The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-13

that he or other men then knew.
These debates, followed by the Coop
er Union speech in New York in Feb
ruary 1850. put Lincoln prominently
before the East where he had been but
little known.
While he understood the movement
which had for its object his nomi-
nation in 1860, he was modest enough
to say, In all candor / do not think
myself fit for the presidency an
opinion in which Seward and his
friends, especially, would have been
ready to coincide; for it was coming
to be seen that the contest for the
nomination would lie chiefly between
these two men, or their partisans.
The east could scarcely understand
the seriousness of Lincoln's candidacy
and saw in Seward tle only logical
and the almost inevitable nominee of
the Chicago convention.
This result was not written in the
book of fate. The tall son of the
backwoods and the prairies, the child
of poverty and hardship, was lifted
| to the leadership of great political
| party, in a campaign whose serious
| significance has never been equalled
! in American history Out of the strife
and struggle of a most perplexing and
spectacular campaign, Abraham Lin
coin and the Republican, anti-slavery
party, emerged triumphant over di-
vided Democracy, one of whose fac
| lions followed to defeat Lincoln's long
4 time rival, and former victor, Doug
las
With the coming of Lincoln and his
party to ascendancy in the nation, the
south revolted and sought to divide
! the country. with slavery as the cor
ner stone of new confederacy. Sum
1 ter and the flag were fired upon, North
and South We're precipitated into one
OF the deadliest struggles that a sor-
! rowing earth ever looked upon, while
the land drank the blood of unnumber-
ed heroes in the blue and the gray
4 throug four long and dreadful years,
/ and mourning became the common
garb in hamlets and cities from the
SHOWS to the tropics.
/ Lincoln's first inaugural was mes
sage of peace. 1t breathed no sum
| mons to conflict, and melted to no
strife While there ran through it the
spirit of tle Bloomington speech, I'VE
! won't so out of the Union, and you
shant," it called on the brotherhood
j of a common Americanism to adjust
differences in harmony of purpose,
and principles Of peace. Its final words
cannot be too often repeated:
Il am loath to close We are not
enemies, but friends. We pust not be
enemies. Though passion may have
| strained, it must not break our
4 bonds of affection. The mystic chords
4 of memory, stretching from every bat
tie field and patriot grave to every
1 living heart and hearthstone all over
this broad land, will yet swell the
chorus of the Union, when again touch
ed, as they surely will be, by the bet
ter angels of our nature
| cannot follow Lincoln into the
events of the war, into that preiod OF
leadership which taxed his capacity
! at every point as never an American
had been taxed before. If you wish
to known somewhat of the difficulties
of the task, and of the almost inf
mite obstacles to his success-some OF
them from quarters in which he
should have been able to trust for
largest help--read any Of the recent
histories of the man and the time In
the midst of it all, he grows greater
and greater Drawing on unsuspect
ed reservoirs of knowledge Skill and
conservation, he came to impress him
self upon the heart and Judgment oil
the country as never had been seer
In
pressed forward as he felt himsel
led of God Though his heart was
burdened almost to the breaking, and
his spirit suffering almost to death
he still went on | think that never
since Our Lord of Galilee went for
ward to Gethsemane and Calvary has
there been sadder scene that tina
of Abraham Lincoln walking the mar
tyr's path for the sake of the lane
he loved and the cause of human free
dom.
However heavy were the sorrow!
and the burdens which pressed indi
ydual hearts. after all, they were cen
tralized on him. His was tle respon
sibility for the maintenance of thu
war. with all its dreadful penalties
Without ilreverence we might almos
say that ION him We're laid the iniqui
ties of us all" and that he bore on
sriefs and carried our sorrows, Al
Emerson we'll said of him, He is tn
true history of the American people il
his time, t1e pulse beat of twenty mil
lion throbbng in his heart.
Never fiinching from duty; Away
. seeking a way of peace with honor
and justice TO the oppressed; eve
bending under the sorrows of the Ian
land, and the responsibilities of hi
: high Office; he served and suffered
With heart as tender as a woman