The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-12-14
Eloquent Tribute Is Paid To
Martyred President
SPIRIT IS WITH PEOPLE
As Man He Stands Much Alive
Today As Ever; His Work
Goes On
ASSOCIATED oress pispatch.1

From Thursdays Daily.
Springfield, ILL.,, December g.
Standing at the tomb of Abraham
Lincoln today, T. P. O'Connor, mem
Der Of the British parliament de-
clared in an address that there
never was a moment in the history
Of this country since the death OF
the iliustrious man by whose ashes
we stand today when the inspiration
and lessons of his life were more
needed by his people and his coun
try"
"As a man. declared Mr.. O'Connor
Lincoln stands as much alive as
though he were still among us. He
is a flaming torch which leads on
the inner soul of every American,
whether he is standing by the honor
of his country in his work at home
or marching over barbed wire
trenches against sheel and cannon, to
wounds or death. What American
can be cowardly when his courage
inspires? What American can be sell
fish when his utter unselfishness is re-
corded in every page of his history?
What American can prefer the claims
of ambition or party in face of his
forgetfulness of all personal and par
tisan feeling before an imperilled
nation? What American can enter
tain or tolerate the very thought of
a divided allegiance in face OF his
passionate patriotism and of the in
flexible resolution with which he
fought for a united nation?
Can Any Man Doubt?
Can any man doub where he would
stand if the crisis through which his
country is now passing he was still
it's ruler? What was the first and
most fundamental of Lincoln's con-
v%ictions? Was it not passionate
love of liberty and passionate hatred
of slavery? Is there n difference
in essentials between the e%nslave-
ment of the negro and such e%nslave-
ment as Germany today breaches in
her gospel of world domination, and
practices while her sinister mastery
lasts IN Belgium, France and Serbia,
as her blood stained partner does IN
the plains and mountains OF Ar
menia?
To-day, as Lincoln said, two prin-
ciples stand face to face and VIII
ever continue to struggle, the com
mon right of humanity and the
divine right of kings or, as we would
say, the kaiser and the liberty of the
world. Today as Lincoln said, there
is but n duty-to fight 1t is true
today, as it was in Lincoln's day, that
though hitherto in the worlds history
might made right it is for us and
for our times to reverse the maxim
and to show that right makes might.
Liberty Is Right.
"I know he said, that liberty IS
right and so do we. Like him, we
hone that peace will come soon, but,
like him, we want it so to come as
to be worth the keeping in all future
time.' Finally, can we do better
than obey the imperishable appear
from Gettysburg to dedicate our
selves so that the nation may nave
a new birth of freedom and that
the government of the people, by the
people, and for the people, shall not
perish from the earth :.
"Spirit of Lincoln, l do not call
unon Won to come today to us from
this tomb of yours. Your spirit has
never left us. In hours OF solitude
when we are thrown back on our
own souls, that spirit has ever wills
pered to our inner ear words of COM
fort and appeal. Rather let me say
to your people that it is for them TO
be of. and in, and with, your spirit,
so that, like you, they may be worthy
of this great hour in their history,
and, like you be ready to strive, and
hope, and suffer, to the end"