New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-30

there is usually some merit on
each side of every dispute. He
had learned TO take 4 comprehen-
sive view Of every question re-
curing his attention, 10 analyze
every problem, TO separate the true
from the false, TO detect and eN-
pose sophistry and present the
real issue stripped Of every i'm
material consideration. He had
acquired a knowledge Of men by
means of which he understood the
motives which prompt and the i'm
pulses which control human action.
His knowledge Of the principles
upon which the national govern
mcnt was founded. and Of the
scope and limitations of the Fed
oral Constitution, made him an eX-
poundar of that instrument no less
worthy Of confidence than Webster.
II follows. as A matter of course, that
these things were, as Mr. Richards
saws. of infinite value 10 him after he
became President; and Of infinite
value % the nation. Nor was II Of less
Importance and significance that he had
cultivated and possessed a reverence
for the laws of his country which
affords an example worthy OF the
thoughtful consideration of people OF
every age and condition everywhere.
He himself. in one of his most char
acteristic addresses. adjured his hear
crs Let every man remember that TO
violate the law is 20 trample on the
blood of his father and 10 tear the
charter Of his own and his children's
liberty" II is well TO be reminded OF
this at "a time when il has been unwar-
rantably, though somewhat plauslbly,
insinuated that Lincoln was gwen 10
disregard of written law and 70 con-
tempt for judicial decisions The fact
is. as Mr.. Richards's thoroughly admit
rablc volume demonstrates, that Lincoln
was In an exceptional degree possessed
OF the highest and best spirit at once
Of law and Of equity. and on reading
these convincing pages we are quite
rrcnared 20 accept the authors ludg-
ment that had Lincoln lived to witness
the realization Of the vision which he
saw and which he so beautifully ex-
pressed in his first inaugural address.
''he would have proved himself the
greatest Constitutional lawyer OF the
Nineteenth Century
Men who knew or even saw Lincoln
arc growing few, while those who were
in any sense his associates and who
participated actively in the public az
fairs of his day are very few indeed.
For that reason, If for no other, we
must welcome every contribution of
personal recollections from such men,
however slight and fragmentary. Mr.
II.
it contains little of Importance that is
new; and 1t is, unhappily, marred by
a number Of errors which we may
doubtless charge TO too great trust
I'm memory without veritication, but
which are, after all, mostly so obvious
a. to be incapable of misleading the
intelligent reader. His version of the
famous dictum OF Chief Justice fancy
in the bred Scott decision, that a
negro had no rights that white man
was bound TO respect, is, OF course,
merely repetition OF widespread
and long-prevailing error. His quota.
tion of the incompatible peroration Of
Lincoln's second inaugural as part
of his first is a strange mistake. We
can imagine no foundation for the
amazing statement that the nomina-
ton Of Johnson for the Nice-Presi-
dencv in 1864 prevented recognition of
the Confederacy by France and Eng
land; while, in saying that John
Bright was almost the only prominent
Briton who remained friendly TO the
Federal cause" and that Disraeli was
Fin omen sympathy with the Confed-
eracy," he docs grave injustice to many
of the foremost men in England at that
4 II. H. ~f,t1
of the North, he certainly was not of
the South. but on the whole he in
clined toward the former; while. of
the men of that day who are now COM
monty remembered as of the first rank,
a majority were outspoken for the
Union.
Nevertheless. Mr.. Dittenhoefer was
an active campaigner for Lincoln in
1860, and he was one of the Presi-
Dental Electors who returned Lincoln
for a second term in 1864. He was a
personal acquaintance of Lincoln, and
was in his presence on a number of
interesting and important occasions.
He was a shrewd and sympathetic OBJ
server. and he gives his "reminiscences
with vivacity and with an enthusiasm
for his illustrious subject which the
long lapse Of time has not impaired.
These facts give the little volume an
interest far surprising criticism of its
unintentional blemishes.
Another book of personal recollec-
tions and personal knowledge is Mr..
RanKin's unique monograph. We had
scarcely supposed it possible for one
20 write so large volume about Lin
coin and to say so little in il about
his work as lawyer and his services
as President But this omission is one
Of the fundamental virtues OF one of
the most interesting and valuable
Lincoln books that have appeared since
the two monumental works of years
ago. Nicolay and Hay in the works"