The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-02-23
A FIashlight View
Of Lincoln,

N'AAA tAHAp ANNtA AAAaAG llIg oubICIb VA W.
cussion In the Court street school for to
morrow, the following brief points may
be read with interest
II he had not been murdered, Abraham
Lincoln might still have been living. In
deed, he was so strong and Of such fibre
and had within him such resources OF
humor to relieve the rasping cares Of re-
sDonsibility, that II Is probable he might
today have made speech, as Mr.. Glad
stone is doing. Whether without mar
tyrdom in the hour Of supreme victory,
he would have been venerated as he has
become. is question that must be an
swered in the negative. No living man
could have occupied the space, the ex-
altation. that the memory Of Lincoln fills.
He has been so far ideaIixed. The imag
ination Of millions has so painted him
that his stature has become supernat-
ural The danger OF his birthday cele-
brations, grateful and glorious as they
are. is that the public will lose the great,
homely. kindly human being. as Wash
ington is lost, the myth obscuring the
man. The historian. Parton, once thought
to write the life OF Washington as he had
OF Andrew Jackson and Ben Butler. and
spent some time collecting material. He
was surprised by the amount of matter
that was new, and presently impulsively
abandoned the work. saying he would not
be responsible for marring the familiar
image OF Washington. It is by no means
certain he was right Mr.. Parton could
not have disturbed the austere figure OF
Washington. lifted on a colossal pedes-
tai into the skies, and new light upon II
would have been additional glory. Lin
coin has not been spared. There is not
circumstance In his career that has not
been celebrated, but tho malice Of his
enemies has been made to praise him.
He stands forth the emancipator Of mil
lions, but It was the sword that freed
the slaves. 1t is more and more worth
while to go right to the point, and see
and realize what 1t was that Lincoln did
that gave him such pre-eminence in the
hearts Of the people. His great first
quality seems to have been patience when
others were impatient-'to have been Sc
rene in the midst OF alarms. The critical
time of the war was before a gun was
fired. The bombardment of Fort Sumter
aroused and practically united the free
states, and divided the border slave
states. No one active in those times can
realize how easily It might have happened
then to make the South solid and the
North divided. One rash act OF Lincoln
would have done II. He waited, and
grew strong through waiting and suffer
ing; and the people, whom he knew better
than they knew themselves, believed they
had coerced him into measures. Read tn,
story with that key In mind, and see how
1t fits all the locked doors that are not
mysterious when they are opened. What
is the chief charm In the celebration OF
Lincoln's birthday to those who look be-
yond the pleasures Of eulogy and think
of the dark days of just thirty years
ago? 1t was precisely this and next month
Of 1868 that was the period OF deepest
gloom. There never was man NOR,
fiercely assailed than Mr.. Lincoln. The
democratic party has lost none of its
characteristics; but Its animosity TO Lin
coin, that then broke out In the thous-
ands OF country papers, has passed away
and II Is wnnderful that 1t has become
democratic to join in the universal accla-
nation for the man who interpreted the
constitution for the national salvation,
and crowned the copquests of the SWORD
with the kindness that is the statesman
ship Of heaven.
A. B. Ford, an independent salmon can
ner OF Yes bay, Alaska, is at the Els
In nd Ia xfiax .tlt
placency the recent movement on the
part OF the Alaskan Gamers to form
permanent organization. "There are
few of us yet" he said, "who stand up
on an Independent basis. and we shal
perhaps do better now than before tn,
trust was formed. AS far as l know, the
canneries not In the trust are the Alaska
Improvement Company. at Kaduk; tn,
Barlnoff Packing Company, ut Red Fish
Bay; David Morgan's Chilcat Canning
Company; the North Pacific Trading
Company, at Klawak; the Boston Fish.
ing and Trading Company, at Yes Bay;
and the Missouri Canning Company, at
Metlakahtla. / think the trust Is gooc
thing inasmuch as II regulates the sea
sons pack and keeps the market from
becoming oyerstociked. The capital Of tn,
new concern is said to be $4,000. The
trust Of last year was simply an exper
iment, but It proved to be such success
that now they have all gone into a per.
manent organization. You see, the cost
of packing will be greatly reduced be
cause supplies can be purchased In such
large quantities that the discount win be
heavy. Then n large number OF superin-
Iendents. professors. bookkeepers, ETC.,
can be done away with. Probably the
biggest saving will be in the shutting
lown OF expensive cannerles and increas
ng the output OF those that can be
cheaper. The Alaskan trust will fix .
,rlces OF their salmon, and really cont |
he market, although their fish is inferior
o the Columbia river product"
The county commissioners have not def
nitely decided where to locate the two
lew circuit courts In Portland. II was
Intended ~ place one in the house ON the
ounty's quarter block on Fourth and
lain streets but, as the building is
wned by private parties. this may not
q done. When Judge Moorland returns
rom Idaho the house Will be inspected.
nd II the rooms are found suitable for
ourt and offices the criminal judge may
Q placed there. II Is also said that ar
lngements may be made whereby one OF
ne judges win occupy the county court
pom when the commissioners are not in
,ssion. one OF the commissioners said
uesday that the grand jury room and
strict attorneys office win probably be
inverted into a courtroom. In that case,
iarters Tor the grand jury and District
Hume would have TO be found
ELECTRIC BITTERs.
This remedy Is becoming so well known
ID SO popular as to need no speclal men,