The Somerset reporter., 1909-03-11


I but he knew that the South had seer
. its lawful doom as well as he or II
had never rebelled. Save the Union
, and the othey question could be set
, tied afterwards but save the Union
| he would. In his own words, al
would save the Union. | would save
1t IN the shortest way under the Con
stltution. Ii there be those who
would not save the Union unless they
could at the same time save slavery
|. l do not agree with them. Ii there
be those who would not save the
Union unless they could at the same
time destroy slavery, do not agree
with them. If L could save the Union
without freeing any slave | would do
1t, and II l could save it by freeing all
the slaves | would do it, and if |
could save it by freeing some and
leaving Others alone, would do it y
More than once ne advised offer
ing compensation for their slaves to
any states who would voluntarily plan
to free them. More than once he
restrained the generals who offered
the fugitiyes immediate emancipa-
ton. lie knew premature action in
this matter would lose us the waVer-
ing allegiance of the border states.
He knew that what was a matter of
abstract principle TO the North would
mean very concrete experiences of
poverty and humiliation tor the
South and he knew the word of
emancipation must come from no
general of an Army but from the
executive head of the great Nation to
which both the North and South be-
longed. 1t must wait until it could be
the only word possible and then be
spoken with the authority OF success
and not sound in the moment of de-
feat like the unavailing threat of a
parent to child too big to be
whipped. But the inevitable day
came. The Emancipation Proclama-
ton freed every slave of rebelliou
masters on the first day of Jan. 1853,
armed the negro for us not against
us, and forever laid the old boyle of
the South, an insurrection of slaves,
since they became orderly parts of
the armies of the Republic. In the
border states and in the reconstructed
districts slavery persisted legally, in
Louisiana, in Arkansas, in Tennessee,
in Missouri and in Mary land. In the
matter of our foreign relations, the
Presidents wise head and steady
hand kept Mr.. Seward from embroil-
ing us at the start In the affair of
Mason and Slidell, his wisdom saw no
way but one and, I'VE give the crit
tiers back, John, cause Abram thought
twas right"
And still as his armies were vic
torious or defeated the call was ever
more men. The North responded
again and again. Sending those who
were of willing mind and when we
needed the unwilling Lincoln dared
to call for them. The dreadful New
York riots resulted from this de-
mand. Many buildings were de-
stroyed. The Tribune office assailed,
a colored orphan asylum burned and
several negroes killed. The militia
We're called out and the riots quelled.
SO amidst discomfort and distrust, up
held by his own great soul and the
prayers of many an unknown friend,
he labored on believing, hoping, en-
during and pardoning. His very
pardons for those deserving death
were supposed by the unfriendly to
be signs of weakness but he could be
unrelenting at need. Two captains
of our army were chosen by lot from
among their prisoners by the Con-
federates, to suffer death by hanging
in retaliation for the execution by
Burnside of two confederate officers.
One of these condemned men wrote
to his wife who carried the letter to
President Lincoln. Lincoln debated
all night. The two men executed by
Burnside were individually spies, the
men to suffer in reprisal were honor
able prisoners of war. They must be
saved and there was only one way to
do it. The son of General Lee was a
prisoner in our hands, and with the
morning was dispatched the Presi-
dents faithful word to those con-
federates whom it might concern that
if those men died they should not die
alone. The gallant Fitzhugh Lee
should follow them to the shades.
Needless to say those men went un-
hung Ida Tarbell makes an old man
say of Lincoln, "Talk about Lincoln
being easy! When it didn't matter
mebbe he was easy but when it did
you couldn't stir him more'n you
could Il mountain"
Greedy began to clamor for peace
when there was no peace and tried to
play the part of Great Paciticator be-
tween the White House and Rich
mond. Lincoln refused to treat with
the rebels except as rebelS and as
election approached awaited the YER
dict of the people. No one seemed to
know that the tide had already turned
but the North spoke once again for
Lincoln and the crash of war went on.
Grant was holding on to Petersburg
said one like dog to a root and
Sherman,-We all know how Sher-
man marched into the hearts of
posterity over the heart of the Con-
federacy, from Chattanooga to At
lanta, from Atlanta to the sea, and
northward through the Carolinas.
What a Christmas that was to Lincoln
when Sherman presented him with
Savannah as a Christmas gift. If
Sherman was Lincoln's left hand he
was certainly ambidextrous and the
right hand could not say to the left l
have no need Of thee.
F. Richmond fell, Lee surrendered,
slavery was dead. secession dying,
the Union was saved,-but he could
not save himself Today the Nation
remembers how its rejoicing was
turned to weeping by the death of
this our gre Attest man.
As | said at the beginning, the in
dwelling spirit of Liberty had power
to expand the words of the Constitu
ton and the souls of men, to put
broader and broader meanings into
its words and give clearer under
standing to its interpreters but Abra
ham Lincoln was the living embodi-
ment of that spirit that made for
Int