Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-02-16

Wausau. On Friday afternoon Judge
Reid, in circuit court, announced that
the afternoon would be given over to
addresses on the martyr president, by
members of the bar
Judge f. c. Ryan, who spoke first,
chose as his topic, "Recollections of the
Great Crisis" Mr. Ryan is without
doubt the only member of the Mara
Ethon county bar who had the opportun-
Iity OF seeing Lincoln. He gave his inn
pressions of the man in the light he saw
them. Mr. Ryan described the work
Of lincoln before, during and after the
war and had he been spared the assas-
sins hand the carpet bag government of
reconstruction times would never have
been recorded on the pages of histo ry
j. Wilkes Booth, a Southeruer, in kill
ing Abraham Lincoln, robbed the South
of its best and truest friend
q. b. Bird spoke of .l.incolp as a
Lawyer He had "A list Of eases tried
before the supreme court of lllinoia, in
which Lincoln had been one of the at
torneys. These cases showed that the
litigation he was engaged in was of that
character usually met by country
lawyer, and in prosecuting them to a
successful end he was about as success
fnl as the average country lawyer
Lincoln was known as one who could
tell an apt story to tit a case. He was
not what one would call a shrewd law
yer shrewtl lawyers are rarely success
ful. But he used common sense and
farsightedness in lighting his cases and
above all he was an honest man. 1t
was known of Lincoln that he never
took a case unless he knew that his
client was entitled to favorable iudg-
ment. On one occasion young man
appealed to him to prosecute case 10
which the young nan had claim of
5000 against widow with six children
AR. Lincoln knew that the claim was
legal but not wishing to distress the
widow, he advised the young man to
Try aud earn 5000 some other way
Lincoln rs Statesman" was handled
by Neal Brown. From the points in
the character of Lincoln as just previous
ly mentioned by Mr. Bird, the speaker
said he could find enough material
which, if cut up into texts would furnish
clergymen with food for great many
sermons. Lincoln was not perfect he
lacked the polish of early traini1g, but
this rather added than detracted from
his merits. He was not politician, but
his success in politics was due to his
honesty of purpose. He was not
statesman in the present day sense of
the word. His training had been in the
country, close to nature. He was not
possessed of the llowery language of
Douglas and others, but it is not the
glossy words that make a statesman in
the true sense of the word The words
of Lowell smell too strong of the college.
If he had used little palmer language
his works would be more appreciated.
Lincoln had depth of thought and iudg
ment and this was the secret of his sue
crSs He was born leader of men.
Instead Of Stanton, Chase and Seward
being ais advisors, be was their master
He was great man.
Judge Reid said he saw in Lincoln
two distinctive characters: Farsighted-
ness of craftsmanship and integrity of
intellect. The first was manifested
when Lincoln, as no other man in his
time foresaw, prophesied the war when
he said that house divided against
itself must fall-a country could not
endure half slave and half free. The
other trait in his character was illus
trated in the fact that wherever bis
logic and Judgment led him, there he
went Ont of respect for his memory
court was adjourned for the afternoon
The opera house in the evening was
crowded with throng of people whien
filled nearly every seat, and though the
program was not concluded until eleven
O'Clock, the audience remained until
TIE last EutnDef.
Two selections were given by the
Liederkranz aud two by the Chora
society, both of which showed careful
training under the tutelege Of their
directors, Gustav Mueller and Edwin
Howard, and won the prolonged ap
plause of the audience. When the
Choral society came out from the wings
of the stage 10 sing The Star Spangled
Banner a large flag was pulled up
covering the rear of the stage, giving a
very pretty effect Mrs Edwin Howard,
carrying a banner partly wrapped
around her. and wearing eoronet,
columbia" She led in
the singing