New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-24


charge had not been made large nurnoer Oh
~ letters 81 minor Importance collected In these
volumes relate 10 political appointments ana are
,,r,,,i,g from the light which they thro"
u,or rjncolns talent as practical poh'icla"'
ia ,as great In so many ways that MS ueA
,ori,,. and consummate tact as poliuclah an"
manager Of men have ordinarily escaped opSer-
walton. III, w.,
Tho second volume IS mainly filled with Lin
coins messages to Congress- executive procld'ld-
lions department orders. military memoranda
d,sratches TO army headquarters. and CORE
o,1a,co With generals and public men. To read
.h,s evhaustiye collection OF his writings ana
routine work during his Presidential term Is not
only to live over again the storm ana STRESS
,,or,od p tho Civil War but il Is also to receive
an overwhelming impression Of the incessant
labors. anxietes and disappcintncnts when ne
endured with a simple patience and an exalted
faith unexampled among the great men OF MOD
ern times There were no vacations lor 'He
President then; no intervals OF deer-stalkihs IN
the Adrondacks. duck-shootng off the North
Carolina coast. and summerng at Cape May.
Long Branch or Buzzard's Bay. For four years
WASHINGTON was more or less in a state Of siege,
and the President. like a patient soldier was en-
during the hardness Of prolonged campaign. in
which
were measured against those of the other half
The pressure OF public cares and executive detail
was never removed Lincoln carried In his
heart the burden OF the hopes and fears OF the
loyal North. and he knew no such thing as rest
during his waking hours.
The distinguishing characteristics OF his VOL
luminous correspondence and public writings dur
ing that momentous period were lucidity OF
thought and dscernment Of the forces Of public
opinion Whether he was making recommends
lions To Congress or imparting energy TO de-
llberate generals, or restraining Abolition Hot
spurs or discharging the multlfari)us routine du-
ties OF his office. he had the faculty Of making
his purposes known with clearness and positive
ness Generals officials. politicians and Journal
lists might not agree with him. but they always
understood precisely what he wanted done. lie
used the language Of the common people. and
he knew instnciively when he had their moral
support. and when 1t was necessary TO delay
great policies Ike Emancipation. until the IN
dispensable sanction of public opinion could be OBJ
tanned. lie too intensely occupied 10 pick
and choose his words or - make use Of rnetor-
cal devices and literary establishment; but MS
official messages and private letters were always
models OF clear thinking and plain statement
They abounded in homely phrases such as:
Broken eggs cannot be mended'; TOO many
family controversies on hand; "Wrngng their
bread from the sweat Of other mems faces; Il
cannot fly from my thoughts; my solcitude Tor
TINS great country follows me Wherever ! X
THE world Will not forget that you RosecranO
fought the battle 81 Stone River. and It Will never
care fig whether you rank General Grant on
paper or he 50 ranks you; only those generals
who gain successes can set up as dlctltOrs. What
] now ask Of you HO1k"r) is military success. ana
l Will risk the dictatorship"
When he chose to write deliberately he could
be trenchant as Horace Greeley. when he
replied 20 The Tribun"'s criticism in this way:
81 would save the Union. I would save n I'm the
sh1rtos' way under the Constitution. Tho sooner
n. he . rod lln
nearer the Union Will he the Union Il was
II there bee those who would not save the Union
unless they could al The same time save slavery.
90 not agree with them II there be those
who would not save the Union unless they could
q: tho same time destroy slavery. ID not agree
with Them Ny paramount object in this struggle
Il 90 save the Union AMI is not other L. save
or T. ae. troy slavery. II c'Ill snNe tnr ~
without freeing any slave would DO II. and s.,
! could save II by freeing an 10" sia,es would
do Il; and II | could save !! hy freeing some
and leaving others alone would d. mat.
! shall Do less whenever / rAail believe what
am doing hurts he cause. and snail d more
whenever | shau believe DOING more WIZ hep
the cause"
When Lincoln was at his best. as in The Ge,tys-
burg speech and tnc second Inaugural. adj
dress. he was master II English prose Con-
corning the latter the homospun writer. modest
as he was. expressed the opinion In one - she
last letters which ne wrotc-one % Thuriow
WecI-that Il would wear az well perhaps
better ihan-anythlng have pr iuccd. but
believe 81 is not Immediately popular. Men are
not natttrcd hy being shown that there has been
a difference q purpose between the Almighty
and them To deny ~. however. in this case. IA
t. deny that there IL a God governing the wot!i.
It Is a truth which thought needed - be- 'oli.
and as whatever ~ humiliation hero Is IN y
falls most directly on myself. ] thought others
might afford FOR me 10 tell IT. That passag"
IS one Of a thousand I'm these two great volumes
which might be cited az evidence Of Lncoln's
profound religious convictions. concerning which
there has been much unnecessary controversy
> -----