Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-03-14

moment to utter single sentence that
could be heard above the din, passed
on and for moment disappeared
The sentence was pregnant with
meaning. The man bore commits
sion from God on high! He said
"A house divided against itself
cannot stand. l believe this govern
ment cannot endure permanently hall
free and half slave. do not expect
the Union to be dissolved; I do not
expect the house to fall; | do ex-
pect it will cease TO be divided lie
was Abraham Lincoln.
MIR. Watterson had spoken with de-
liberation. The manuscript Of the
lecture lay on "A table at one side OF
the stage. The first time he had con-
suited it was when he referred to the
above words of Lincoln. Then he
walked to the stand, put on his spec
tacles and read from his manuscript,
The audience had not applauded
since he began to speak, but when be
LAID down che manuscript and said;
He was Abraham Lincoln" it was
some minutes before the burst OF
hand-clapping subsidized.
LINCOLN AS HE KNEW HIM.
The orator reviewed the famous de-
bate of Lincoln with Stephen A.
Douglas, the nomination and election
Of Lincoln to the presidency, and said
of bis personal acquaintance with
Lincoln:
II met him 10 his apartment at the
Willard hotel as he was preparing to
start to his inauguration, and was
struck by his unaffected kindness, fol
came with matter requiring bis
attention. He was entirely self pos
sessed, no trace of nervousness, anc
very obHging. l accompanied the
cortege that went from the senate
chamber to the east portico Of thu
capitol As Mr.. Lincoln removed hi
hat to face the vast multitude in from
and below, l extended my hand tt
take it, but Judge Douglas just be
hind me, reached over my out
stretched arm and received it, hold
ing it throughout the delivery of tn
inaugural address. stood just nea
enough to the speakers el
bow not to obstruct any gestures b
might make, though he made bu
few; and then l began to UNDERSTAND
something Of the real power of tn
man,
"He delivered that inaugural &C
dress as if he had been delivering il
augural addresses all his life. Firm
resonant, honest, it announced tn
coming of a man, Of a leader of mer
and in his ringing tones and elevate
style, the gentlemen whom he had il
vlted to become members of his pc
ltical family-each of whom at Dol
tom thought himself his master
equal or superior-might have hear
the voice and seen the hand of on
born to rule. Whether they did o
not, they very soon ascertained tn
fact. From the hour Abraham Lin
coin crossed the threshold Of tn
White House to the hour he wen
thence to his tragic death, there wa
not a moment when he did not dom
mate the political and military sltua
ton and his official subordinates. Th
idea that he WAS overmatched at an
time by anybody is contradlcted b
all that sctually happened"
THE GREAT MANS KEEN FORESIGHT,
Mr. Watterson then told how Sew
ard and Chase and Stanton and Ger
eral Halleck and others who presum
ed to dictate to President Lincoln G
disregarded his commands we're kline
ly but firmly made to understand the
Lincoln himself was at the head c
affairs.
There WAS hardly a member OF hi
cabinet" he said, "but thought Lin
coin was smaller than any of the cal
met, but they soon found out VIII
was master. Mr.. Seward was tn
first to experience the discontinue G
his temerity. At the close of the frs
month of the administration he sen
to Mr.. Lincoln series ofsuggestion'
among which we're these: That ez
plantations be demanded from Franc
and Spain, and that if not satisfactc
RI war ha denlarad against them. an