Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-02-16
Essex Junction.

as good. Let us. therefore. study tho
incidents Of this as philosophy 10 learn
wisdom from. ana none of them as wrongs
to be rcvcnscd. May not all
having common interest rcunite in a.
common effort to tservo) our common
country" For my own part. have striven
ard shall strive 10 avoid placing any OBJ
At aclc in the way. So long as havo
been here I have rot willingly planted u
thorn IN amy mans bosom. While | am
deeply sensible to the high compliment of
a reelection. aud duly grateful. as I
trust. 10 almighty God for having direct
ed my countrymer to a right conclusion
IS I think, for their own good it adds
nothing 10 my satisfaction that any
other man may he disappointed or painted
by the result
May ask those VINO have not differ.
ed with M TO join with me in this same
spr: toward those who have
This * TIL spirit in which mighty Lin
coin sought tn bind w the nations
wounds when its soul was yet SETTLING
with fierce hatrcds. with wrath. with ram
cor. with all the evil and dreadful pas
sions provoked by civil war. Surely this
is the spirit which all Americans sholld
show now. when there is SO little excuse
toi malice or raficor or hatred. when
there is 50 little of vital consequence to
divide brother from brother.
Lincoln. himself n man of Southern
birth. did not hesitate to appeal 10 the
sw ord when he became satisfied that in
no other way could the Union be saved, for
high though hc put peace hc put right
IL fDY
Union: he warfcd to free the slave: and
wren he warrcd he warrcd in earnest, FOR
| i, is . sign OF weakness to be half-heart-
cd wnen blows must he struck. But no
felt only love, "A love as deep as Tie ten
dciness Of his great and sad heart, FOR all
his cnun,rymcn alike in Tho North and in
the South. AMI he longcd above evcr;'-
ding for the day when they should once
| more be knit together in the unbreakahe
bonds of eternal friendship.
LINCOLN Orr EXAMPLE.
We Of to-day. in dealing with all our
f. low -cliiZens. white or colorcd, North
OF South, should strive to show Just the
qualities that Lincoln showed: His stcad-
iastness in striving after the right. and
his Infinite Patience and -ori,earance with
those who saw that right less clearly than
he did: his earnest endeavor to do what
WIS pest, and YET his readiness to accept
the best thai was practicable when the
ideal best was unattainabe: his unccas-
ING effort 10 cure what was evil. coupled
with his refusal 10 make a bad situation
worse by any ill-judgcd or ill-timed cf-
fort Ia make il better.
The great Civil War in which Lincoln
lowered as the lOiticst figure left ns not
only 1t reunited country. but a country
which has the proud right to claim as it's
own the glory won alike by those who
wore the blue and by those who wore the
gray. by those who followed Grant and
by those who followed Lee: for both
fought with equal bravery and with equal
sincerity Of conviction. each striving for
h" light as it was given him to see the
light. though it is row clear to all that
the triumph OF the cause Of freedom and
Of tn" Union was essential to the welfare
of mankind. We are now ono pooplc. a
people with falings which We must not
blink but n people with great qualities
in which we have the right 10 feel Just
pride
All good Americans who dwell in the
North must. because thcy are good Amer
leans. feel Tbs most earnest friendship for
their fellow-countrymen who dwell in the
South. friendship all tho greater be-
cause ii is in tho South that we find in
its most acute phase one or the cravest
problems before our people: the problem
Iof so dealing with the man of one color
us to secure him the rights that no one
would grudgc him il he were Of another
color. TO solve this problem it is of
course. necessary to educate hin, TO per-
form the duties. a failure TO perform
which will render him curse to himself
and to all around him.
THE NORTH MUST EE JUST.
Most certainly all clcar-sshtcd and
ge nerous me in the North appreciate the
difficulty and perplexity of this problem.
sympathize with tho South in the embar-
rassment of conditions for which she is
not alone reSpOnsi be, feel AN honest wish
to help her where help is practicable. and
have the heartest respect for those brave
and earnest men OF the South who, in
the face of fearful difficulties. are doing
all that men can do for the bettelm.nt
alike OF whit" and of bla,k X. The attitude
of the North toward the negro is fur from
what ii should be ard there IL need that
the North also should act in good faith
upon the principle Of giving to each man
what is justly due him. of treating him
on his worth as a man, granting him no
special favors, but denying him no proper!
opportunity for labor and the reward of
labor. iut the peculiar circumstances of
the South render the problem there far
greater and far more acute.
Neither I nor any other man can say
that amy given way of approaching that
problem Will present in our time even an
approximately perfect solution, but we
can safely say that there can never he
such solution at all unless We approach II
with the effort to do fair and equal justice
among all men, and to demand from them
in return lust and fair treatment for
Others. our effort should he to secure to
each man. whatever his color, equality
of opportunity, equality of treatment be-
fore The law As Il people striving to
shape our actions in accordance with tho
great law of Righteousness We cannot al
ford to take part in or nc indifferent to
tho oppression or nal-trcatmcnt of any
man who, against crushing disadvan-
tasos. has by his own - d,lstry. energy,
sclf-respcct. and perseverance" struggled
upward TO a position which would enttle
him 10 tho respect Of his fellows. If only
his skin were of different hue
Every generous impulse in rs revolts
at the thought Of thrnsting down instead
~ Ill -. ~