Putnam patriot., 1917-11-23
TRACY COLLECTION
 LINCOLN LETTERS
Recently Published. Edited by Ida Nj.
 IarbeIl
"ar. Traey's Patient Efforts Have Put
 World in lis Debt." says Critic

collection of Lincoln Letters recently published the New York Tribune critic says: "The whole collection is rich in material which will delight the stu dent of Lincoln Mir. Tracy's patient efforts have put the world greatly in his debt. They have also made ne" complete edition of Lincoln's writ ings a matter Of historical necessity
 The collection Of Lincoln Letters was made by Mir. Tracy of Putnam. They were edited by Ida NJ. Tsrbell, who came to Putnam on several occasions to consult with MT. Tracy regarding the work of publication. They make n book which covers 264 octave pages and contain many notable expressions Of Iineoln's views.
 These letters are not all now pub iished for the first time. The most valuable of them have appeared in magazines, pamphlets or in compara lively recent books, as in the case of the letter to Schurz, published in 1913 in "The Speeches, Correspondence and Political Papers of Carl Schurz "These scattered, published documents, added to the new ones which MT. Tracy has procured, form q surprising addition 10 Lincoln's already edited worgs.
 The absolutely new letters naturally belong to the earlier period of Lincolns $ career--up to and including his contest with Douglas and his nomination for the Presidency. Of these, one written to Lyman TrumbulI in December, 1858, stands out. In il, with his usual DO litical aeumen, Lincoln points out the unwisdom Of any fusion on the part of The Republi cans with Douglas on the anti.slsvary question, and forecasts the failure Of Douglass efforts to angle at tho same time for Southern and North ern support. He says
 Since you left Coughs has gone South, making characteristic speeches and seeking to reinstate himself in that section. The majority of the Democratic politicians of the nation mean to kill him; but l doubt whether they will adopt the aptest way to ao it. Their true way is to present him with m new test, let him into the Charles ton Convention and then outvote him and nominate another. In that case he will have no pretext for bolting the nomination and will be as powerless ss they can wish.
 On the other hand, if they put n slave code upon him, as a test, he will bolt at once, turn upon us, as in the case Of Lecompton, and claim that all Northern men shall make common cause in electlng him President as the best means of breaking down thisSIave power. In that case the Democratic party will go into minority inevi. tsbly; and the struggle in the whole North will be, as In Illinois last sam mer,and fail, whether the Republican party can maintain its identity, or be broken up to form the tail Of Douglass new kite.
 Some of our great Republican doe
  10 swallow the pills they so eagerly prescribed for us last spHng. Still, 1 hope that they will not swallow them; and although do not feel that l owe The said doctors much, l will help them, to the best of my ability, to re- lect said pills. The truth is, the Re. publican principle can in no wise live with Douglas; and il is arrant folly now, as 1t was last spring, to waste tune and scatter lnhor already per. formed in dallying with him.
 Another new letter of great political and personal value Is that of April 6, 1860, 10 k. NJ. Corwins, of Ohio. In it Lincoln comments shrewdly on some of the other candidates for the Repub lican Presidential nomioation as fol- lows:
 Remembering that when not very great man begins to be mentioned for very great position his head is likely 10 oe little turned, l conclude am not the fittest person 10 answer the questions you ask. Making due allow. ance for this, think that MT. Seward IS the very best candidate we could have for the North of Illinois and the very worst for the South of it. The es innate of Governor Chase here is neither better nor worse than that of Seward, except that he is newer man. They are regarded ss being almost the same, seniority giving Seward the in sioe track. MT Bates, think, would be the best man for the South of our state and the worst for the North of it, If Judge Mclean was fifteen or even ten years younger, think he would be stronger than either in our state. taken as whole; but his great age and the recollection of the deaths of Hsrri. son and Taylor have, so far, prevented h's being much spoken of here.
 feel that we can carry the state for either of them, or for any one who may be nominated; but doubtless it would be easier to do il with some than with others. 1 feel myself disqualified to speak of myself in this matter.
 Three highly important letters are those to John J Crittenden, Dec. 9 IS5q op the question of compromise