Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-13


own political advancement but because
he believed in the principle, and he
came upon the political arena Just at
the time when such man was needed.
G& He did not advocate cause because
It was popular; he advocated the abol-
ton OF slavery when it was unpopular,
and with invincible arguments to the
contention that new territories about to
be admitted into the Union were ca
pable of governing themselves, he an
swered by saying that he admitted that
the people of these different territories
were capable of governing themselves
and that they should have the right to
govern themselves, but he denied their
right to make others slaves without
the consent of the others and so it was
because the people needed just such a
man as Abraham Lincoln that he came
into public life. 1t was because these
great questions of that time entered
into his very soul, and became part of
him. He was lost in the political prob
lens of the day, and the people in adj
vanclng his political career were only
helping themselves, and, oh what an
awful period, what an awful crisis he
steered the ship of state safely through.
No other president had the same trials
and the same difficulties that Abraham
Lincoln had. s..
.t. Equal to the Crisis.
The North was not prepared for war.
War was not expected On the one
hand there was the demand that sla-
very be abolished on the other hand,
large number of the North, supporting
the president. were asking that that
questions be left alone. Lincoln was
between two great factions in the
North, both friendly to him and one
pulling one way and the other the other.
ButLincoln's judgment and wisdom per-
haps saved the Union by waiting until
the time was ripe for action.
Now my friends what tact he dis
played in disposing of complaints that
came to him and that tact that was
used by Lincoln and what he said to
the complainants is one of the lessons
that we are % draw from his admins
tration. When complaint was made to
him he had the mack of turning the com
plainant away feeling satisfied that
everything was. being done that could
be done by the. administration. On one
occasion it is said that committee wait
ed upon him complaining against
the administration and he listened to
them patiently, and when they had con-
Icluded he said MY friends, if all the
property you had upon earth was in gold
and you gave it to Blondin to carry
over the Niagara Falls upon a rope,
would you say 'Blondin stand up
little straighter, move little to the
north, or lean a little to the south p
No, he said, under such circumstances
you would hold your breath until he GOT
safely over with your property. The
administration is carrying great load.
The administration is carrying great
treasures, and if you will only leave us
alone we will carry you safely over
NJ A Lesson is Cited. -,
a That is great lesson to be learned
by every citizen of this country, and
why? Because there may be some one
in power, some administration that you
perhaps may not be exactly in sympa-
thy with but under such circumstances
and conditions remember what Abra-
ham Lincoln said Don't shake the ca
Bile, don't say, sBlondin, lean little to
the right or lean a little to the left but
keep quiet and if it is necessary as pat
riotic citizens, lend helping hand so
that the load may be carried safely
That is one of the lessons that the
of the administration teach
es to the American people and one of
the things we. should reflect upon today.
+. There are other things Lincoln was
trying to preserve this country as
whole. He sympathized with the peo-
pie of the South because they were his
people and if it was not for the vein of
humor running through his kindly ma
ture, his great heart must have burst
over the great loss of life and the trouble
and grief that it brought upon him
He felt for the people Of the South
and ! think, perhaps, that the great
charity of Lincoln in dealing with the
people Of the South must have pervad-
ed the army itself because when the war
was finally over, Grant, unlike some
general in Europe, refused to march in
triumph through the city of Richmond
Grant turned away from Richmond at
the very gate and he said to the people:
Keep your horses, you may need them
for the spring blowing. 1t was not a
war of vengeance nor war; to punish,
but it was war to preserve the Union.
and when that TJn;ot, ,uae rreearx,,ds