Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-05-30

Douglas don't care whether slav-
cry is voted up or down, but God cares.
and humanity cares, and l care; and
| with Gods help. | shall not fail.
| may not see the end; but it will come,
and | shall be indicated. and these
men will find they have not read their
Bibles right
Much of this was uttered as if he
were speaking to himself, and with a
sad, earnest solemnity of manner i'm
possible to be described. After a
| pause, he resumed: Doesn't it seem
strange that men can ignore the moral
aspect of this contest? No revelation
could make it palmer to me that slav-
cry or the government must be de-
stroyed. The future would be some
| thing awful, as | look at it. but for
| this rock on which l stand, (alludng TO
the testament which he still held in
his hand). especially with the knOwl-
edge of how these ministers are go
ing TO vote. Ii seems as if God had
borne with this thing slavery until
the very teachers of religion had come
to defend it from the Bible. and To
claim for il a divine character and
sanction; and now the cup of iniquity
is full. and the Walls of wrath Will be
poured out
Everything he said was of a pecu-
liar deep, tender religious tone, and
all was tinged with a touching melan-
choly. He repeatedly referred to his
conviction that the day of wrath was
at hand, and that he was TO be an ac-
tor in the terrible struggle which
would issue on the overthrow of slay.
cry, although he might not live to see
the end.
Prayer of Lincoln.
After further reference to a belief
in the Divine Providence, and the fact
of God in history, the conversation
turned upon prayer. He freely stated
his belief in the duty, privilege and
efficacy of prayer, and minated, in
no unmistakable terms. that he had
soughts 70 that way the Divine guild
ance and favor. The effect of this
conversation upon the mind of Mr.
Bateman, a christian gentleman whom
Mr. Lincoln profoundly respected, was
TO convince him that Mr.. Lincoln had,
in a quiet way, found a path to the
christian standpoint, that he had
found God, and rested on the eternal
truth of God. AS the two men We're
about to separate Mr.. Bateman re-
marked: i have not supposed that
you were accustomed TO think so
much upon this class of subjects; GER
tainly your friends generally are ig-
norant of the sentiments you have eX-
pressed to me-
He replied quickly, L know they
are, but | think more of these subjects |
than upon all others and | have done |
so for years; and | am willing you
should know it
1T would serve no useful purpose
TO trace the feats of the war, the stir
ring scenes of the front, the dreary |
days in camp. the sufferings upon the |
march. wounds, prison and death. |
Suffice it TO say, that today this land |
of ours stands as a monument to the |
valor and the heroism of the gentle
men of the Grand Army who preserved
it, to point the way to freedom, to lib
erty. 1t stands as a bulwark of hui
manity before all the world. 1t speaks |
FOR itself. Mere words are too poor.
too faint, to express the value of your
services of those days. But from your
struggles we might all learn a lesson.
Do not grave dangers at the present |
time assail this republic of ours?
Should not, in the language of Wash
ington, every American be on guard?
Lessen TO-. To-day.
when men and corporations. in the
mad rush for wealth, forget that hon
esty is essential in their business
.-J,
bodies are, although oftimes false
ly, regarded as commodities 10
be bought and sold; when it is the
adage of many of the great corpora
tons that every man has his price:
when in serving the selfish interests
which they represent, the rights OF
the many are ignored TO enrich the
few: when we are yerging toward a
condition that means that the great
mass of the people of this country can
not have the opportunity to rear their
families as BELTS free born citizens of
America, because. in fact, they are
in their relations in life by
he onerous burdens imposed by the
'ew. who seek to accumulate for them
selves, vast possessions, not fairly, not
honestly, which would be unobjection-
able. but regardless of the means by
which they are obtained, then it is
line that every American citizen
should stand resolutely to correct
hese conditions which if persisted in.
will some day threaten our national
existence.
at is the duty of every American
citizen to stand by the flag; to rev.
,rently support the constitution, to
,bey our laws; to endeavor to see that
our heritage is unimpaired in its value
md untanished in its honor, fame and
equation.
Government an Here.
1.-THE government of the United '
States is not located at Washington, {
lor at Springfield, but it is here. Ev- c
cry citizen within the sound of my 1