Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-02-08

self was obedieDt to the laws as well
as a faithful exec rive of the law. He
was a respecter OF the law in private
life as well as a conservative lawmakeI
in public life.
An Advocate of the Law.
What was Lincoln's stand when great
abolitionist meeting was held in Spring.
field some years before the war? There
the opponents of slavery proposed by
force of arms to defy the public author
tiles and drive out the shareholders
from the then territory of Kansas
When called upon for a speech Lincoln
shocked some of his very best friends
and, as some thought, then and there
signed his own political death warrant
Let there be peace"' he emphatically
said "Revolutionize through the bal
lot box Your attempt. if there be such
TO resist the laws of Kansas by force
is criminal and wicked, and all your
feeble attempts will be follies and end
by bringing sorrow on your own heads
and ruin on the cause you would free
ly die to preserve" What said he i'll
his famous speech delivered on July
II, 1858, in answer to one of the
charges made against him by Douglas!
Now, as to the bred Scott decision
for upon that Senator Douglas makes
his last point against me. | am op
posed to that decision in a certain
sense, but not in the sense in which he
puts it. | say that in so far as it de
cided in favor of bred SCOTS master
and against bred Scott and his fam.
lily do not propose to disturb or resist
the decision. l never have proposed tc
90 any such thing. l think that in re
spect for judicial authority my humble
history would not suffer in comparison
with that of Judge Douglas" When
some enthusiastic admirers asked him
this question: Has the territory OF
Kansas a right to come into the Union
a slave state if the people wish?" Lin
coin said: Yes. By the national law il
has a right which you cannot take
away unless by national legislation you
change that law" In all the fiftysiS
years of LincOln's life, both as pub
lie ofticeholder and as a private citizen
you cannot put your finger upon on:
act where he was an advocate of viola
ton of the law. He was patient in his
belief that moral right would ultimate
ly become legal right.
Followed the Path of Rectitude.
On the approaching anniversary OF
this great Americans birth let us learn
one of the greatest lessons of his life.
Even amid the injustices and the weak
nesses of the law let us bow before and
recognize the majesty of the law. Be
cause in some municipalities the Cit.
Zens may be terroriZed every winter
by 'holdup' men who walk around at
night shooting down innocent pedes.
trians in cold blood, that is no reason
why, in order to eXtirpate them, we
ourselves should become criminals. Be.
cause Alexander of Servia was a bad
man, that does not place the stamp Oh
responsibility upon those who, by regi
eide, proved they were as lawless as
their detested king. Always obey the
law. If it be wrong. then make the
law right, but never defile the majesty
of the law.
of positive characteristics, yet he was
patient in the fact that he was ready
to keep step with the march of the
common people. He never for one mo.
ment left the path of rectitude and
honor. He was not a foolish color bear.
er, leaving the ranks of his fellow sol
diers and plunging far ahead of the
hlatiOn. As the national standard bear.
err he was ready. if necessary. to mark
time so that the common people could
catch up with him, that all might ad.
vance in line.
Man of Patience.
All things may be lawful, but all
things are not expedient What did he
do after he had delivered his first in,
augural address? Did he do anything
to antagOnize the southern leaders and
people, as some rash statesmen would
have had him do? No; that was not
his way He had malice toward none
and charity for ALL" He bided his
time. though in every town. village anC
city he was called a coward. If pos
sible he wanted to win the southern
leaders back by love and kindness. He
knew that hate and billingsgate an(
/ club never won a willing subject. He
was patient, very patient. His pa
thence was expressed powerfully in the
words he once spoke to Alexander II
! Stephens at the memorable conference
held at Hampton Roads with the south
! ern commissioners. stephens ht
ssaid. ''let me write Union at the TOT
of that page. and You may write below
| it whatever else you please"
To placate the southern leaders was
one reason for delay. But there wa
| still another reason why he was patient
| There were scores and hundreds anC
| thousands of men at the north as wei
as the south who believed that as tn,
| original southern states came into til,
| Union of their own accord they haC
| therefore the right to leave of thei,
| own accord. As Lincoln in his quain