Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-02-13
THE COURSE THAT ABRAHAM
LINCOLN WOULD PURSUE Ilt
HE WE'RE OUR PRESIDENT
TODAY.
(From. the New York American,
February 12)


TODAY.
(From. the New York American,
February 12.)
II must be a singularly unimagln-
ative mind which does not wonder
to-day what Abraham Lincoln would
have done had he been President
during these past two years Of trials
and perplexities For one thing, we
are quite sure that Mr. Lincoln
would have been absolutely neutpal.
| Our great President had a singular
power of elevating himself above all
racial, national and personal predi-
! lections and prejudices and Of view
ing events and formulating his course
OF action upon serene height OF im-
partial Justice. For another thing,
we are quite sure that Mr.. Lincoln
would have kept the nation at peace.
OF late, it has become the fashion OF
certain speakers and newspapers,
here and abroad, to quote an isolated
utterance of his in order to show
that Mr.. Lincoln would have opposed
peace without victory, and would
have refused to endure any wrongs
inflicted upon American commerce
without interposing armed resist
ance. These speakers and news
papers know little Of Mr.. Lincoln's
habit of mind or of his political con-
duct. Mr.. Lincoln did indeed per-
omptorily refuse the offered media
tion of the British and French Gov
ernments in our Civil War; for the
sane and sufficient reason that our
war was civil war, and civil wars
do not admit Of mediation. The in
stant the Government Of the United
States had accepted foreign media
tion in our Civil War, that instant it
would have recognized the Confeder-
acy as q lawful belligerent govern
mcnt and that the Confederacy was
not q lawful belligerent government,
but an unlawful armed resistance to
the lawful authority of the Federal
Government was the crux Of the con-
fict That was the sole issue upon
which Mr. Lincoln was waging war,
and to have permitted foreign inter-
vention would have been to admit
that the Government Of the United
States had waged an unjust war and
was defeated. 1t ought not 10 be
necessary to repeat such elemental
truths, long ago made as clear as
daylight by Mr. Lincoln himself, but
ii seems that there are still men VINO
pose as public instructors and whose
intellccts cannot grasp these simple
Propositions We feel sure that MI.
Lincoln would have kept us out OF
war, just as Mr. Wilson has so far
kept us out Of war, for the simple
reason that Mr.. lincoln did That very
thing under equally trying and
irritating circumstances.
From the beginning of our Civil
War the Government of Great Brit
ain and the Government OF France,
which was then Napoleon the Third,
were eager TO sec the United States
split in two, and its power and pres
tige and material and commercial
growth decreased by the success OF
the Confederacyl So they began and
continued q series OF intcrferences,
insults, aggressions and attempts to
nullify the sea-operations of the
United States Navy, which were all
studiOusly caculated and intended 10
give them an opportunity to dccInpe
war upon us, while the nation was
desperately lighting for It's life. Eng
land seized her first opportunity in
November, 1861, when the war was
but seven months old. Two Com
fedcrato commissioners, ON their way
to England 70 solicit aid against che
United States, were removed frOnl
the steamer Trent by an American
naval officer, and the British Govern
mcnf demanded their instant surren-
der to English authorities on pain
OF declaration OF war. The British
navy had not only repeatedly thus
seized enemies before that time, but
il has repeatedly done so since, hay-
ing only last week stopped and
forcibly removed from n neutral
Chilean passenger vessel the German
superintendent of the KosmOs Steam
ship Company. So that either the
British Governments had been and
has continued TO be q lawless depre-
dator upon neutral rights on the seas
or else IL simply seized upon the
Trent case, as an eager excuse for
making war upon us in our cXtrem-
! ity. But Mr.. Lincoln would not make
war, though the whole country clam
ored for il. He submitted to the
British demand, returned the cap
turcd cnvoys and maintained peace.
Following this, and some time later,
the British Government permitted
/ Confederate Commissioners TO pur-
chase and to arm tHO fast cruisers,
the Alabama and the Florida, and by
afiording these vessels shelter in it's
neutral ports, when hard chased or
needing supplies, aided them to
sweep the seas almost clean of the
commerce of the United States. The
designs of the British Government
were two: First, 20 injurc dnd de-
stloy as far as possible Che compet-
ing commerce OF the United States
a game whicI, England has always
played with every possible COM
mercial rival; and, second, to pro-
woke the United States to declare
war. But Mr.. Lincoln would not so
be caught. He contcnted himself
with protesting and with laying a
foundation for case in damages,
which long afterward was tried in
Geneva and resulted in q just verdict
against the British Government in
the sum OF $15, 100000. 50 again
MIR. Lincoln maintained the peace.
Not content with these indignities,
piovocations and wrongs, the British