The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-04-07

PRESIDENT ROOSEvELT'S FOREWORD
TO ITS "HISTCRY."

Party Rallied and Which 1t Still
Upholds. -
full text of the Foreword by President
Roosevelt, written by him for use in the
History of the Republican Party, by
Francis Curtis G.. P. Putnams Sons
publishers.
Among the many wise and notable
utterances of Abraham Lincoln there
is one which has attracted less atten-
ton than by rights it ought to have at
tracted. 1t was delivered on Nov 10,
1864, just after Lincoln's reelection to
the presidency and in response to
serenade. 1t runs in part us follows:
1t has long been a grave question wheth-
er any government not too strong for the
liberties of it's people can be strong enough
to maintain it's existence in great ener-
gencies On~this point the present rebel
lion brought our republic to a severe test,
and the presidential election occurring in
regular course during the rebellion added
not a little to the strain. The strife
OF the election is but human nature prac-
tically applied to the facts in the case.
What has occurred in this case must ever
occur in similar cases. Human nature
will not change. In any future great ma
tional trial compared with the men of
w
as silly and as wise as bad and as good.
Let US therefore study the incidents in
this as philosophy to learn wisdom from
and none of them as wrongs to be aVeng-
ed Now that the election is over,
may not all having a common interest re-
unite in a common effort to save our
common country? For my own part, I
have striven and shall strive to avoid
placing any obstacle in the way. SO long
as l have been here l have not willingly
planted a thorn in any mans bosom.
While L am deeply sensible to the high
compliments of a reelection and duly
grateful, as l trust, to Almighty God for
having directed nay countrymen to a right
conclusion, as / think. for their own good,
it adds nothing to my satisfaction that
any other man may be disappointed or
panied by the result.
This brief speech was typical Of Lin
coin alike in it's strong common sense
and in it's lofty standard of morality,
and the Republican party today is
living organism of good because it has
continued responsive to those thoughts
and purposes of its founders which
were given their highest expression in
the life of the great martyred presi-
dent In it's essentials human nature
is very slow. In the successive ma
tional trials, great and small. which
this country has had to face since the
day half century ago when the Re-
publican party began its career the
same qualities have inevitably been
displayed-the qualities Of strength
and weakness, of wisdom and folly,
of evil and good, and in each Of these
crises we have done we'll or i'll about in
proportion as we have shown the quail
tiles which made us do we'll or ill in
the others. The problems Shift from
generation to generation; but, after all,
In each case the danger is due to
fundamentally the same evil tenden-
cies, and in each case success can come
only by the exercise of wisdom and
courage energy and high mindedness.
This is the reason why the history Of
the Republican party in the past is not
merely abiding interest to the student,
but is Of present Importance to every
man who seeks in practical fashion
actually to apply the principles of civic
righteousness.
It is of course the merest truism to
say that a party is of use only so far
as it serves the nation and that he
serves his party best who serves the
nation best In 1856 and in 1860 the
party was Of use because it stood
against the extension Of slavery; in
1864 because it stood against all slav-
cry as we'll as against the destruction
of this Union; in 1868 because it stood
against those who wished to undo the
results of the war These are now
dead issues, but we can learn how to
face the live issues Of the present by
studying in good faith how men faced
these dead issues Of the past. We
must act with wisdom or else our adj
herence to right will be mere sound
and fury without substance, and we
must act high mindedly or else our
wisdom will in the long run prove to
be but folly in the eyes of the JUS and
the farsighted. Our policy must be
such as will secure material prospect
ty to the nation, for exactly as a man
cannot be good citizen unless by his
work he is able to keep himself and
those dependent upon him from want
SO a nation can count for little until it
has the power which is based on phys
ical we'll being. Yet it is an evil thing
for the nation, as for the individual, if
material we'll being is accepted as in
itself all sufficient Such we'll being Is
worthless save as a foundation on
which to build the higher life. It is a
good thing for the nation, as for the
man, to have the money making ca
pacity, but back of this and above it
must stand those qualities Of the intel
lect and Of the spirit, Of the mind and
Of the soul, which in their sum make
up that high and fine type of character
which tells for true greatness. Such
was the character shown in every
phase Of the work of Lincoln.
There are few less. desirable things
than to advance the history Of what
has been we'll done in the past as an
excuse for failure to do we'll in the
Orocout and fnm moro Soci,.o hfo fhon