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

history OF our country can never be
written without telling the part which
the people took in that gigantic strug
gle for national life and human liber-
W. At no previous period of the
worlds history have the people risen
in all their might and fought with
such determination to pereptuate an
| ideal government of their own making.
Their work finished. the army dissolv-
| ed into the heart of the nauon. no fear
| to excite, no strife to prolong. And
now when all is over. the Blue and the
Gray march side by side, alike emu
lous to add some victory to the Stars
| and Stripes, each singing the same
national hymns and cheering the same
old flag; national sentiment and love
of country were never so deeply plant
| ed in the breasts of the people. 1t is
a grand monument to the supremi-
nency of the people, which ignorant
communes cannot tear down or the
ruthless havoc of time destroy.
The period of the civil war would
be conspicuous in history If for no
other reason than the many great
men who We're then introduced into
public life. Great events will always
bring to the front the really great
men and send to their level ordinary
men. | have never been believer in
the reliability of the judgment
of the people: and yet the
history of the world shows that it is
about the safest thing that civilization
can tie to. Our great theorists and
expounders of law and government
are too often mistaken; our great
journalists are not to be depended on,
and those statesmen who have long
enjoyed the confidence OF the people
have too often built their reputation
on a glamour of false doctrines which
vanish before the strong opposition
of cold facts. | think it can be safe
ly asserted that the people did not
expect Lincoln to be nominated in
1860. They did not even desire his
nomination. Seward or Chase would
have been far more acceptable. The
events that led to the nomination of
Lincoln was a combination of circum-
cumstances which deposes many
ltdNtl tltNdltS HUN pDStlltg
some one who has succeeded in making
himself sufficiently known to be Sc
IeCted from all the others. lincoln's
great debate with Dougia6s and his
| speech in Cooper institute had sutii'
ciently brought him TO the front so
as TO be recognized ne suitable tim
ber for the presidency: the defeat of
Chase and Seward had been planned
by those who We're hostue to them.
Lincoln was nominated to defeat them
rather than to reward Lincoln. |
repeat only what writer's of that pc
riod have said over and over again,
when | say that the great leaders of
the party had no confidence in Lin
coins ability to administer the gov
ernment, and IL was a matter taken
for granted. that coming as he did
from tho obscurity of life. he would
turn the management of important af-
fairs over to Seward and the archives
of the government now place before
us the proof of Stewards expectations
on this line. The people and the
leaders of the Republican party believ-
ed that Lincoln was very common,
ordinary man. Great men like Gree
ley. Chase. Seward. Sumner. and many
others did not once suppose that he
was in their class. And the people
We're in full accord with them. The
generals of the army were filled with
the same erroneous prejudice. And.
indeed we must confess that Lincoln
had never given proof OF possessing
IN;
southerners first discovered that Lin
coin was to he the real president in
fact and in name Men who cherish
ed the notion that they were to dictate
to the president were slower to hearn
his worth and ability. Men who are
wrong seldom find out that they are
wrong until it is too late. People
become accustomed to look on men as
of wonderful ability and 1t takes the
hard fate of trial to expunge the err
ror.
must pass this subject and briefly
recall your minds to the mistakes of
Greeley and Seward; either one of
them, if they had obtained their own
way, would have plunged this nation
into foreign wars which would have
rung it's death knell am amazed
when | read Stewards proposal of
policy on April !. 1861. In the light
of the past it is ridiculous. 1t is
enough for our purpose that it appear
ed ridiculous to Lincoln at the time,
and this so easily to the obscure man
from the prairies of Illinois. Gree.
ley ranted and threatened and press.
ed upon the president policies in ref
erence to the slave states which
would have lost to the government
half of its support If adopted by the
government. In every grave ques-
! tion that came up Lincoin's mind and
| influence was transcendant and con
trolled. He was the one man in the
| administration and war who always
kept his head and broke the force of
| the blunders of his brilliant satel-
lites.
Among the great statesmen of the
4 L.