The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-23
TAT Il SPEAKS IN
HIGH PRAISE Of
LINCOLN
Creditor Emancipation Belongs
to War President
ON WAY TO WASHINGTON
Will Visit New York Tomorrow and
Attend War Governors Confer
ence at Altoona, Pa, Wednesday

Beverly Mass, Sept. 23,-President
Taft left Beverly last night by motor
for Boston on a threedays' trip to
Washington, New York and Altoona,
Pa. He will address the opening
meeting of the international congress
on hygiene and demography in Wash
ington today, receive delegates to the
national conference of Catholic char
tiles and attend a night meeting I'M
der the auspices of the national eman
cipation society. He will be in New
York for more than eight hours to-
morrow. and expects to see Chair
man Hillies of the republican national
committee George r. Sheldon, its
treasurer, and probably state lead
ers.
Leaving New York late tomorrow
night, the president will arrive in
Altoona early Wednesday and be-
ernors conference. He will return
to Boston by way of Philadelphia
Wednesday night. reaching Beverly
Thursday morning. Mrs. Thoman
Mclaughlin, sister of Mrs. Taft, AS
sistant Secretary Foster and Maj.
Thomas L. Rhoades the presidents
personal aid and physician, accom-
panied him.
Before the president left Beverly
last night White House officials made
public letter he wrote to John w.
Thompson, president of the western
New York league of republican clubs,
of Rochester. n. Y, giving his com
ments on emancipation day and the
courage of President Lincoln. The
letter read as follows:
81 am very sorry not to be able to
celebrate with you the anniversary of
the emancipation proclamation issued
by President Lincoln on September
%, 1890 years ago. ! expect TO
attend another celebration of the
event in Washington on the 23d of
this month The issuance of the
emancipation proclamation was the
initial and the most important step
in the freeing of 100000 slaves,
who with their descendants have now
grown into 100000 and constitute
more than 10 per cent of our total
population. II is of course an event
in which every lover of his country
takes an intense interest Until the
emancipation of the negroes, the as
sertion that ours was the country
OF liberty was untrue. The constitu-
ton and the Declaration of Indepen-
dence were utterly at variance with
each other in the recognition that the
former gave to property in human
kind. The excelsior of the cancer rep
resented in the social institutions of
slavery enabled all Americans to look
the world in the face, freedom were
founded on fact and did not need the
saving of exceptions in order to make
them truthful.
Mr.. Lincoln suffered greatly by
the criticism and abuse of those who
thought he did not act quickly enough
in issuing the emancipation proclama-
ton. and later from the attacks of
those who thought the act was a
great mistake. Now, as we look back
upon it, we realize that his selection
of the ime was most fortunate. He
delayed action until he could take 1t
as war measure under the constitu-
ton and could defend what he did as
within his lawful power as command
er-in-chief of the army and navy in
the prosecution OF the war.
The emancipation did not free all
the slaves. IL could not free those
who were in territory net within the
arena of war; but after he had issued
this proclamation, the completion of
the steps needed to secure the aboli-
ton of slavery as constitutional
amendment was necessity. and on
ly a matter of time. Ii is right,
then, that Lincoln should be held W
in history as the man chiefly respon-
sible for the freedom of the negro
sincerely hope that your celebration
will be as successful as the greatness
of the subject matter of your gather
ing merits"