Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-02-15

and fiery little man, poured forth lee
ture. which was full of fault-hnd1ng
from beginning to end 1t was deliv-
cred with much energy, and the short
comings of the administration were re-
| hearsed with painful directness, evok-
ing hearty applause from the other
members of the committee. Mr.. Lin
| coins reply was a notable one. Cen
! tlemen, said he, suppose all the pro-
perty you possess were in gold, and
/ YOU had placed it in the hands OF
Blondin to carry across the Niagara
river on rope With slow, cautious,
steady step he walks the rope, bear
ing all that you own. Would you
/ shake the cable and keep shouting to
| him. 'Blondin stand up q little
straighter, Blondin stoop little more,
go a little faster, lean little more
to the south, now lean a little more to
the north, would that be your behav-
Jour in such an emergency? No; you
would hold your breath, everyone Of
YOU as we'll as your tongues. You
would keep your hands OFF until he was
safe on the other side. This govern
mont. gentlemen, is carrying an I'M
measa weight, untold treasure in its
hands. The persons managing the
ship of state in this storm, are doing
the best they can. Don't worry them
with needless warnings and COM
plants Keep silence, be patient, and
we will get you safely across,
His position was one of peculiar per-
+ plexity Unlike the presidents that
preceded him, he came into Office
without a fixed and accepted policy
The policy had to be determined as
the emergency arose. A less sagac-
ious and tactful man would have fail
ed. while Mr. Lincoln enshrined him
self in history, as the greatest OF mod
ern rulers 1t cannot be claimed for
him that he had any technical know
ledge of the military art, and certainly
he was without military training, but
great general declares, Il have long
held to the opinion that at the close
of the war, he was the superior of his
generals in his comprehension of the
effect of strategical movements and
the proper method of following up vic
tories to their legitimate conclusions.
Another calls him the ablest strate-
gist of the war. General Sherman
expresses surprise at the correctness
of his military views. Col. Mcclure
declares, Il venture the assertion with
out fear of contradiction, that Abra-
ham Lincoln was the most sagacious
of all the public men of his day."
4. Mr.. Lincoln had INA pre-emin-
ent degree the faculty of fathoming
public opinion. He believed that pub
lie opinion, in the long run, was
right. When wrong, it would in due
time, right itself. He knew that to
move in advance of public opinion was
to invite failure This was one of
the great secrets of his success, as
another has said, his ready PERCEPTION
! of the popular current, his carefulness
| in guiding it, and his ability to wait
for it, when he found himself going
ahead too fast He revoked Fremont's
/ proclamation which established free
! dom for the slaves in his military dis
tricts, because public sentiment had
not yet reached the point of sustain
\ ing such a measure. He was savage
1y rebuked for it by Phillips and Gar
rison, who espoused immediate eman-
cipation but Mr. Lincoln, by his mas
/ terful foresight, saw that the time was
not yet ripe He bore with Mcclellan
| long after he had lost patience with
! his lack of aggressiveness, because
| the popular feeling was still with mat,
| Tin many respects) admirable officer.
He foresaw the inevitable destruction
of slavery, and was ever anxious to
shit the thing as he had expressed
a desire to do in the market at New
! Orleans, but he knew that he must
| wait until the exigencies of war should
1 bring the people, the masses as well
as the leaders, to recognize an act of
emancipation as a supreme necessity.
But notwithstanding Mr.. Lincoln's
hatred of slavery and his belief in its
ultimate overthrow, it must be said of
| him that he sought long and earnestly
to avoid its forcible destruction. He
appealed strongly to the South, to ac-
/ cept compensated emancipation. He
made the same appeal to the border
slave states. He said to their dele
gates, Il do not speak of emancipation
at once, but of a decision at once to
emancipation, gradually" The pres
sure toward forcible emancipation is
upon me and is increasing By con-
ceding what | now ask, you can re-
lieve me, and much more, can relieve
the country, on this important point.
But all his opportunities with the
South to accept emancipation with
payment for their slaves, were with
out effect; so he waited until the ex-
.igencies of the situation, and the
weight of public sentiment, pointed out
to him clearly that the moment for
heroic and decisive action had come.
When he knew what he ought to do,
there was no hesitancy in his action,
but, as it has been said, when he did
not know what to do. he was the safest
man in the world to trust to do moth
ing.
s. Another Of Mr.. Lineoin's quail
ties was his extreme tenderness and
sympathy He was one of the bravest
men that ever lived and one tender
est. Suffering in man or beast, touch
ed him with peculiar keenness. He
would dismount from his horse to re-
store to their nest, young birds that
bad been thrown out by the wind. He
could not sleep at night, when he
knew that soldier bow was under