Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-06-15
Park Goodwin on the Death Of Lincolr

Park Goodwin on the Death OF Lincoln
The great captain of our cause-Ab-
raham Lincoln-smitten by the basest
hand ever appraised against human IL
nocence, is gone. gone. gone. He M
had borne the heaviest of the brunt in
our four long years of war, whose pulse
beat ~livelier, whose eyes danced bright
er than any other, when
The storm drew off
It's scattered thunders grooming around
the hills"
in the supreme hou of his joy and
glory was struc down. one who,
great in himself. as well as by position,
has suddenly departed. There is some
thing startling, CHASTITY, awful, in the
manner Of his going off. But the chief
p~oignancy of our 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, Sedgwick. Reno and others; we
have lost lately our finest scholar, pub
licist, 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,
who was cur suprenest leader-our
safest 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, but
our cause remains; dearer to our hearts
because he is now become the mar
tyr; consecrated by his sacrifice; more
widely accepted by all parties; and
fragrant and lovely forevermore in the
memories of all the good and the great,
OF all lands. and for all time. The re-
bellion, which began in the blacklist
treachery, to be ended in the foulest
assassination; this rebellion, accursed
IN Its motive. which was to rivet the
shackles of slavery on a whole race for
all the future; accursed in it's means,
winch have been red ruin and the
breaklng up of laws" the overthrow Of
and the profuse shedding Of brothers
blood by brothers hands; accursed in
lts accompan1ments of violence, cruelty
and barbarism, and Is now doubly ac-
cursed In it's final act of cold blooded
murder.
Cold blooded, but impotent, and de-
feated its own purpose! The frenzied
hand which slew the head of the gov
eminent, in the mao hope of paralyzing
its functions, only drew the hearts Of
the people together more closely to
strengthen and sustain it's power. All
the north once more. without party or
DIVISION. clenches hands around the
nmo altar; all the north swears a
more earnest fidelity to freedom; all
the north again presents its breasts as
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-to
think that this majestic temnla ne b,-
man liberty, which is built upon the
clustered column of free and inde-
pendent states, n whose base is as
broad as the continent-could be shak-
en- to pieces. by striking off the orna-
ments OF its capital. No! this nation
llVes' not IN one nan nor 80 men, how
ever able. however endeared TO ms. h,,t
IN the affections. the virtues, the ene--
gies. and the will Of the whole Ameri-
can people.