The advocate., 1892-01-06
AS TO CERTAIN QUOTATIONS.

The following item from the Kansas
City Star, over the signature OF ]. ].
Ingalls,, has been sent to me with re-
quest that give my opinion Of It:
To the Star: In recent issue of the New
Nation find this alleged quotation from
President Lincoln:
81 see in the near future, said Abraham
Lincoln in 1865, ''a crisis approaching that
unnerves me, and causes me to tremble for
the safety of my country. As a result of
the war corporations have been enthroned
and an era of corruption in high places will
follow, and the money power of the coun-
try will endeavOr to prolong its reign by
working upon the prejudices of the people
until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands
and the republic is destroyed. feel at
this moment more anxiety for the safety of
my country than ever before, even IN the
midst of the war;"
The same extract has been floating
through the journals of anarchy and social
ism for several years, and has been favor
ite paragraph with pesslmistic orators in
their appeals to the passions of the poor.
It does not appear in any of the published
messages, speeches or letters Of Lincoln.
The internal evidence is against it's authen-
ticity. The words, the style, the Construc-
tion, are like nothing in his composition.
Mr.. Nicolsy, his former secretary, has never
seen nor heard such expressions in the writ
ings or utterances of President Lincoln.
Evidently it is @ malignant and clumsy
forgery. Yours, ]. J. INGALLS,.
Atchison, Kansas, November IL.
This shows that the Peoples party is
getting "big enough to be polite TO-"
Mrs. Stowe quoted an alleged statement
of Rev. Joel Parker on the slavery ques-
tion In her "Uncle Toms Cabin" AT
first no attention was paid to 1t, but
when the story began to be power in
the land, the Rev. Doctor sued Mrs.
Stowe for libel, claiming the sum Of $780,
600 to repair his lacerated reputation.
The above quotation, said to have been
first published in the Chicago Tribune,
has been floating in papers and pamphlets
for many years unnoticed and unques-
toned. Now the enemy begins to cry
out, "spurious!" This means that the
enemy Is being hurt.
Any man who has read Mr.. Lin coins
inaugursls, his replies to Horace Greeley
and the Illinois democrats, and his
Gettysburg speech, will say the style is
Lincoln's. Then, when we come to the
tersely expressed truth and sagacity Of
the prediction, few but Lincoln could
have been the author.
For my part,iI knew Mr.. Lincoln as a
child knows a man, from 1880 to 1910.
Later on knew him better, and heard
him speak and converse frequently. l
knew his partner, HerndoD, we'll. Have
often spent pleasant hours with Bill
Herndon in free and congenial converse
tion. l have read everything from Mr..
Lincoln's pen that / have been able to
lay hands on during the past forty years
and more. l think know something Of
his style Of speech and writing, and, can
didly, never have had a doubt that
Mr.. Lincoln said something very much
like the paragraph in question. 1t Is
lust about what he would have written
TO some of his old familiar friends or
relatives, like the Hankses, the old time
Clarey Grove boys, or, even to Simeon
Francis, William Butler, old Archie
Herndon, and other Illinois friends.
But, let that all 60. l have often
quoted the paragraph In question in my
writings, given credit to the alleged
author. with no desire or ability TO con.