Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-24

Park ecdwin on the Death of Lincoln

The great captain of our cause-Ab-
raham Lincoln-smitten by the basest
hand ever appraised against human in
nocence. is gone, gone, gone! He who
had borne the heaviest of the brunt in
our four long Years of war, whose pulse
beat l~ivelier, whose eyes danced bright
Ell than any other, when
The storm drew Off
Its scattered thunderS grooming around
the hills"
in the supreme hour of his joy and
glory was struck down. one who,
great in himself, as we'll as by position.
has suddenly departed. There is some
thing startling, CHASTITY, awful, in the
name OF his going off. But the chief
~poignancy of u distress is not for the
greatness fallen, but for the goodness
lost. Presidents have died before; dur
ing this bloody war we nave lost many
eminent generals-Lyon, Baker, kear-
ney, Scdgwick, Reno and others; wa
have lost lately our finest scholar, pub
lcist, orator. Our hearts still bleed for
the companions, friends, brothers, who
sleep the sleep that knows no waking
but no loss has been comparable to his.
VINO was u supremest leader-our
satest counsellor-our wisest friend
our dear father. Would you know what
Lincoln was, look at this vast me-
tropolis, covered with the habiliments
OF woe! Never in human history has
there been SO universal, so spontan-
eous, so profound an expression of a
nations bereavement.
Yet we sorrow not as those who are
without hope. Our chief is gone. bur
our cause remains; dearer to our hearts
eau he is now become the mar
tyr; consecrated by his sacrifice; mora
widely accepted by all parties: and
fragrant n lovely forevermore in tho
memories of all the good and the great,
or an lands. and for all time. The re-
Delllon, which began in the blacklist
treachery, to be ended in the foulesu
assassination; this rebellion, accursed
IN It's motive, which was to rivet the
of slavery on d whole race fo1
al the future; accused in it's means,
which have been red ruin and the
up of laws" the overthrow "a
the mlldest and blessedest governments.
and the profuse shedding of brothers.
blood BY brotbers' hands: accursed in
lts accompanlments of violence, cruelty
and barbarism, n is now doubly ac-
cursed in its final act of cold blooded
murder.
Cold blooded, but impotent, and de-
Ieated Its own purpose! The frenzied
ilahd Which slew the head of the gov
eminent, in the mad hope of paralyzing
Its functions, only drew the hearts OF
lne people together more closely to
strengthen and sustain it's power. All
lne north once more, without party os
division, clenches hands around the
common altar; all the north swears q
more earnest fidelity to freedom; al
the north again presents its breasts a.
the living shield and bulwark of the
nations unity and life. Oh! foolish and
wicked dream, oh! insanity Of fanatic
ism, oh. blindness of black hate-tc
think that this majestic temple of hr.
man liberty, which is built upon the
clustered columns of gree anu inde.
pendent states, and whose base is as
broad as the continent-could be shak.
en- 10 pieces, by striking of the o!na.
ments of it's capital. No, This nati",
lives, not in one man nor 100 men. hon..
ever able. however enGea.ed to Us: bfn
IN the affections, the Ni,t.ea, tne enaf.
giles, and the will OF the wnoIe Ameli.
can DeCrIa