The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-02-09
LlNCONlAN SPEECH.
Many Quaint Modes of Expression In
LincoIn's Talk and Writings.

LincOIn's Talk and Writings.
To astute practical philosophy and
never failing common sense Lincoln
Joined the most grotesque humor. Nor
was he ever at loss to enliven or
cheer the most doleful or somber eX-
igency with some droll or sprghtly re-
mark or witticism. The hostility of
Thurlow Weed and Horace Greeley
afforded the president an opportunity,
which he did not fail to improve, to
indulge his grotesque humor in note
to Secretary Chase suggesting an APP
polntment-thus: "Mr. Adams is mag
nificently recommended, but the great
point in his favor is that Thurlow
Weed and Horace Greeley join in rec
ommepding him. | suppose the like
never happened before and never will
again, so that it is now or never"
In speaking of the hostility of the
senate to Seward as secretary of state,
he commented thus: while they SEEM
ed to believe In my honesty, they also
appeared to think, when | had in me
any good purpose or intention, Seward
contrived to suck it out of me upper
ceived," Which was an extremely
coarse, but, it must be confessed,
graphic, mode Of stating the case.
His early acquaintance with Douglas
was not achieved under very fattering
auspices, rs would appear from letter
to John 7. Stuart of Nov. IA, 1889,
thus: Speaking of authenticity, you
know that II we had heard Douglas
say that he had abandoned the contest
It would not be very authentic"
Which. it must be confessed, was n
very neat way of charging mendacity.
The same masterful politician was
adroit in his political strategy, and
Lincoln understood his ways perfectly.
OF his doctrine of popular sovereign
ty' he said, at is to be dished up in as
many ways as French cook can pro
duce soup from potatoes" And again
he said of 1t. 1T has been nothing but
n living. creeping lie" Speaking of
Douglas promise that we were just at
the end of the slavery agitation, be
said, $50 it would seem that the last
tip of the last joint of the old serpent's
tail was just drawing out of view"
When the United States senateasked
the president to dismiss Seward, and he
rendered his resignation in conse-
quence. and Chase, from having been n
particeps crilhinis in the rebuke, had
also to tender his resignation. thus pac-
ing the president in the judgAent seat
concerning them. he. with magnanimity
and gracious COndescenSion, refused to
dismiss them and thus acquired NOR
al ascendancy over them in an extreme
degree. He then said to Judge Harris,
with an air of not sardonic. but anus
ed. felictation. Now | can ride, for
have got 'punkin' in both ends of my
bag"
But he could likewise be solemn and
dign,ded in his minor utterances, and
in view of the awful denouement Of
April 10, 1865. the following, written
to Thurlow Weed just one month pre-
viously, has strange significance:
"Men are not flattered by being shown
that there has been difference of pur-
pose between. the Almighty and them
To deny It, however, in this case is to
deny that there is God governing the
world. 1t is a truth which | thought
needed to be told. and. as whatever
there Is of humiliation in it falls most
directly on myself, I thought others
might afford for me to tell It,"
No statement of the wrong Of extend
ing slavery into free territory could be
more forclbly presented than Is done
in a letter to Samuel Galloway In 1859,
taking slaves into new territory and
buying slaves in Africa are identical
things. Identical rights or identical
wrongs, and the argument which will
establish the one will establish the
other"
To Governor Hahn he wrote, They
1.-THE colored mem will probably help,
in some trying time to come, to keep
the jewel of liberty in the family Of
Freedom"
Nor yet does he omit to steal a brief
respite from carking cares in order to
notify "Tad" of a great misfortune
and to condole with him thus: Tell
dear Tad poor nannygoat Is lost, and
Mrs. Cuthbert and are in great dis
tress abOut II. The day you left nan
ny was found resting herself and