The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-12
LINCOLN,s BIRTHDAY.

1t is a rare thing and great honor for a
mans birthday to be remembered and hon
ored by millions of people. Most mems
birthdays are only remembered by them
selves and their immediate relatives. To
have ones birthday honored by posterity
long after enc is dead and gone argues great
services TO mankind. OF all Americans who
have lived the birthday of Washington
alone is a national holiday, and that of Lin
coin comes next as being a legal holiday in
ten States and generally observed in twenty
others.
1t has been nearly forty years since Abra-
ham Lincoln died by the hand Of an assas-
sin, and his character has grown upon the
American people steadily ever since. During
his lifetime. and almost up to the day of his
death. Lincoln, like Washington, had his
critics. detractors and defamers, but as
soon as he was gone all united in what was
evidently the honest conviction and univer-
sal Judgment of the people that he was one
Of the greatest men that had appeared in
American history and that he had been di-
vinely appointed to a great work. n re-
his term as President. while he was prose-
cutting the war for the preservation Of the
Union. he continued to grow in the estima-
ton of the South as well as in that Of the
North, and since his death the people of
both sections have joined in honoring his
memory.
A notable feature of the war period was
the personal affection of the Union soldiers
for Lincoln. If patriotism was the para
mount motive that induced them to endure
the perils and hardships Of four years Of
war, loyalty to Uncle Abe" or "Old Abe"
was no small factor in the case. They not
only had implicit confidence that he was
doing the best he could. but they believed
he was doing the best that anybody could.
They held up his hands not only because he
was President of the United States, but be-
cause they loved him as a man.
When the war began comparatively few OF
those I'm the Union army favored the aboli-
ton of slavery or expected the war to bring
1t about. Mr.. Lincoln himself was of this
way of thinking. AT the time Of his election
he was far from being Abolitionist. He
and most of the soldiers expected the rebel
lion to be suppressed and the Union to be
preserved with slavery. By degrees, how
ever. the logic of events brought Mr.. Lin
coin to see that the abolition of slavery was
a moral duty as well as political neces-
sity and when he reached that conclusion
he did not hesitate TO carry IL out If he
had acted prematurely in the matter, had
moved too fast or spoken too soon, he might
not have had the army and the people with
him. AS il was, thanks to his wisdom, tact
and self-control, he had them by an over
whelming majority. In the presidential cleo
ton of 1864 the soldiers vote was 1857 for
Lincoln and S3,74S for Mcclellan. while the
popular vote was 2.21S.665 for Lincoln and
1902 2s7 for Mcclellan.
Lincoln was human, and, therefore, falli-
BILE He may have erred in particular in
stances, but he led the American people
through the greatest crisis in the Nation
history with wonderful wisdom and skill.
! Not TO speak of multiplicity of details,
his two greatest achievements were pre-
serving the Union and founding the Repub-
lican party on rock. On the anniversary
of his birthday all patriotic Americans can
say with Archbishop Ireland. paraphrasing
the immortal Gettysburg speech:
The Republic that Lincoln saved is COM
| mitted to our love and our care. Let US be
| loyal to her. This is the lesson of Lincoln.
| Nothing that we can say or do can make MS
| memory more sacred, more hallowed. III is
| for us TO be dedicated to the ideals which
| that memory holds out, to be dedicated TO
| our duty as Americans, that we take in
| creased devotion TO the cause for which he
| gave the last full measure of devotion; that
| we here resolve that he shall not have lived
| and died in vain; that this Nation shall not
| have come forth in vain from the terrible
| ordeal of the civil war, and that the govern
| nent OF the people, by the people and for
| the people shall not perish from the earth.