The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-15
LINCOLN AND AB0LnIONISM.
An Interesting Review of Memoir.
able Era in United States History,

/
able Era in United States History.
AT Wasatch hall. or the old federal
court room, as it is best known, Mr.
Charles Ellis, who began his work in
Utah in the same place six years ago,
!ast evening entertained a large and
intelligent audience with a lecture on
that social irritability known az
negro slavery" and the civil war in
which it was destroyed.
MT. Ellis pointed out that the puri-
tan element that had worked Tor
american Independence desired a ma
tional government that should guar
antee freedom and the right to life,
liberty and the pursuit OF happiness
10 all mankind. and that the United
states should be an asylum for the
oppressed of all lands and peoples.
But when the representative of the
original thirteen states came together
10 formulate plan for the production
OF national government the uues-
non OF negro slavery was found to
De an obstacle to any perfectly free
government. The result was a com
promise. The compromise. though
probably the best the wisest men in
tne convention could obtain at that
time, was mistake. The mistake
came near costing the nation its life.
Inc rise of anti-slavery agitation
was pointed out in terse sentences and
the audience was easily carried along
the years running from the early part
OF the century down to the opening
OF the rebellion with Abraham Lin
coin in the foreground 1.-The most
UNIQUE and altogether wonderful man
produced by the long-continued anti
slavery agitation" The speaker
thought the salvation of the union
was due to Lincoln's SLOW conservat-
ism and wisdom" If he had been an
extreme Republican. or if he had all
lowed his judgment to be controlled
by extreme Republicans, said the lee
turer, the Democratic party of the
north would have taken up arms with
their brethren of the south. But Lin
coins persistent determination to
stand by the constitution, even though
he knew it to be wrong, until. in order
to. save the Union, he was compelled
TO depart from it, gave the northern
Democrats ample time to see that
Lincoln was doing nothing from i'm
pulse and was thoroughly honest in
his high position. His course brought
thousands of northern Democrats to
his side to help him save the Union.
Mr.. Ellis pointed out that Lincoln.
criticism from both extreme Republi-
cans and extreme Democrats, never
swerved from the course marked out
clear and straight as a ray of sum
light in his own mind. His proclama-
ton of emancipation was written be-
fore even his cabinet knew that he
contemplated it. 1t was written
month before ne wrote the famous
Greeley letter in which he told that
extremist that his chief object was to
save the Union. and if he could save
It with slavery he would do so. It
had been lying in his desk two months
when a body of clergymen waited on
him and notified him that God wanted
him to free the slaves. Lincoln did
not tell them he had already written
proclamation that should free them.
He quietly intimated that in his opin-
ion the day of miracles was gone, and
that if God had a communication of
such Importance to make he would
probably make it to the man who
would have to execute the command.
He was waiting for an opportunity
when his proclamation would produce
marked effect and when the right
time came the proclamation appeared.
Mr. Ellis gave a graphic picture of
the war and closed With the death of
Lincoln. who was, he said. easily the
greatest man of the world in his time.
He alluded to Lincoln's statement in
a letter written only a short time be-
fore his death that he saw trouble
ahead that made him more anxious
for the safety of the nation than he
had been at any time during the war.