Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-12
what Would Lincoln DO?"

sixty years ago an uncouth stood before
em0tionswept audiences and put in immortal words
the diaIrine that no nation ran permanently remain
half Save and haIf-free In the few wears. this
rustic of Illinois his warning written in the
fash Of onlire. heard ii sounded in the beat of
the dram and the stirring call Of battletrumIets
Before the troops laid down their arms slavery had
been abolished the secediIg sIaye.states defeated
z the union saved And human freedom then and for
ever1nerr became the mightiest, the cearrSt ideal
before The fAtlerican republic
This The anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's
birthday. Were he still with us. there is no dohbf
OF WHEAT -l.is. sertls would be today.
lie would declare that this nation cannot endure
haIf1alien and half American.
He would declare that the citizen of America who
does not gladly. readily Fundamentally give his
full allegiance TO the United States is not worthy to
dweH under the protection of the Stars and Stripes
No man in American history has seen better than
lincpn. that upon q moral issue the nation cannot
be divided against itself. No man has sen better
than he that temporzing on such an issue is vicious,
and that the duty of men and the duty of the nation
Is 10 take positive stand before the world
b Lincoln not among Americas greatest law
yers. but no barrister jurist exceed him in
reducing TO the simplest. most unequiyocal terms
any issue or Ihs t6htfoversy In the memorial Lin
colin Douglas debate Of 1854 and the still mem
orabe series Of debates 1858 the railsplitter of
Springfield was opposed by one of the abest debat
and orators Congress- has ever heard. the Little
Giant" stephen \. Douglas Douglas a master
Of eoquence and talked with flow Of prose which
won almost any audience. And yet Lincoln with
his clear simple statements of the moral issues in
volved in slavery made the deeper and more per-
manent impression on the excited crowds of those,
days
Lincoln hated war; and suffered acutely assihe
dread devastation of conflict engulfed the country
over which he presided. But convinced that war
was necessary. heNdid pot falter when Fort Sumter
was. fired onsSAnsilF12 1864 Addressing the extra
session of Congress- next July, called TO take meas
ures % prosecute the war he said of the Fort sum
ter incident. |
Noschoice was left but to call out the NARROWER
Of the government and so to resist the force employ
ed for itsdestructon by force for ifs preservation
IA Aneric i,seseHt crisis it is uncomfortable that
Linsoln woald be snpne in the face of events which
profe GERMANY deliberately menacing the safety and
the security of Mis- country Once convinced that
sierinany's Submarine war was violating American
rights and International rights, and he would-not
hesitate 10 shtlos force in defenseef those rights
Ohe can imagine with what emphasis and clarity
he 9ould reduce their simplest terms the sinking
OF the I-usitania, the outrage of Belgium and The
rev9rsion of Germany now to the campaign of ruth
esshess Berlin once pledged the United States her
subharine coniiNA IaleiS would not carry on
And one oancs flsn imagine how simply and spIen
dids he would state the fact that therris no place
in american government or american homes for
divided allegiance when the honor and safety of the1
nation at stake. x
As one HUNDRED piillions of Americans do honor
10 our martyred Ppesident il is well to remember (
that his heart and mind were passionately devoted
TO the theory of national unity; that his greatest
speeches and his greatest deeds were for the cause
OF rational unity and that his life was given in pre-.
servatinn of that IDEAL. q /
There was no hyphen in Abraham Lincoln's Amer
ica4sm II was unadulterated. unqualified un-
divided