Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-15
DEPEW ON LINCOLN
MARTYRED PRESIDENT GREAT.
EST AMERICAN OF CENTURY.
PRESENT ISSUES TOUCHED
Congressman Cousins Says Lincoln
Made Possible the Dream Of Two
Centuries Before Him-Depew
Draws Lesson for Conditions of
Today.

New York, Feb. Ex-senator ChaLn-
cey VI. DepeW presided over and daliY-
cred the principal address at the four
teenth annual Lincoln dinner Of the
club at Demonico last
night The dinner was attended by
over 300 members Of the club and
guests. notable guest present was
Lincoln's registrar of the treasury, L.
E. Chittenden, now an octogernarian.
Among other guests Of honor were Alb
ner Mckinley, Gen. Arson G. M-Cook,
Gen. Samuel Thomas, Gen. Henry L.
Burnett, Attorney Ge-er2I John w.
Griggs and Congressman Robert G.
Cousins Of Iowa. Speaking to the
toast Abraham Lincoln, Congrl ssman
Cousins said in part: The dream Of
the 18th century was free government
democracy, the thought that CIVILIZED,
enlightened men could govern them
selves, and that security, progress and
endurance would attend that system.
But it was doubted by the world even
after our independence had been
achieved, doubted when Abraham Lin
coin was born, doubted when a free
people chose him as their president
The test Of rebellion had not yet been
made. When it came most Of the old
worlds intellects volunteered the
force and influence of their opinions
aainst the possibility of the survival
of the republic. Half a century has
passed since all men learned Lincoln's
name, and we have aain come as cit
liens of that permanent, perfect
union, to voice our gratitude to him
who studied out the way, to him who
said: We shall nobly save, or meanly
lose, the last, best hope Of EARTH"
Mr.. Depew said in part: 1T is an
interesting question as we close one
century and enter upon another, to
speculate as to who will survive of the
nineteenth as representative of what
has been done during these hundred
years. Though we are only one cen
tury in advance of the 18th, yet of all
worthless who fill the mind and eye, of
| the generations of that period, only
two are universally and commonly
recognized of ali men-George Wash
ington and Napoleon Bonaparte. When
the twentieth shall have been lost in
the twenty-frst and the story of the
nineteenth is recalled, I doubt if there
will be in the mind of the average man
or woman any better known name in
Europe than Bismarck and in America
than Lincoln. Lincoln dared proclaim
that the United States could not I've
half free and half slave. He aroused
q storm of protest, discussion and de-
nunciation by his emancipation procla
nation, as a violation of the consttu-
ton, even if it savedt the country, which
was only equaled by the de-
nunciation from the same class of
minds, of the action of President
Mckinley in sanctioning the acquisi
tiOn of new territories and the impo
sltion of American institutions upor
Porto Rico and the Philippines. A
student of the teachings of Lincoln
will find instructive lessons applicable
to the present conditions in Kentucky
The situation in that commonwealth
brings emphatically to the front one
OF the perils of our institutions Dis
missing the tragedy, which we all la
ment, and which was a elimination o.
kentucky's electoral difficulties, WE
come at once to the lesson of Lincoln
The whole spirit and philosophy OF
LincOln's politics was the power OF
= ta
thoroughly believed that the voice OF
the people is the voice Of God. Goebe
prepared and had enacted the election
law which went by his name, whose
avoWed object was to prevent the peo-
pie from havin their will I'M
less their votes were in &C
cordance with his wishes This
government aroused such Indignation
among the intelligent honest voters of
Kentucky that they repudiatei this in
vasion of 'their rights by an owe whe I'M
ing majority. Upon orders from
chiefs, thousand votes were thrown
out in different localities. When this
wholesale slaughter of suffrage still
left large majority against Goebel,
his associates on the arrival of the re-
turns to the supreme board at the
capitol, the American conscience of
two of the judges rose superior to the
| partisan demand for the commission of
the highest crime known to free gov
eminent. Against that judgment Goe-
bel and his associates appealed to the
legislature to use the authority which
that body possesses, for the purpose of
carrying out the original election
which would produce consequences
from which imagination shrinks.'