The National tribune., 1909-04-22
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
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of America, and had reached a hight of
polish and elegance which Sumner and
c.hers studiously enlQlated,, but never
attained. 1t was full Of learning and
of tho most graceful rhetoric; but for
a day when men were burning with in.
tensity of factions 1t seemed to fill
Tennyscn's description, Of a.
Faulty faultless. icily regular. splen.
didly null. d1 19
He began life as a minister, then for
wears was Professor of Greek in Har-
ward, served 10 years in Congress, was
four years Governor OF Massachusetts,
Minister to England, and then became
President Of Harvard. After the death
of Webster he served president Fill-
more as Secretary of State for the last
few months of his Administration, when
he was elected to represent Massachu-
sets in the United States Senate. No
American ever had more distinguish
ed record, and yet he failed utterly to
comprehend the depth and intensity OF
the waves which were sweeping over
the country. This was shown by his
benevolent effort to avert the storm by
the preparation of a great speech on
Washington, which. he delivered 125
times and in nearly every State or the
Union except the extreme Southwest.
His reputation as an orator attracted
immense crowds wherever he spoke,
but he seems to have affected his hear
ers no further than to- maintain his
high position as great rhetorlcian.
The Leading Candidates.
In parties long established there is a
process of selection which has for years
been pointing toward the possible and
tage of a party system or government
is in this, and that the men who are
raised to a higher Office reach it by
test and trial in lower positions. 1t is
for this reason that our official system
is so satisfactory, and that the men
placed in office are competent for their
trusts in a far greater degree than
those promoted under any otner form
of government.
The newly-formed Republican Party
was at some disadvantage In this re-
spect, since, being made up OF men
from all parties, there had been no
competitive tests to determine which
of various aspirants was the most tit
for the highest office in the Govern
ment. Nearly all of the States had
"favorite sons" who were ambitious of
the distinction of being mentioned for
the nomination, and each of the vary
ing elements which had coalesced into
the Republican Party had its leader,
who, If he were not candidate him.
self, had strong and decided ideas as to
who should be.
william II. Seward.
The man who led all others In pub
lie favor in the Republican Party had
earned that prominence by years of
demonstrated ability and integrity in
the public service and by an unwaver-
;po ad IN 10 Of Freedom.
William H. Seward was a New Yorker,
eight years older than Lincoln, and
whose career from the first was in
strong contrast to his. He was born of
well-to-do parents, who were easily able
to send him to college and maintain
him there. He graduated with honors,
and entered upon the practice of the
law, in which he was markedly success
full from the first. He had fine oratori-
cal abilities, added to a mind of great
strength and clearness, and this took
him into politics. He was sent to the
State Senate, and then served four
years as Governor of New York. which
made him the recognized WING leader
of the State. His opposition to slavery
had been taken from its political and
economic aspect, rather than humani-
tartan. The keynote OF hts Views was
given in a speech he made In 1913, at
Cleveland, O., in which he said: The
party of slavery upholds an aristocracy,
founded on the humiliation of labor az
necessary to the existence Of chival-
rous Republic" This naturally led to
the famous "irrepressible conflict" idea,
which the Democracy and Pro-Slavery
men sought so hard to use against him.
His explanation of this "irrepressibie
conflict" was that the United States
must inevitably become either free
labor Nation or a slave-labor Nation.
From this position Seward never re-
treated a hairs breadth, and when the
New York Wings unanimously elected
him United States Senator In 1849 1t
was regarded by the Southern Wings as
a rift which would inevitably lead to
the rupture of the party. In the Unit
ed States Senate Seward took high rank.
AS Webster and Clay passed from the
arena Seward became recognized as the
leader of the Wings in that branch of
Congress, maintaining this position un-
til he left the Senate for the Cabinet.
Seward was a rather small man, with
strongly marked face, high Roman
nose, deep-set, piercing eyes under
heavy eyebrows, and resonant, far
reaching voice. He was the choice of
great mass of the New York Republi-
cans for the Presidency. and his candf-
dacy was engineered by that most astute
of New York politicians, Thurlow Weed.
On the other hand, Seward had in
CuTTeu IHe VI Tic
but erratic Horace Greeley, who did all
that he could to undermine Stewards
hold, not only on the people OF New
York, but on the entire country.
John Mclean, OF Ohio.
Justice John Mclean, of the Supreme
Court of the United States, was regard
ed as a strong candidate A native of
Ohio, he was recognized as one of the
ablest jurors on the bench of the Su-
preme Court, and his unqualified dis
sent from the obnoxious Dred Scot de-
cision had highly recommended him to
all the Free Sellers. He held then that
slavery only exists by force, and is
limited to the range of the laws under
which it is sanctioned" He had been
pressed for the nomination four years
before and received 1856 votes, but had
been set aside because of the presumed
superior vote-getting qualities of John
c. Fremont, the Pathfinder"
Salmon p. Chase.
The friends of Salmon p. Chase, of
Ohio, were strongly In hopes that in
the clash of opposing candidates he
would forge to the front and come off
victor. Chase was a superb-looking
man, with face and expression imply
ing all wisdom and all Strange things,
and was as great on department as our
friend Turveydrop. the ponnpotis, elder
ly dandy of Bleak House. Chase was
originally a Democrat, and, In fact, re-
manned a Democrat to the very last.
When lawyer, entering practice In