The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-25
LINCOLN AND THE MONITOR.
Representative Cousins Replies "a
Washington Herald Correspondent.

Representative Cousins Replies 10
Washington Herald Correspondent.
Editor The Washington Herald:
My attention has been directed to a
communication published in The Herald
February Il, over the signature Of w
j. Morris, asserting that In an address
on Abraham Lincoln, delivered on Mon
day night last, at the Vermont Avenue
Christian Church, by Representative
Robert G. Cousins. of Iowa. the surpris-
ing declaration was made that Mr.. Lin
coin was the originator of the iron
clad vessel, the Monitor"
I did not make that statement at
tributed to me. and except for the fact
that the large number of people who
read The Herald might possibly believe
the statement was actually made, l
should. of course. pay no attention 20 it..
All that ] said on the occasion re-
ferTed to concerning the Monitor and
Mr. LincOln's connection Herewith was
read from manuscript and was preciely
as follows:
He vas. perhaps the first promoter II the iron
clad When he learned that one Il the Confederate
batteries at Charleston Harbor had been made 10
resist the heaviest shots bT being covered with baEn
Of railroad iron he asked Mr.. Fox his Assistant
Secretary Il the Navy what difficulty there was IN
the way Il using such defense upon vessel. lie
vas told that naval officers feared that an aTTnOr
heavy enough 70 make them effective would sink
Them rs soon as launched But is not that a
sum in arithmetic inquired Mr.. Lincoln. "On
our Western rivers we can figure Just how many
tons VIII sink fatboat. Can't your clerks do the
same fer an ayelored vessel; From the idea 81 that
conversation undoubtedly the Monitor was built
The President was the friend If Ericsson and Of
Capt. WorGn. Two days before the famous battle
d the Monitor and the Meuimac he said: I BE-
licve in the Monitor and her commander. II Capt.
WOrdeu does not give good account q himself. !
shall have made a mistake jn following my j1dg-
msnt. / have not made a mistake ia following ny
clear Judgment q since this var began /
followed that Judgment when ] gave Ncrdeu com
mand q the Monitor. The Mentor should he in
Hampton Roads now She left New York eight
days ago When he told b. Capt Fox that
il WAS not prudent 20 place any reliance IN TIE
Monitor he replied: Il respect yolr judgment, as
sou have good reason 70 know. but this time you
are all wrong. The Monitor was enc Of ny IN
spirations: I believed in her firmly WECI that
energetic contractor first showed me ErcssGus plans.
Capt. Eicss0ns plain but rather enthusiastic. dem
onstratiOn made my conSerscoa permanent IL vas
called a floating battery then. I called u TaIt-
thought then ard ! am confident now, Il IS Just
what We want. ] am the Monitor is stll ahoat.
and that she viii yet give good account q her
self Sometimes / think she may be the veritabie
sling with a stone that shall yet smite the MerTl-
mac Philistnc in the forehead"
on the second night after that utterance, anX-
iously waiting with officers Il the navy. he heard
the j0yful news Of the famous vict0ry az Hampton
Roads. The idea which had been developed ~
Ericsson had become the monarch q the seas and
refoluti0nized the navi-s Of the world
There seems 20 be a sort q affinity IN great
minds Tor the sea and for sea craft. No nation
has ever become great in the world 4 nations that
has not taken its place fesrlessy and permanently
AZ a csFenaut q the ocean. The sea is treacheF
Gus 10 ignorance. 20 enlightenment II Is kind.
Queen Elizabeth used to say: "Quid mihi mare
scTibits' tWhat dos the say 90 mcY'l On that
memorable Sunday night March 3. ls62 the sea said
70 Abraham Lincoln. Henceforth We shall be
friends. The Monitor has become the master q
the mighty deep
Instead Of saying that Mr.. Lincoln
was the originator of the Monitor.
called him promoter" Of the Monitor
which. by his own words. he evidently
was. Promoters help aid further in
VentioEs. origiuatOrs conceive them
Mr Lincoln, as / showed by quoting
him on the occasion referred TO. gave
full credit to Capt. Ericsson for the
origination Of the Monitor when he
said
The Monitor was one of my inspira-
tions: l believed IN her firmly when
that energetic contractor (BushnelD
first showed me EricssOn's plans. Capt.
>
demonstration made ny conversion
permanent"
Another noble and patriotic soul. be-
sides Abraham Lincoln and Mr. Bush
nell. who helped 10 aid and promote the
Monitor was Hon y D SpeTTy, now
7 believe. the senior member of the
House Of Representatives. Before the
government would embark On the
building Of the Monitor a bond was re-
quired to stand for the S275,O00 that
was the estimate OF her cost. When
the critical moment of the necessity for
supplying that bond arrived Nehemiah
D Sperry. OF New Haven. Conn. stepped
forward as the first man 10 risk his all
and signed that bond. and he deserves
10 share the fame OF the Monitor and to
be forever known in the history of this
Union. ROBERT q. COUSINS,
Washington. February q