Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-02-20
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Address BY Judge speer


Judge Emory Speer of the United
States district last Friday favored the
soldiers at the Young Mems Christian As
ISOLATION Building No 232 with an admir-.
able address on Abraham Lincoln. In
the judges estimation Lincoln's father
was not poor white trash as is SO often
stated but one of those brave and hardy
pioneers who struck out where softer or
less courageous men feared to 60. he
brayed the dangers of the woods Dlazed
his way into territory heretofore unln-
habited by white men, developed farm
out of the wilderness, and established
home for his family
The mother of Lincoln was pious and
loving woman who left her impress upon
the young boy, for when he was Presi-
dent of the United States he was wont to
says: CAN | am, or hope to be, ! owe
to nv angel mother" She died when
Lincoln was but eight years old and the
father moved to Indiana where after some.
time he disappeared for a few weeks and
later returned with new mother for
the children This was Mrs. Sally Thomp-
son, rather wealthy widow, who, to-
gether with several children brought to
the pioneer home considerabl amount
of furniture, dishes and other conVen-
fences which were in striking contract TO
the simple homemade beds and chairs
previously in use. The young boy studied
hard with the few books which he had
wrote his lessons on "a wooden shovel
which he would afterwards scrape and.
use again; became an orator at the eX-
pense of his audience: practiced as a law
yer in the solitude of the woods arguing
both sides of q superSitiouS cease and
charging the jury as judge.
No one knew the middle class people
better than did Mr.. Lincoln. His aris-
tocratic cabinet members could not under
stand his free and easy attitude with the
common people Lincoln's knowledge of
the Southern character especially with
the people of the border states frequently
stood him in good stead.
With reference to slavery Lincoln was
willing to retain slavery or to overthrow
1t if only by either means the Union
might be preserved At Petersburg, Lin
coin visited Grandt and shortly afterwards
recommended to his cabinet an appro-
priation of three hundred million dollars
as compensation for the slaves. When OPP
posed by a cabinet member. he asked
him how long the war would last. The
reply was probably a hundred days"
Then" said Mr.. Lincoln "since we are
spending three million day would it not
be cheaper to pay the proposed compen-
Sation for the slaves?"
ON April the 18th, 1865, he stated. "AP
agree that the seeded states are out of
the proper attitude toward the Union
Let US ell join to re~establish the proper
attitude" With this determination on
he part of the noble President of the Unit
ed States, reconstruction in the South
would have progressed satisfactorily to all
interested, but events moved on hurried
~. The Incompatible army of Lee was
vanquished, and then came the deep
damnation of the taking off of Lincoln
the most dastardly deed ever struck at
the heart of our country" but his spirit
was manifested in a statement made i'm
decision in the United States Supreme
court, that the United States is an in
States -
The Young Mems Christian Association
greatly regrets that Judge Sper's duties
take him away from Augusta before he
can be heard in all of our buildings.