The National tribune., 1909-04-15
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
CONTINUED from page one }

wonderful, ringing, trumpet cali to duty
which has never been surpassed:
Neither let us be slandered from oui
duty by false accusations against us
nor frightened from it by menaces OF
destruction to the Government nor g
dungeons to ourselves. Let us have
faith that right makes might, and il
that faith let us to the end dare to dc
pur duty as we understand it.
Its Impression Upon the People.
All accounts agree that Mr.. Lincoln'S
speech was the most impressive utter.
ance ever heard by the people of New
York. Every great orator in the country
from Jefferson to Webster, including
the matchless Clay, had repeatedly
spoken on momentous issues to great
audiences in that city, but none of them
seems to have carried away the mind:
and hearts of men as did this compare
lively unknown lawyer of the Far West
A thousand stories are told of the eff
feet of the speech upon critics who had
come to see the rude eccentric, who had
risen to local prominence. One and all
found their moods turned from patient
tolerance of the earnest man to rising
wonder, and then to an enthusiasm
which carried them away in spite of the
exercise of their utmost seif-reStraint
The day following Mr.. Lincoln's address
the papers overisSwed with aStonish-
nent and admiration for the new light
which had come orr of the West. Hor-
Ice Greeley led off in the Tribune. Gree
ey had always, and with much reason,
regarded Daniel Webster as the greatest
intellect which America had produced
he clung to this faith, IN spite of his
allegiance to the brilliant, magnetic
Clay, but now he said in the Tribune:
Mr.. Lincoln is one of natures ora
:ors, using his rare powers solely to
slucidate and convince, tho their in
avitable effect is to delight and electrify
as well. We present herewith a very
tuil and accurate report of this speech
yet the tones, the gestures, the kindling
eye and the mirth-provoking look defy
the reporters skill. The vast assem-
blage frequently rang with cheers and
shouts of applause, which were pro-
longed and intensified at the close. No
man ever before made such an impress
sion on his first appeal to New York
audience"
The speech in pamphlet form was
Issued at once by the Tribune, and later
this paper got up a very careful edition
with a preface and abundant notes by
Two members of the Young Mems Cen
trail Republican Union, under whose
auspices Lincoln had delivered the
speech, and in this form was used large
ly in the Presidential campaign of 1850.
The preface called attention to the
prodigious amount of research and la
Dor which the address represented for
the early history of politics was scat
tered thru innumerabIe journals, stat
ntes, pamphlets and letters, all of which
were incomplete and more or less in
accurate, and Lincoln had been obliged
% go over these very carefully, in or
Ter to get what he wanted, which was
1t the same time unquestionably au-
thentic. There was no carefully cata-
logued library as in these days, with an
intelligent librarian to guide him. where
Lincoln could in a few minutes have at
mis- service all that had been printed on
the subject; but, On the contrary, he
iad to go patiently thru this dusty vol