Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-13
S0U|Il|''h|||'S| TRIBUTE.
Sec'y Luke Wright, Himself
a s'oatheiIllisii, Speaks 10 ]
Glowing Terms Of Lincoln
1t :. he h; =, laying ]; Of . the
Corner Stone Of Lincoln
: Memorial @1.~

Hodgenville KY, Feb. l2..-In All
address delivered today at Lincoln
farm, the spot where Abraham Lincoln
was born exactly 100 years ago, Gen
eral Luke E., Wright, secretary of war,
speaking at the exercises held in con-
nection with the centenary of the war
presidents birth, paid high tribute to
the fame and name, of Lincoln. -
:. Secretary Wright declared that Lin
coin believed that slavery was curse
and great moral wrong; and in believ-
ing thus," he added, "he was right"
After speaking of the humble origin
and poor opportunities which Lincoln
had, he. went on to refer to the ques-
ton of the right of state secession, de-
claring that lit would. be unfair to say
that there was a complete unanimity Of
sentiment upon this subject on either
side of Mason and Dixon's line"
Secretary Wright said that slavery
was not alone the sin of the south, al
though its expiation fell heaviest upon
her people"
In speaking of the work of Mr.. Lin
coin, he said that through it all he ut
tered no word of ill-wpl or malice tow
ard the southern people; that when Lin
coin saw victory resting upon the north
ern arms he showed no feeling of ex-
ultation; that if he had lived there
would have been a speedy union of
hearts between the north and the south !;
and that reconstruction did more to
postpone reconciliation than did the war
ITSELF.
"Alas,' exclaimed the secretary of
war, referring to Lincoln's first inau-
gural address, that the still, small
voice of moderation and reason was
drowned in the angry cries of deter
mined men marshalling for conflict
the magnitude of which few, if any,.
appreciated and the consequences of
which few, if any, foresaw. And yet
there were among the combatants tens
of thousands of men who felt the sweet
reasonableness of his dispassionate
Statements, whose hearts were touched
BY his pathetic cry for peace, and yet
who, caught up in the rising excitement
OF the. time, aligned themselves under
the stress of circumstances on the one
side or the other, tens of thousands Of
men on both sides deploring war, yet
when war seemed inevitable ranging
ranging themselves with their neigh
bors. 1t seemed the very irony of fate
that so gentle a spirit, so sympathetic
and kindly nature should be forced
by the stern logic of events over which
he had no control and for which he was
in no way responsible, > to- assume the
role Of commander in-chief in a san
culinary civil war between men Of the
same blood and same traditions.
The years of war and destruction
during which he was president, whilst
they plowed deep lines of care and grief
upon his rugged face and wrung his
gentle heart, provoked no expressions
Of bitterness from his. lips. His many
acts Of personal kindness to southern
prisoners and southern syrnpathizers de-
monstrated how free from the spirit of
malice or vengeance he was. AS in the
progress. of time it became evident the
Union arms would triumph, he evinced
no feeling of exultation or sense of
personal triumph, but only an anx-
ious desire to restore the southern
states to their former place in the
Union and to heal the wounds of civil
strife. That he would have succeeded
in carrying with him great majority
of the people of the. north in his bene-
6cent purposes, does not, to my mind,
admit of doubt: and that there would
have followed speedily the. union. of
hearts is equally certain. 1t was, in
deed, cruel, that at the moment when
he had reached the point for which he
had striven he should have died at the
hands of, a ~hair-brained actor who was
in no way identified with the south or
her people. Still more cruel was the
fate 70 the southern people. They
shuddered at the dastard1y act of his
assassination, and at the disastrous con-
sequences to themselves which they
knew would follow. The desire of re-
construction !: was the inevitable result
and reconstruction did more to postpone
reconciliation than did the war itself
1t was direful in its results to both sec
tons and to the negroes in a greater
measure if possible than to the. whites"
{, In referring to the public utterances
of Lincoln during the period Of Discus
sion preceding the wal, Secretary
Wright said that nothing had impressed
him more .ttan the singular clearness
Of Lincoln's perception that the respon-
sibilitys for slavery rested upon all our
people and was a burden which should
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