The Republican journal., 1922-02-09
LINCOLN FORESAW
POSSIBLE DANGER
URGED NECESSITY FOR RESPECT
FOR LAW AND ORDER
Words of the Great Emancipator Es
pecially Significant in the Turmoil
Of the World Today.

In his first great patriotic speech,
now too little known, Abraham Lincoln
forecast many of the present day
nolitical and social conditions. The
theme of this speech was the danger
TO American institutions that would
come from within and the need Tor
a greater respect for law and order.
in the great journal Of things hap
pening under the sun" said Mr.. Lin
coin. I'VE the American people, ma
our account running the date OF the
Nineteenth century of the Christian
era. We find ourselves in the peaceful
rossession of the fairest portion of the
earth as regards extent Of territory,
fertility of soil and Salubrity OF
climate. We find ourselves under the
government of system of political IN
stitutions conducting more essentially
TO the ends of civil and religious
liberty than any of which the history
of former times tells US.
"We. when mounting the stage OF
existence. found ourselves the legal
inheritors of these fundamental hles-
sings. We toiled not in the acquire
ment or establishment of them, theE
are legacy bequeathed to us by once
q hardy. brave. and patriotic, but now
lamented and departed, race of our
ancestors. Theirs was the task cana
nobly they performed it) to possess
themselves and through themselves
ms. of this goodly land, and to uprear
upon its hills and its valleys political
edifice of liberty and equal rights; It's
ours only to transmit these-the
former unprofaned by the foot OF an
invader. the latter undecayed by the
lapse of time and untorn by usurpa-
tion-to the latest generation that tate
shall hermit the world to know. Thls
task of gratitude to our fathers. jus
tice 10 ourselves, duty to posterity
and love for our species in general all
imperatively require us faithfully 10
perform.
"How. then. shall we perform 1t? AT
what point shall we expect the ap-
proach of danger? BY what means
shall we fortify against it? Shall we
expect some transatlantic military
giant to step the ocean and crush US
at blow? Never
"AU the armies of Europe, Asia, and
Africa combined, with all the treasure
Of the earth (our own excepted) in
their military chest with Bonaparte
for a commander, could not by force
take a drink from the Ohio or make
a track on the Blue ridge In trial OF
q thousand years.
"At what point is the approach OF
danger to be expected? | answer, II
it ever reaches US it must spring W
amongst us; it cannot come from
abroad. If destruction be our lot we
must ourselves be its author and
| finisher. AS nation of free men we
must live through all time or die by
suicide"
After giving some examples of the
evil effects on the innocent as well as
| the guilty, which occurred in the
operation of mob violences. Mr.. Lin
coin continued:
Il know the American people are
much attached to their government;
know they would suffer much for It's
sake; l know they would endure evil:
long and patiently before they would
ever think of exchanging it for another
yet, Notwithstanding all this, If the
laws be continually disregarded ant
despised if their rights TO be secure
| in their persons and property are helt
! by no better tenure than the caprice
of a mob, the alienation of their affec
tions from the government Is thu
| natural consequence, and to tina
sooner or later it must come.
Here, then, is one point from which
danger must be expected
"The question recurs, How shall w
fortify against itr
"The answer is simple. Let ever.
American. every lover Of liberty. ever.
well-wisher to his posterlty swear b.
the blood of tine Revolution never t.
violate in the least particular the law