The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-09
HOW HE WROTE THE SPEECH.


when Lincoln wrote his great Gettys.
burg speech. There has been an effort
to show that he did not write il on
the train as be was going to the battle.
field, as the common understanding is
That opposite view holds that he wrote
the speech in the White House and on
White House letterheads: but com
plete investigation shows either that
he did not do that, or else that he for.
got to take the speech as so written
along with him. But since no unoues-
toned record has ever been found of
that speech, which was said to have
been written originally on White House
Ietterheads, the statement that he
wrote it in tho White House is prob.
ably an Incorrect one.
A renewed discussion of this point
has been begun, with the settle
ment apparently wholly in favor of the
common understanding had by word of
mouth from time TO time from those
who were with Lincoln on the train
as he went to the Gettysburg battle
field. But the son Of the late Horatio
King of New York has recently un-
dertaken to reconcile the two versions
| OF how Lincoln wrote that speech,
and his account telescopes the two
versions. A recent issue Of the New
York Times gives what is purported
to be representation in fac similie of
what was alleged TO be the original
document written upon White House
paper. This is claimed by General
Wilson to have been written prior to
Lincoln S departure from Washington.
But the fact remains that the genuine
ness Of this is open to question No
well-attested original has been pro-
duced
Mr.. King. in attempting TO reconcile
the two versions of the writing of that
speech, states that in 1897, Owe copy
from the Springfield (Mass.) Republi-
cam he accompanied his father in
calling upon the old war Governor of
Pennsylvania, Andrew G. Curtin. At
that time the Governor told Of having
been one of the party accompanying
Lincoln to Gettysburg, and that on the
way Lincoln asked him Governor Cur
tin) if he had any writing paper To
this the Governor replied that he had
not; that the best he could do was to
give him several addressed envelopes,
which he cut open so as to give
clean surface. He handed these to
Lincoln, who withdrew by himself to
write Just before he reached Gettys-
burg Lincoln handed the slips back to
Governor Curtin, with the request that
he have clear copy made. The Gov
ernor did this at the hotel, and handed
the copy to President Lincoln. And
Governor Curtin ended his narrative of
this matter with the emphatic state
ment that he, "lile a ID FOOL
threw the slips away; they would be
priceless now" Mr.. Kings explana.
ton is that Mr., Lincoln had written
his speech in the White House, as the
opposing account has it, and had
unintentionally left the original manu-
script at home, and reproduced the
speech on the train from memory.
1t is not an altogether satisfactory
reconciliation of the two versions, but
at all events complete reliance can be
placed upon Governor Curtin s state.
ment to Mr.. King and to General King,
his father 1t is noteworthy that in
these attempts of Mr.. King to recon
cile the two versions Of how Lincoln
wrote that speech, there was no men
ton made by Governor Curtin of the
speech that had been forgotten and
left at the White House, which would
have been the most natural thing in
the world for President Lincoln to
have referred to if that had been the
case, and for Governor Curtin to re-
member. Besides, it would have been
more likely that President Lincoln
would have telegraphed to Washington
to have the speech wired TO him at
Gettysburg from the White House, than
that he should undertake to reproduce
it from memory on envelope slips while
on the train on his way to dedicate
the Gettysburg battlefield.
But if there could be produced
wellauthenticated copy of the alleged
speech as written at the White House
on White House letterheads, it would
certainly be interesting TO compare
that version with the one which Lin
coin produced on his way to the battle
field, so that the accuracy Of Lincoln IS
memory of what he had written
could be put to the test Unless this is
done, the common understanding that
Lincoln composed his speech on the
train while on his way to Gettysburg
will be the version that will stand.