The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-10-17
LINCOLN ON PRESENT lssL
The Hoaored Martyr Speaks Today to
RecreHnt Followers.

That party which paused on the
threshold of their proceedings to honor
the memory of their immortal leader.
lincoln" would do well to read some Of
his statesmaniy utterances and learn
therefrom how to deal with the living
issues of today. The following extracts
ere particularly valuable as sustaining
the Prohibition party In It's crusade
against the liquor traffic and all its party
allies:
ON LICENSE.
In Cincinnati, September, 1860, he said:
"Whoever desires the prev ention of the
spread of slavery and the naturalization
Of that institution, yields all when he
Yields to any policy that either recognizes
slavery as being right, or as being an in
different thing" Applied to the great
syil of our day, that would exclude all
license laws.
ON PROHIBITION.
Lincoln continues: when l say this l
do not mean to say that this general gov
srnment is charged with the duty of re-
dressing or preventing oil the wrongs in
the world, but / do think IL is charged
with redressing and preventing all wrongs
which are wrongs to itself This govern
ment is expressly charged with the duty
Of providing for the general welfare
To repress this thing, we think,
is providing for the general welfare"
while the relation of slavery to the
constitution and to the history Of the
country made necessary course some
what different from that which We are at
liberty to pursue now, it Is evident that
the foundation for prohibition Is firmly
laid in the above extract.
ON LOCAL OPTION.
At Galesburg, Ills. Oct. Z, 1853, in the
fifth joint debate with Douglas, Lincoln
said: "If you will take the judges
speeches and select the short and pointed
sentences expressed by him-as his dec
laration that he don't care whether slav-
cry is voted up or down'-you will see at
once that this is perfectly logical, If you
do not admit that slavery is wrong. If
you do admit that it is wrong, Judge
Douglas cannot logically say that he
don't care whether 4 wrong is voted up
or voted down. Judge Douglas says that
if any community want slavery they
have right to have it. He can say that
logically If he says that there is nothing
wrong in slavery; but if you admit that
there is wrong in it, he cannot logi
cally say that anybody has right to do
wrong"
lieves the traffic in intoxicating bever-
ages to DO wrong can rest content under
q local option law.
THE NON-PARTrSAE AMENDMENT LAW.
In Columbus, O., September, 1860, Mr..
Lincoln said, in regard to Douglas plan
of having the people of any new state de-
eide by popular vote whether or not
slavery should be allowed:
1T is to be part and parcel of the
same idea, to say to men who want to
adhere to the Democratic party, who al
ways have belonged to that party and
are only looking for some excuse to
stick to it, but nevertheless hate slavery,
that Douglas popular sovereignty is
as good way as any to oppose slavery.
They allow themselves to be persuaded
easily, in accordance with their previous
dispositions, that it is about as good
way of opposing slavery as any, and we
can do that without straining our old
party ties, or breaking up old political
associations. We con do that without
being called negro worshipers. We can
do that without being subjected to the
gibes and sneers so readily thrown out in
the place of argument where no argument
can be found. So let us stick to this pop.
ular sovereignty-this insidious popular
sovereignty.
FINAL SUCCESS.
At Springfield, Ills, June II, 1853, Mr..
Lincoln said; THE result is not doubt
full. We shall not fail-ff we stand firm
We shall not fail u Sooner or
later the victory is sure to come"
At Cincinnati, Septemb Der, 1859, he said
1--WE i intend to stand by our
guns, to be patient and firm. and in the
long run to beat you. y Wedon't
intend to be very impatient about 1t. We
mean to be as deliberate and calm about
1t as it is possible to be, but as firm and
resolved as it is possible for men to be. ;"
PARTISAN PLAN.
IN the same speech Mr.. Lincoln said
10 do these things we must employ in
strumentalities. We must hold conven-
IONS; we must adopt platforms; we must
elections"
IN all the points of difference in method
between believers IN prohibition who are
IN the old parties and those who are with
us, Mr. Lincoln seems to favor the posi-
.ion Of the party Prohibitionists.
against those who think that a party
IS necessary, but that one Of the
Ola parties can be converted into
Prohibition party, nothing will
De found, perhaps, in the above extracts
from Mr.. Lincoln's speeches. His action,
however, in helping to organize the Re
RTpilcan party and to break up the old
wing party is decidedly in our favor. A
republican who should say that Lincoln's