The Washington herald., 1914-04-18
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago
Ap I8 IS6Predent Lincoln Made Address the Opening Of
Sanitary Baltimore Which He Defined Liberty and Defended
His Course in Authorizing the Arming Of Negroes. rs
cwrittsn expressly for The ueraldJ

Neither did any anticipate that do
mestic slavery would be much affected
by the war. But here we are: the war
has not ended and slavery has been
much a1ected-how much needs not now
to be recounted."
Laughter followed Lincoln's reference
TO slavery being affected" as there was
something droll IN his tone; but his audi
ence at once became grave when he fin
ished his period by saying: so true II
is that man proposes and God disposes.'
He continued But We can see the past,
thoughswe may not claim to have direct
ed il; and seeing IL. in this case, we
feel more hopeful and confident for the
future"
Lincoln on "Liberty."
Lincoln's next topic was suggested by
the claim of the Confederates that the
South was fighting for liberty. He said
The world has never had a good defini-
ton of the word liberty, and the Ameri-
can people, just now, are much in want
of one. We all declare for liberty; but
in using the same word We do not all
mean the same thing.
with some the word liberty may
mean for each man to do as he pleases
with himself and the product of his la
Dor: while with others the same word
may mean for some men to do as they
please with other men and the product
of other mems labor.
Here are two. not only different. but
incompatible things, called by the same
name. liberty. And it follows that each
of the things is. by the respective par
ties. called by two different and incom-
patible names-liberty and tyranny. q
The shepherd drives the wolf from
the Sleeps throat, for which the sheep
thanks the shepherd as his liberator,
while the wolf denounces him for the same
act as the destroyer of liberty. espe-
cialiy if the sheep was black one.
Plainly. the sheep and the wolf are
not agreed upon a definition of the word
liberty; and precisely the same difference
prevails today among us human crea-
lures. even in the North, and all pro-
Tossing to love liberty.
Hence We behold the process by
which thousands are daily passing from
under the yoke of bondage hailed by
some as the advance of liberty, and be-
walled by others as the destruction of all
liberty.
Recently. as it seems, the people of
Maryland have been doing something to
define liberty. and thanks to them that.
in what they have done, the VOLTS die
tionary has been repudiated.''
Duty to CoIored Soldiers.
At this point the President appeared to
have reached the end of his prepared
address. as he remarked, 1T is not very
becoming for one in my position to make
speeches at great length, but he de-
clared that there was another subject on
which he Ought to say a word" This
was a report that Gen. Nathan B. For
rest. the Confederate cavalry raider.
had massacred the colored garrison at
Fort Pillow on the Mississippi after the
men had surrendered ION April 12.
There seemed TO be anxiety in the public
mind, said Li1coln. whether the govern
ment was doing it's duty TO the colored
soldier A clear conviction of duty had
resolved him to turn the element Of
strength represented by the negroes to
account, and for arming them he held