Evening journal., 1914-07-03
New News Of Yesterday
How Lincoln Surprised
His First New York
Audience
ny Holland.

The late Ccphns Brainerd, who died
in 1910, was, so far as is known the
sole survivor in the last years of his
life OF all those who had official relation
with the reception OF Abraham Lincoln
by the Young Republicans of New York
City in 1860 Mr. Brainerd was at that
time only thirty years of age, but ever
since the Fremont campaign in 1856 he
had been actively associated with the
Young Republicans, not only of New
York, but of the United States.
Mr. Brainerd was chosen chairman
of the reception committee whose duty
1t was to make Mr.. Lincoln comfortable
and to escort him TO Cooper Union.
where he was announced to deliver an
address upon the great questions OF the
day That address has passed into his
tory as the Cooper Union address. AZ
the time it was delivered, no one in New
York State dreamed that Lincoln would
be Republican candidate for President,
nominated al the Chicago convention,
which was TO take place three months
later But It was thought by some OF
the eastern Republicans that he might
be named as pdrty candidate for Vice
President with William II. Seward at
the head of the ticket
Many years after the Cooper Union
address was delivered had opportunity
TO chat with Mr.. Braincrd and was able
TO obtain from him some details OF
Lineoln's appearance in New York al
that time which have not been made
public. so far as I know.
Although it was known in a general
way that Lincol's address to the young
Republicans would be chiefly confined 10
some OF the historic and moral aspects
of the slavery question:" said Mr.. Brain
crd. vet none OF US was told by Lin
coin anything respecting his speech. He
did inquire about the size of Cooper
Union. asking how many that great
cavern would hold and whether 1t was a
good place to speak in. He wanted 10
know whether IL was a good hall from
the acoustic point of view.
After the address was finished, all
OF those with whom J talked spoke not
only with admiration. but with amaze
mcnt. of the fact that Lincoln had
confined the address to a statement Of
what the understanding of those who
drafted the Constitution was respecting
.he slavery question. The address
seemed so full of history, OF the Con-
stitutional conventions, and every ar
gumont or line of thought which Lin
coin advanced was so thoroughly forti-
fed by references TO the discussion at
the convention of 1887 that it seemed to
MS that no man could have had a more
profound knowledge of what that con
vcntion said and did than Mr. Lincoln
possessed.
"rhe address was moi exactly what
was expected. Tor we had heard much OF
his colloquial and his neighborly manner
of speaking when addressing the citi
zeGs of Illinois. This Cooper Union ad.
dress we all recognized as that Of a
scholar
"Some years later-I think ii was
shortly after General Grant became
President L was telling a friend of my
impressions of Lincoln and his address
when he told me a remarkable thing. HC
said that he had been told by David
Davis. who was justice OF the Suprcm,
Court az Washington. and had been an
intimate personal and political fiicn,
of Lincoln. that In the preparation o
this address Lincoln consulted no othc
authority and read no other work thar
T those set forth the discussions ut th'
/ Constitutional convention Of 1857.
think it is without precedent that al
epoch-making address based upon his
torical statement was ever before mad
after consultation with a single author
ity.H
/ Copyright, 1914, by T.. J. Edwards Al
rights reserved.
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell "hoy
the Railroad Idea Has Expanded"