The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-13
THELINCOLN LEAGUE
Address Of Rev. M. D. Hardin the
Leading Feature
OF IT'S BANQUET LAST, NIGHT
tfment Scathingly Condemned
Other Addresses.

CHS or our dominant party can proclaim
the atheistic and anarchistic doctripe-
Our country, may she ever be right, but
right or wrong, my country'-I say when a
United States senatorssin the name OF
patriotism can select such sentence as
fit climax for his peroration, in an ap-
peal to Americans to sanction the policy
or the government-as was actually done
In this city a year and half ago, with
out a single note of protest from any man
in his party-then, say, we have indeed
travelled as people long, long way
from the ideals of Abraham Lincoln, and
have gone far into that country whose
Inhabitants know no law, human or d.
vine, save the ungoverned impulses OF
their own ignorant seltshness.
So spoke Rev. M. D. Hardin Of Andrew
Presbyterian church in responding to the
toast, 1.-THE Moral Responsibility of Ma
tions," at the Lincoln League banquet at
the Hotel Nicollet last evening. Continu
ing, he said: .....,. . ,. ...
What does such speech mean,
but that my country, just because it is my
country, can do no wrong, that she is a law
unto herself, without duties and obligations;
that further, hold a FOOLS devotion that
makes believe that she is mighter than
Gods eternal laws of Righteousness aud that
if she once starts in given course l will
follow with her to the end, even though she
violate every commandment of the decalogue.
see her confined within the narrow limits OF
right as discerned by the old fogy fathers,
will brand as traitors to their country for
the sole reason that they have not been
swept from their ancient faith, and been will
ing, for patriotisms sake, to call lie truth,
| and blind, lawless commercialism the God or
providence. ---...
| If it is true as Lincoln believed and some
others, whose word was once seriously taken
to be fairly good authority, that 4:s is a
world OF compensation, that we get out OF life
what we put into life, that with what measure
we meet, it shall DO measured to lis again,
that we shall be judged as we Judge, then we
may we'll question what the future holds in
store for us. ... . as ..-
We must resort to stringent and barbarous
| measures which were once so horrible in our
| eyes that we were actually ready to go to
war to put stop to jusOsuch things. ..,.
nation whose sense of moral responsible
| ity is so lightly felt that in two years time
| that which was for century universally
condemned by the calm, unprecedented con-
| science of the whole people, can he decked
out in the garb of hurrah patriotism, and
worshiped as God suddenly fallen rom
heaven, is certainly not altogether sane and
sound.
| Tonight, I, for one, want to lift up my
| voice in gratitude for the life of Abraham
Lincoln, and my prayer is that his spirit
|
souls of all Americans-that as people we
shall put less stress on externals, that we
| shall pin our faith less to markets and MIL
| lions and might, and more to love- liberty AND
right.
If ever there lived statesman who be-
lieved that nations, like individuals, are
| morally accountable to just God it was
Abraham Lincoln He recognized as clearly
as any Hebrew prophet of old that there
is a, moral order in the universe before which
individuals and nations must alike DOW. II
every problem he pulled away the irrevelan
wrappings until the naked question stood be
fore the law OF God.
Mr.. Hardin's words were wildly applaud
ed, and when he had concluded man!
crowded about to compliment him upo1
the force and eloquence Of his words
Recollections by Colonel Ripley.
Colonel George c.. Ripley gave some in
teresting Personal Recolleetlons OF LIN
coln." Colonel Ripley stood within rev
feet of Lincoln when he delivered nj
immortal address at Gettysburg. Lincol1
Il he said was the only person who did no
appreciate the lasting significance of tina
speech. He was afraid his speech ha
made no impression. Lincoln was a pro
foundly religious man, said Colonel ZIP
lev. In the crisis throughout which b
passed he communed with God as did tn
men of old. r.:
The Ideal COmmoner.
Frederick L. M. McGhee, st. PauPs elo
t uuent colored orator, spoke of Lincoln
''the typical American, the ideal com
l moner." .,-'.. .-.- u
r "Lincoln and our sister republics wa
!, the subject assigned to Thomas +. Kan
: of st. Paul. Mr.. Kane : considered TN
J, Beers in the light Of a sister republic.
). Ex-Gov. Lind Speaks.
Former Governor Lind spoke of Lin
q coin as the "most unique character OF nls
:, torv in sympathy. kindness and huma
love-a man of the most remarkable en-
q thusiasm without the least faint OF eccen
y tricity.''
G. D. O'Brien of St. Paul ,responde
;. eloquently to the toast, 'Jenerson IN
Lincoln 5sa, -,
Henry slade Golf Of Minneapolis read a
, original poem on Lincoln. S. M. owe
v presided. .~