Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-10-03

ters, made many public addresses and
was the author OF many documents.
do not know Of the existence in any
of them Of a word Of censure, or of
complaint of our government, or of
| the methods by which it was carried
on. He was sincerely and faithfully
/ Obedient to our Constitution In the
/ single act for which perhaps he is
most remembered-the issuance of the
Emancipation ProclaInatiOn-he ex-
pressly supported it as an act war
ran+ed by the Constitution upon mill
tary necessity
ON one public occasion he de-
! sCTibed the effect of the counting Of
slaves in congressional and electoral
/ representation. In comment, he said:
/ Now, all this is manifestly unfair; yet
! do not mention it to complain of it
/ insofar as it is already settled. It
/ is in the Constitution, and I do not
! for that cause, or any other cause,
/ propose 70 destroy, or alter, or disTe-
gard the Constitution. I stand to it
/ fairly, fully and firmly
He hated slavery, but his rever-
ence for the Constitution and law was
such that he said publicly again and
I again that IL a member of congress
/ he would faithfully support a fugitive
i slave law.
His attitude toward the bred Scott
! decision is urged as in support of the
! pernicious project for the recall by
popular vote of judges and of judi
ciaI decisions He thought it an er-
Ironeous decision, but his chief point
/ in reference to it was not it's error,
but that it indicated a scheme, and
was a part of it, for the nationalist
ton of human slavery. He never sug-
gested a change In our government
under which the judges who made it
should be recalled, but said that he
would resist it politically by voting, if
in his power, for an act prohibiting
| slavery in United States territory,
and then endeavOr to have the act sus-
tanned in a new proceeding, by the
same court reversing itself.
rs there to be found here, or
anywhere. else, support for a project
to abolish the essential elements, or
any elem ents, of our Constitution?
And yet he is cited in support of such
action.
He loved the government under
which he lived and when at Gettys-
burg he prayed Gf I may use the
world that Government of the peo-
pie, by the people, for the people
may not perish from the earth, he
meant and could only mean, that
government under which he lived,
representative government Of balanced
executive, legislative and judicial
parts. and not something entirely diff
ferent-an unchecked democracy.
These often quoted words of Presi-
dent Lincoln are now deliberately al
tered and argument found on their
altered form I may be permitted to
say that I do not think the public
wishes the Gettysburg speech to be
rewritten and its words changed by
anyone. however distinguished, for
any purpose, least of all in order to
support a proposition that President
Lincoln could not possibly have had
in mind.
my personal feelings are unimpor-
tant. but l am not only impatient but
indignant that President Lincoln's
words and plain views should be per
verified and misappIied before trusting
people in support of doctrines which
I believe he would abhor if living.
Believe me, sincerely yours,
ROBERT T. LINCOLN"