The Redwood gazette., 1896-04-09

Judgment. / never knew man who cOuld
do so much work in a given time. He was a
nervous man; a man of imagination; man
utterly absorbed in the idea of the Republic
one and indivisible and he lived for it, wore
himself out in the service, and shortly after
he ceased to serve in office, he passed into
another world entirely exhausted consumed
by his devotion to public duties. That was
the kind of men Mr.. Lincoln had around him.
Not all like Stanton; not all like Cameron;
not all like Chase; but all faithful to their
duty, all Americans, all patriots.
Mr.. Seward, for instance. possessed great.
subtle, far reaching intelligence. He was an
optimist. He had imagination. He was
reaching out always toward the future and
dwelling upon it. The treaty by which we
acquired Alaska was his doing. He negoti
ated and arranged the treaty, that Congress
would not approve, for the acquisition of ST.
Thomas in the West Indies. He believed that
North America should be one and united zone
Government one flag, one power. He under
stood that the island of the Antilles, like the
frozen regions of the Arctic ocean, should all
live and grow great with that beautiful en-
blem the Stars and Stripes, floating over
them. [Applause]
PrODaDly III Tic AullllllSll dlloli, NIL sew
ard had the most cultivated and comprehen-
sive intellect. He wasn't equal to Mr.. Lin
coin, because, as l have said, he was alto
gether an optimist. He didn't believe any
permanent injury could be done to anybody
as long as the Stars and Stripes were there.
During the war it was always said that he
expected to bring back the seeding States
by friendly act of Congress- or some device
of negotiation. That was probably fault
in his judgments; yet, take him for all in ALL
it would be difficult to match him among liv-
ing statesmen, or among the statesmen OF
the world He was an American in earnest.
He believed in that democracy which is de-
mocracy, indeed. He believed in the Consti-
tuition of the United States, and his one de-
sire was that it's blessings should be extend
ed and made perpetual over all this conti-
nent. look back upon him with intense
gratitude. He set up the landmarks toward
which we are to come, the boundaries which
we are to attain to. He proclaimed the prin-
Ciple of continental unity, and that unity he
would found in freedom, in progress, and in
Improvement of every nature.
Such were the principal men by whom Mr..
Lincoln was surrounded. They were very in
fed with his decisions, with his action; but
he was always master of the house. There
was no pretension about Mr.. Lincoln. He
didn't put on any airs, and I never heard
him say a harsh word to anybody. l never
heard him speak word of complaint even
These other gentlemen, the members of the
Cabinet, like human beings in general, were
not pleased with everything. Much was i'm
perfect: much was not ordered in the best
way; much, perhaps, might have been done
better if they individually had had charge
of it. Not so with the President. He was
most calm, equable, uncOmplaining, and. to
my mind, one of the happiest men have ev-
er known. He always had pleasant word
for everybody. What he said, showed the
profoundest thought, even when he was
joking. He seemed to see every side of eve
ry question. He never was impatient; he
never was in hurry; and he never tried to
hurry anybody else. To everyone he was
1t was his word that went at last; and until
he had decided. the case hadn't been decided
and the final orders not issued yet.
But before going further let me endeavor
to give those in this audience who never saw
Lincoln, some idea of his personal appear
ance He was very tall man-6 feet inch
es. His complexion was dark, his eyes and
hair black; and though he was of lean, spare
habit, should suppose he must have weigh
ed about $50 pounds. He was man of fine
fibre, and thus a brain of superior power
was contained in small, but rather elOn-
gated skull Horatio Seymour once spoke of
him as man "who wore No. hat and a
No. IA boot His movements were angular,
but never awkward; and he was never bur-
dened with that frequent curse of unfortu-
nate genius,the dreadful oppression of petty
self-consciousness.
1t was most remarkable character, that
of Abraham Lincoln. He had the most COM
prehensive, the most judicious mind; he was
the least faulty in his conclusions of any man
that have ever known. He never stepped
too soon and he never stepped too late Just
consider, if you can, the problem that was
before him when he became President. One
third of the country in open rebellion Not
merely in rebellion on account of this pecul-
lar property in slaves that we have spoken
Of, but also because they had an intellectual
conviction that they had right under the
constitution to leave the Union when they
They had come into the Union, they had ac-
cepted the Constitution, and they couldn't
admit that that was an irrevOcable transac-
tion. The right of rebellion had been talked
of in every quarter. Every man has right
to rebel, we were told, if he is only willing to
take the consequences.That was the doctrine
of our seeding countrymen in the South
They were defending their property as we
would defend ours, and they were defend
ing what they considered to be an inherent
right, the right of every freeman to say
whether he will submit to the Government
that is over him or rebel and take the conse-
quences. And I am bound to declare that the
most of them were just as sincere in their
purpose and their passion as we were in ours
Mr.. Lincoln was not what you would call
an educated man. The college that he had
attended was that which man attends who
gets up at daylight to hoe the corn, and sits
up at night to read the best book he can find
by the side of a burning pine knot. What
education he had he picked up in that way
He had read great many books; and all the
books that he had read, he knew. He had a
tenacious memory, lust as he had the ability