The San Francisco call., 1896-02-12
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

The birthday of Abraham Lincoln has
its anniversary to-day and the event should
not pass unnoted or unheeded by any por-
tion of the American people. The ami
yersary has not been set apart as Ma
tional holiday, and perhaps 1t is Just as
well that it has not. Such holidays are
apt, like that of Washington, to become
merely perfunctory observances on the
part of officials and to be neglected by the
people, 1t is better that the birthday of
Lincoln should be left for commemoratiou
to the loyalty of the popular heart without
other prompting than that which comes
from the press devoted to the mainte-
nance undiminished of all the best infu-
ences of American life.
At this particular juncture in our poll
tics it is more important to revive the in
fuence of Lincoln than that of Washing
ton himself. The illustrious man whose
happy fortune it was to establish the in
dependence of the colonies, found the Ma
ton and earn the proud title of the Father
of the Republic" stands as a representa-
tive of American liberty against European
aggression, of republicanism against any
form of monarchy and the broadest Ma
tional patriotism against any lesser or Sec
tional patriotism whatever. At the pres
ent time. however, none of these things
are assailed or doubted. All of them are
secure. Independence, ,Republicanism and
the Union are established beyond contro-
versy and from the influence of Washing
ton therefore there comes at this time no
inspiration affecting anything that can be
called vital problem of the day.
The influence of Lincoln is felt in mat
ters which still constitute perpIexing
problems of our National life True it is
that the Union is perpetuated and slavery
destroyed beyond all possibility of change,
but Lincoln stood for much more than
Union and emancipation and he repre-
sents much more in the popular concep-
ton of him. He is the supreme example
in our history, and in all history, of that
principle expressed by him in the i'm
mortal address at Gettysburg: ga gov
ernment of the people, by the people, for
the people" He represents the fullest re-
lance upon the common-sense of the peo-
pie for the establishment of the best gov
ernment and it is for that reason his infiu-
ence and his memory are of such value to
US now.
There are abundant evidences that not a
few citizens have begun to despair of pop
ular government. In books, in lectures,
IN magazines and not infrequently in
newspapers, we are confronted by CON-
plants OF those who attribute every evil
OF municipal misgovernment, State cor
ruption and Congressional wrong-doing to
that universal suffrage which elects the
authorities of cities and States and the
Nation. Amid the wailings of these
pessimists, mugwumps or nom n-partisans,
1t is well for us to recall the memory of
him who was the truest representative of
the American people of his time, and
whose character stands as the type of
American manhood to this day. Under
the spell of his influence none can doubt
the wisdom of the people nor deny their
Willingness to follow right leaders when
great emergencies arise and when 10
choose wrongly would result in disaster to
the Republic.
A thousand difficult problems confront
us. The strife incessantly breaking out
between labor and capital, the grasping
greed OF great corporations, the violence of
strikes carried to excess, the outbreaks of
lynch law, the folly and not infrequently
the apparent corruption of legislators and
even OF courts, where justice should be in
violate all these offenses, complicated
with one another and intricately involved
constitute thousand-fold problem suffi-
cient to perplex the wisest statesman, and
yet IN our form of government it is upon
the common-sen of common men we
must rely for the solution of them all.
Surely, then, it must be satisfaction to
every patriot to remember that he who
was IN our greatest emergency the wisest
of our leaders never faltered in his faith
in the people any more than the people
faltered in their faith in him, and for the
sake of that satisfaction it is worth while
to recall with honor this morning the
memory and influence of Abraham Lin
coin.