Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-06-03

sorbed from associations in oul
great cities. The house oa represent
atives and senate had not sohooled
him for the presidency. The plain
| unimaginative prairies of the west
social intercourse with frontiersmen
| rural law practice. eight years In
the Illinois legislature and one term
in congress were his chief prepara
tions. Yet contrast him with the
foremost men of his administration
in their most favorable light, and he
rises high above them all. His was
the master hand in shaping all its pol
icies and history now places before
us the foolish attempt of Seward to
assume this responsibility. If there
are among you those who attribute
to Stanton the credit of marshaling
that vast army and those illimitable
resources which were massed against
the southern army, let me ask you to
estimate the influence. energy and tact
of the president in rousing that patri-
otic sentiment which sent to the
front the husbands. fathers and sons,
in spite of disloyalty and treason )le
utterances in the north. fla false
halo of greatness has misled some OF
you to regard as your idol the bril-
liant but erratic Seward | would not
detract from the unmeasured devo-
tion our country owes him: but when
in the ecstacy of your praise you see
only him as the beacon light OF that
.,h m n @ a tim tn which nl in St fro. c
were supposed to turn. would have
you remember the delicate action and
sound Judgment exercised by the pres
ident in the Mason and Sidell affair,
in the timely issuance of the enamel
patton proclamation and the adop-
ton of policy which saved to the
union the border slave states at the
commencement of the war. ANY stu.
dent of these great mems lives is i'm
great differences which arose between
them and the extraordinary rcsponsi-
bilities devolving upon them In
the solution OF all grave problems Lin
coin was the master And now in the
light of all that the past h"s made
clear who would prefer 1t had been
Seward? Let the lover Of hero wor-
ship take from its shelf th" most
highly colored biography of his most
favorite hero and invest him with all
the glory of his military achievements
as pictured by a partisan historian
and then turn from your fictitious he
70 to the pain president as he stool
on the battlefield at Gettysburg and
ponder his words of wisdom and beau
ty, and If you are still in doubt as to
the greatness OF this mans soul and
intellect. then contemplate the con
summate tact and ability displayed
by him in dealing with the jealousies
among his generals, In the disaensions
in his cabinet and the bewilderment of
conflicting advice hurled at him from
ali quarters and not his superior wis
dom at each juncture; then find for
us from all history another instance
of statesman or ruler possessing
greater sasacity or profounder in
sight. His temper always unrufiled.
ever actuated by a profound regard
for truth and Justice. never swayed
by passion or prejudice, never prac-
ticing deception. and processing no
claim to sanctity. his plain. simple
character. fortified by great natural
endowments, carried him through ev
cry controversy victorious and the ma.
icious shafts OF his detractors fell
broken to the ground. Never before
in all history. at crisis involving
the very life of the nation. were there
such ii-timad disputes or differences
among leaders and such iII-tempered
controversies; Lincoln was superior
to it all. 1t was the unwavering con
tdence of the masses who believed
him inspired which carried him
through the storm and moored him
in safe harbor. The mothers ana
wives loved him for his tenderness
and sympathy. The soldiers prais-
ed his clemency and mercy and re
member him for his interest in their
welfare. The south now points to
him as their friend during the war.
"A grateful and loving country will
forever preserve his ashes to per-
petuate the memory of his amiable.
virtuous and distinguished charac-
ter"