Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-05-30
PRESIDENT HARDING
EXPLOITS LINCOLN
Continued from page 1


Ancc--"l have no purpose, directly or
Indirectly. to Interfere with the insti-
tuition OF slavery In tho states where
II exists. ] believe ] have no lawful
right to do 40. and l have no inclina-
ton to do So" He believed In main
taining inviolate the rights Of the
states, but he believed no less firmly
In the perpetuity OF the union Of the
states. The union having been con-
Ntracted could not be dissolved except
Iby consent Of all parties to the con-
tract. He recognized the conflicting
viewpoints. differing policies and con-
trovertcd questions. But there were
constitutional methods OF settlement,
and thcec must be employed.
Secession Essence Of Anarchy.
"1n the FIRST inaugural address ne
stressed the great general principle
THAT Our constitutional controversies
we divide into majorities and minori-
tiles. II the minority viii not acquieecc,
the majority must. or the government
must cease. There Is no other alter
native, for continuing the government
In acquieaccnce on tho one side or the
othcr. II the minority In such case will
acccdc rather than acquiesce, they
make n precedent which I'm turn will
divide and ruin them. Plainly
the central idea Of secession Is the cs-
sence Of anarchy. A majority held In
restraint by constitutional checks and
Limitations, and always changing easily
with deliberate changes of popular
Iopinlons and sentiments. IL the only
true eovereign Of n free people. who
ever rejects IT docs. of necessity. fly
to anarchy or dcspotism."
Here spoke the etatesnan. pro-
claiming deliberate public opinion as
tho supreme powsr of civilization,
easily To be written into law when con
viction should command. 1t ought to
be tonic to the waning confidence of
those who grow impatient that ON
pha aslyed minority views are not hur-
ried into the ma iority expressions of
the republic, Deliberate public opinion
never fails
Generous. ForKIving and Sympathetic.
Later closing his first inaugural.
when anxiety gripped the nation. there
spoke the generous. forgiving. sympa-
thetic man of undaunted faith:
Il am loath to close. We arc not
enemies. but friends We must not be
enemies. Though passion may have
strained, Il must not break our bonds
OF affection. The mystic chords of
memory stretching from every battle.
field and patriut grave. to every
living heart and heorthetonc. all over
this broad land. will yet swell the
chorus OF the union, when agair
touched. as they surely will he by the
better angels OF our nature
q Fate Summoned Great War Leader
: but he appealed In vain--,a sslon
e was aname and war was made tho
arbiter. Americans fought Americans
with equal courage and valor. There
was an ambiguity In the conatItutio,,
which only heptiHm in blood could
eface. One may only speculate on
what another might have done. bul
fate seems TO have summoned this one
great hero best ftted 10 lead 10 tho
unions salvation.
Ills faith was inspiring his resolu.
tion commanding. his sympathy re.
assuring. his simplicity enlistins, his
patience unfailing. lie was faith
patience and courage, with his head
above the clouds. unmoved by the
storms which ragged about his feet.
No leader was ever moro unspar
ingly criticized or more bitterly as
sailed. He was lashed by angr,
tongues and r1diculed In press ant
speech until he drank as bitter cuJ
as was ever put TO human Hips. but hi,
y faith was unshaken and HIS patienc,
never exhausted. Some one sent IN,
recently an illumined and framed quo
tation which fell from his lips wheI
The storm of criticism was at Il
= height:
"Did the Best Can and Know
If l were trying to read. he saIt
= much less answer all the attack
= made on me. this shop might as we
be closed for any other business.
do the best | know how. the very bes
/ can; and ] mean to keep on dojn
u to the end. II the end brings me OF
all right. what is said against ME wi
:. not amount to anything. II the en-
Ie brings me out all wrong. ten ange
Y swearing l was right would make n
l. difference
10 He knew OF course, before the n,
ls sassin robbed him OF fuller realiza ito
that the end was bringing him o,
all right. He knew when swords wei
sheathed and guns laid down that II
- union he saved was riveted anew ar
> made forever indissoiubie. He kne
III that In the great crucible OF fire al
blood the dross had been burned fro
m the misdirected patriotism of secedir
H. states and the pure gold restored
ar shining stars in dear Old Glory agai
c. He knew he had freed a race Of bon
g. men and had given TO the world Il
Of costly proof of the perpetuity of Il
T. american union. But | cannot restra
n. the wish that he might somehow knC
We OF the monuments to his memo
be throughout the world and that we a
ru dedica ting today on behalf OF a graf
a full nation, this matchless memori
whose forty-eight columns, represen
-. irg As statea in the concord Of unio
-, testify that the end brought him o
- all right.
a
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