New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-17

ers are gentle, you know there is dan
ger that you will jump at conclusion
You will do this, at least, If you are q
victim of the obvious You will de-
eide that Abraham Lincoln himself
was consciously playing for the pres
idency. If so, think you will fail to
measure the man and will do him great
wrong. There is no evidence that he
had such an end in view. That he had
dreamed of the presidency doubtless is
true. What ambitious man in politics,
or out of it. for that matter. has not?
Yet when he was urged for the nomi-
nation a year or more later he at first
held back, believing that he could not
get the nomination and was not fitted
for the place even if he could get it.
No; interpret the Freeport incident
differently. Lincoln had little or no
thought Of himself in the matter. He
knew that Douglas would be the Dem
ocratic candidate for the presidency.
He wanted to make Douglas election
impossible. This he desired to do re-
CARELESS of whether or not he himself
was to be the candidate and whether
or not he would personally profit by
the defeat of the Little Giant" He
did it for the sake of the party, for the
sake of the principle Of the nonextep-
sion of slavery. To accomplish so
great good he was even willing to
throw away his own election to the
senatorship. This Interpretation Is
borne out by Lincoln's unselishness
shown at other times. At least that is
the way read the soul Of the man.
OF the Freeport incident this must
have been true in the very nature OF
the case. There was then not one
chance in twenty that Lincoln would
be nominated for the presidency. II
he were defeated for the senatorship
in all moral probability there was not
one chance in a hundred of such a
consummation. Thus in throwing
away the senatorship in order that he
might defeat Douglas for the presi-
dency the motive could not have been
selfish.
Abraham Lincoln often said he made
no move in politics for the purpose Of
advancing his own personal fortunes.
Almost every incident in his career
bears out the statement. The real
truth of the Freeport matter, then. re-
solves itself into this:
In 1858 Abraham Lincoln renowned
his chances Of being chosen to the
United States senate in order that a
Republican president might be elected
in 1860. A few years earlier he had
renowned his chances Of election to
the same Office in order that Lyman
Trumbull might be elected. Still a
few years earlier he had cast aside
his popularity as congressman that
he might get at the truth as to the
| origin of the Mexican war His career
| is replete with similar examples.
How is such series of facts to be
harmoniZed with the statement that
he was consummate politician? Sim
ply thus: Lincoln was not a politician
| for self. He used political methods
for advancing certain ideas. If he
| personally could advance along with
these ideas, he was pleased to do so.
| If he saw a chance to advance the
| ideas without himself advancing, he
! did that. If he found opportunity to
| further the ideas at the expense of his
own career, he also did that. This is
I the secret of the public life Of Lincoln.
Study it from the beginning to the end
and you will find him consistent to
this policy at every point
No wonder the politicians could not
measure him; no wonder the COM
mon people trusted him. Their in
stinct found him where the wisdom of
| the great men failed In this vital
respect he was of a different order
from any public man we have had
since Washington. By public man"
| mean men in political life, of course,
and not teachers and reformers. l
know of no other prominent official in
our history Of whom l would care to
say that he would advance principle at
I the expense of self and would never
advance self unless he could also adj
i vance principle. Herein was the es-
! sential difference between Lincoln and
Douglas. With the "Little Giant the
advancement of self seemed the first
consideration. that of principle second
airy.
Therefore the triumph of Abraham
Lincoln over Stephen A. Douglas forms
one Of the most inspiring events in our
national history. May its profound
lesson be learned by every man who
aspires to political career!