Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-09

This, together with having preserved
the Union and freed the slaves, was
his greatest glory For a thousand
times. when the power to strike was
his and the incentive for revenge
would have filled the bosoms of most
other men with devourng flames of
wrath, he meekly forbore, and, in
lieu of chastisement, contented him.
self with administering good atured,
kindly advice to the offenders
An illustration of this was his treat
ment of Clement l.. Nallandigham,
who had made "A violent anti-draft
speech and whose Imprisonment sem
tence Lincoln committed to Transport
tation beyond the military lines.
Other acts of defiance by friends of
Nallandigham on the refusal of the
President to make effective In his
behalf the writ of habeas corpus in
an area under martial law ELECTED
only this characteristic response:
Must shoot the simple minded
soldier boy who deserts. while [ must
not touch hair of a willy agitator
who induces him to desert"
), *
Lincoln had even offered to release
Vallandigham, who had been nomi-
mated for Governor of Ohio, If the
friends who interceded for him would
sign declaration that there was a
state Of rebellion and that an army
and navy were constitutional means
n 70
do. Their contumacy and the Pres-
dents generosity caused a revulsion
of feeling in Ohio. and Vallandlgham
who had first been regarded as a sort
or martyr, was defeated at the polls
by an overwhelming majority.
Prohibitionists have especial reason
to celebrate Lincoln's birthday ami
versary this year, wherein they have
scored the double victory of liquor
drought both by constitutional amend
ment and as a military measure. Lin
coin was teetotaler One of the
write as a boy was to prepare an ar
gument for temperance. This was
printed In aY Indiana newspaper. To
a member Of Congress he said in 1865.
IN his forty-fifth year:
II do not in theory, but I do in fact.
belong to the temperance society, In
this, to wit. that do not drink any
thing. and have not done so for very
many years.
To the committee appointed by the
OF nD1 iN,, nj
Chicago. May 16, 1860. to announce
formally TO Lincoln at his home In
Springfield. H., his nomination for
the presidency he said
Gentlemen, we must pledge our
mutual healths in the most healthy
beverage which God has given to
man. 1t is the only beverage have
ever used or allowed in my family,
and cannot conscientiously depart
from 1t on the present occasion"
Appropriate likewise is the celebra-
tion of his natal anniversary at
time when the great peace conference
is sitting to devise means for league
of all nations and the insuring of
freedom to all mankind. Union and
freedom were the guiding stars in
Lincoln's life. For this reason he
made the Constitution of the United
States his chart and the Declaration
of Independence his compass from the
time he was first able to comprehend
their meaning,
In speech In 1858, when he was
running for the United States Senate
against Stephen A, Douglas. the
democratic. candidate. he said:
This (the Declaration OF Independ-
ence) was their lofty and noble and
wise understanding of the justice of
the Creator to His creatures--to all
His creatures, to the whole great
family OF man. In their enlightened
belief nothing stamped with the d.
vine image was sent into the world to
be trodden on and degraded and im-
bruted by its fellows. They grasped
not only the whole race of men then
living, but they reached forward and
seized upon the remotest postority.
so that no man should here
after dare to limit and circumscribo
the great principles upon which the
temple of liberty was built"