Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-02-08

| last, but not least, tradesmen and work.
| ingmen. All these he received in the
| true spirit of democracy and made per-
| sonal friend of every one. Lincoln was
never at loss for a story to enforce a
meaning or make a point, and many of
his yarns are popular to-day. 1t made no
difference what sort of a story it was If
it served his purpose.
| 1t was during this period that he Sc
lected his cabinet, and it is somewhat
remarkable that he chose for the two
| highest places the men who had been his
keenest rivals for the presidential nomi-
nation. Here again he showed that quail
| ity of tactfulness for which he was
famous, and also imbibed the sense of
the deep responsibilities which had come
upon him. Political passion was rising
higher and higher and was soon to Gull
inmate in secession, to be followed by war,
but not once in all those months did he
give an inkling of the course he intended
to pursue except to say that when as
President he should be sworn to support
the Constitution of the United States, and
| he should do so to the best of his ability.
He was often embarrassed by the efforts
of rabid abolitionists to get an expression
of opinion from him, but his friends I'M
derstood that at that time he was inclin-
ed to think that if the States wanted to
secede they could not be held in the
Union by force. He did make it clear
that he did not desire to be classed as
an abolitionist and that he believed that
the slaves should not be taken from their
owners unless compensation were given
them. AS political passion rose higher
| hipbnP pIIl in In fbo fol
ment of the Confederacy with seven Sc
ceding States as its component parts, his
belief that a policy of Cancellation might
be successful must have been shaken, vet
up to the time he left Springfield he never
lost faith that the North and South could
once more be brought together without
bloodshed. Certainly he never dreamed
that upon him would rest the responsible
ity of raising armies and equipping ma
vies for the most bloody war in the his
tory of the western hemisphere.
At this time he became involved with
the pest of the times, the seeker of office.
Then there was no hint of civil service.
The Jacksonian idea that to the victors
belong the spoils prevailed and there was
fight after fight for patronage. Every
hotel in Springfield was the haunt of
Office seekers, whose tricks were many,
and it might be said vain. Lincoln's pa
thence and shrewdness suffered sorIe I'M
der these attacks, and finally he became a
careworn man. 1t is a pathetic fact in
the life of Lincoln that that careworn
look never left him until death smoothed
away all the great Emancipator's perplex-
tiles and burdens.
1t was on Monday, Feb. II, 1861, that
Lincoln left Springfield to make the mem
orabe journey to Washington, and at
that time he made that well-known ad,
dress which has come to be one of the
most priced possessions of the republic
!, Moved by the sad feeling by which he was
almost overwhelmed and going to things
he knew not of, he gave utterance to these
words to the crowd of friends and neigh
bors who came to say good-by:
MY friends, no one not in my position
, can appreciate the sadness l feel at this
parting. To this people l owe all that
am. Here 1 have lived more than 6
/ quarter of a century; here my children
were born and here one of them lies
buried. l know not how soon / shall
see you again. a duty devolves upon me
which is, perhaps, greater than thai
which has devolved upon any other mar
{ since the days of Washington. He never
: would have succeeded except for the aiC
t of Divine Providence, upon which he al
all times relied. l feel that | cannot
succeed without the same Divine aiC
, which sustained him, and in the same AL
, mighty Being l place my reliance for sup
port; and | hope you, my friends, will al
pray that | may receive that Divine as
sistance without which | cannot succeed
but with which success is certain. Again
l bid you an affectionate farewell"
The presidential party was about ter
days on the road, going by way of Indian
, apolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburg Cleveland
Buffalo, Albany, New York and Philadel
: phia. The journey was one constant tri
umph, but it was such a strain that BY
the time Buffalo was reached Lincoln was
= literally worn out. He must have Spoken
= at least fifty times during the week, anG
it is somewhat peculiar that not one of his
speeches was in his usual vein. For tha
. reason, there were many who were disap
r pointed in him, and when he went secret
, " away from Philadelphia, and turned
/ into Harrisburg for a secret night run tt
t Washington he found many critics. Thi
I was regarded as an evidence of fea
l which was entirely unwarranted, but de
$ velopments showed that Lincoln was RICH
S in it, as he was right in most things af
d terward Probably there never would
e have been a President Lincoln in tn,
s White House had the last stage of the
o journey been made in open day and will
j the usual lack of safeguards which char
acterized its first stages.
d The old Lincoln home at Springfield
iSfo M 4 az.
5 Emancipation saw it the last time. 1t i
Y we'll preserved and as long as the patri
o otto people of Springfield can keep it from
/ decay 1t will stand monument to tn
e simple life of the great man. 1t has
d sign over the front door which tells tina
|. it is Lincolns home.
S There is still standing near Hogden
vile, Ky, the mill built by Thomas Lin
i coin, father of the President, in 1916
J. Abe's birthplace was about mile distan
h from the mill. 1t was IN his early boy
r hood that he nearly lost his life Will
! playing about the stream not far from tn
i mill. Abe and a playmate had bee1
?, started for church one Sunday mornin
It by their mothers, but strayed away from
o the straight and narrow path and wen
e to the mill. The stream was much swo
d len from freshets and therefore danger
/. Gus. At one point long log had lodge
; across the creek ana abe proposed tina
1t they coon it across. On the way owe
t. Abe became dizzy and fell in. The swift
Is current was carrying him down to Gel
' tain death when his companion manage
d to reach him with a long pole, and dre'
Il him out, so nearly drowned that Their
II was little life left in him. 1t was som
p time before the boy regained consciou: