The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-14

IN the North and its effect on politics
Iarties and action He then continued a.
follows:
1T is now forty years since l first saw
and heard Abraham Lincoln, but the inn
preston which he left on my mind Is inef-
faceable. After his great success in the
West he came to New York TO make po-
litical address. He appeared I'm every sense
OF the word like one OF the plain people
among whom he loved 10 be counted Al
first sight there was nothing impressive
or imposing about him, except that his
great stature singled him out from the
crowd; his clothes hung awkwardly on his
giant frame. his face was of dark pallor
without the slightest ttnge or color, MS
scanned and rugged features bore the fur
rows OF hardship and struggle; his deep
set eyes looked sad and anxious; his coun-
tenance In repose gave little evidence OF
that brain power which had raised him
from the lowest TO the highest station
among his couDtrymen; as he talked to me
before the meeting he seemed i'll at ease,
with that sort of apprehension which
young man might feel before presenting
himself to a new and strange audience,
whose critical disposition he dreaded. Ii
was a great audience. including all the not
party in New York-editors, clergymen,
statesmen, lawyers, merchants. critics.
They were all very curious TO hear him.
His fame as a powerful speaker had pre-
ceded him: an exaggerated rumor of his
wit--the worst forerunner of an orator
had reached the East. When Mr.. Bryant
Cooper Institute a vast sea of eager. up
turned faces greeted him, full of intense
curiosity 10 see what this rude child of the
people was like. He was equal to the oc-
casion. When he spoke he was trans
formed; his eye kindled, his voice rang
his face shone and seemed to light up the
whole assembly. For an hour and a half
he held his audience in the hollow of his
hand. His style of speech and manner Of
delivery were severely simple. What Low
ell called the grand simplicities of the
Bible with which he was familiar. were
reflected in his discourse. With no attempt
at ornament or rhetoric, without parade
or pretense, he spoke straight to the point.
If any came expecting the turgid eloquence
or the ribaldry of the frontier they must
have been startled at the earnest and sin
cere purity of his utterances. 1t was mar
velous TO see how this untutored man. by
mere self-discipline and the Christening OF
his own spirit, had outgrown all meretri-
cious arts and found his way to the gran
deur and strength of absolute simplicity.
He spoke upon the theme which he had
mastered so thoroughly. He demonstrated
by copious historical proofs and mastery
logic that the fathers who created the
Constitution in order to form a more per-
feet Union, to establish justice and to Sc
cure the blessings of liberty to themselves
and their posterity intended to empower
the federal government to exclude slavery
from the Territories. Iii the kindliest spirit
he protested against the avowed threat of
the Southern States to destroy the Union
If, in order to secure freedom in those vast
regions out of which future States were
to be carved. a Republican President were
elected.
A GREAT TRIUMPH.
He closed with an appeal to his audi
ence, spoken with all the fire of his aroused
and kindling conscience, with a full out
pouring of his love of justice and liberty
to maintain their political purpose on that
lofty and unassailable issue of right and
wrong which alone could justify it, and
not to be inundated from their high re-
solve and sacred duty by any threats of
destruction to the government or of ruin
to themselves. He concluded with this
telling sentence, which drove the whole ar
gument home TO all our hearts: Let us
have faith that right makes might, and in
that faith let us TO the end dare to do our
duty as We understand it, That night the
great hall and the next day the whole city
rang with delighted applause and con-
gratulations, and he who had come as n
stranger departed with the laurels OF a
great triumph.
ALAS, In five years from that exulting
night / saw him again. for the last time
in the same city, borne in his coffin through
its draped streets. With tears and lamen-
tations heartbroken people accompanied
him from Washington. the scene of his
martyrdom, to his last resting place in the
young city of the West, where he had
worked his way to fame
Mar. Choate then considered the desper-
ate plight of the government when
Lincoln took hold of it; the preparedness
of the South and the utter unpreparedness
of the North; the noneffect of his concilia-
tory inaugural address, and of the errone-
Gus ideas which even he had of the magni-
tude of the struggle upon which he was
about to enter. He did not attempt to re-
view the conduct of the war, but devoted
COnai0erahle time I.inCOln'S W
as developed by and during that struggle
In this connection he said: I'm all the
grandeur of the vast power which he
welded, he never ceased To be one of the
plain people, he always called them,
never lost or impaired his perfect sympa-
thy with them, was always in perfect
touch with them and open TO their appeals
and here lay the very secret of his per-
sonality and of his power, for the people
I'm turn gave him their absolute confidence
His courage, his fortitude. his patience,
his hopefulness, were sorely tried, but
never exhausted. He was true as steel to
his generals. but had frequent occasion
to change them, as he found them made
quate. A whole night might be
spent in recounting the stories of his wit
humor and harmless sarcasm. But will
recall only two of his sayings, both about
General Grant who always found plenty
of enemies and critics To urge the Presi-
dent TO Gust him from his command. One.
/ am sure, will interest all Scotchmen.
They repeated with malicious intent the
gossip that Grant drank. What does he
drink asked Lincoln. Whisky was, of
course, the answer; doubtless you can
guess the brand. Well said the Presi-
dent, just find out what particular kind
he uses and I'll send barrel to each OF
my other generals The other must be as
pleasing to the British to the American
ear. When pressed again on other grounds
to get rid of Grant, he declared, L can't
spare that man; he fights.
THE emancipation proclamation. with
which Mr.. Lincoln delighted the country
and the world on the first Of January, 1866
will doubtless secure for him foremost
place in history among the philanthropists
and benefactorS of the race, as IL rescued
from hopeless and degrading slavery sc
many millions of his fellow-beings de-
scribed in the law and existing i'm fact as
owners and possessors, TO all intents, con-
structions and purposes whatsoever.
Rarely does the happy fortune come 10
one man to render such a service to his
kind-to proclaim liberty throughout the
land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
HIS FIRST INAUGURAL.
I'm his first inaugural address. when as
yet not a drop of precious blood had beer
shed, while he held out to them the olive
branch in one hand, in the other he pre-
sented the guarantee OF the Constitution
and after reciting the emphatic resolution
Of the convention that nominated him
that the maintenance inviolate of ths
rights of the States, and especially tn,
right of each State to order and contro
its own domestic institutions accordirs
to its own judgment exclusively. Is essen
1 tial to that balance of p0wer on which