Potomac series of men who one after
the other, were trounced and kicked, and whose
only reparation and revenge was to exclaim that
he had been responsible for their failures. Yet,
as we look back at Lincoln's career now, it has
a harmony, a wholeness, a noble maturity
these new favorites of fortune may strive in vain
to parallel The fact is always to be remem-
bered that great occasions produce great men,
but that is no reason why We should underrate
men equal to the occasion in the degree that Lin
coin was.
He was flexible yet persevering Mr. Davis,
who had the hard task OF leading the opposite or
schisnatic Confederaey, was persoverings but
inflexible The one man had learned in slavery
the quality of being boss The other man had
learned in humility the quality of yielding yet
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