Phillips County herald., 1922-02-10
LINCOLN F0RESAW
POSSIBLE DANGER
UR0eD NECESSITY FOR RESPECT
FOR LAW AND ORDER
Words Of the Great Emaneipator Es.
peeiaily Significant in the Turmoil
Of tho World Today.

In his first great patriotic speech.
forecast many of the present day
politica! and social conditions. The
theme of this speech was the danger
to American institutions that would
come from within and the need for
greater respect for law and order.
"In the great journal of things hap
pening under the sum-" said Mr.. Lin
coin. 1--WE, the American people, find
our account running the date Of the
Nineteenth century Of the Christian
era. We find ourselves In the peaceful
possession 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.
ave. when mounting the stage Of
existence. found ourselves the legal
inheritors of these fundamental bles-
sings. We toiled not In the acquire
ment or establishment OF them. they
are n legacy bequeathed to us by once
n hardy. brave. and patriotic. but now
lamented and departed. race OF our
ancestors. Theirs was the task (nnd
nobly they performed it) to possess
themselves. and through themselves
US. Of this goodly land. and TO uprear
upon Its hills and its valleys a 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 fate
shall permit the world to know. This
task Of gratitude to our fathers. Jus
tlce TO ourselves. duty to posterity
md love for our species In general NIL
imperatively require US faithfully to
perform.
"How. then. shall We perform ~ At
what point shnll we expect the ap-
proach OF danger? BY what means
shnll we fortify against It? Shnll we
expect some transatlantic military
giant 10 step the ocean and crush us
ut a blowf Never!
IAN the armies OF Europe. Asia. and
Africa combined. with all the treasure
Of the earth tour own excepted) In
their military chest. with Bonnpnrte
for commander. could not by force
take drink from the Ohio or make
track on the Blue ridge in a trial OF
. thousand years.
AT what point Is the approach OF
danger TO be expected? answer. n
II ever reaches US II must spring up
amongst us: II cannot come from
abroad. II destruction be our lot we
must ourselves be Its author and
fnishcr. As a 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 ns well MS
the guilty. which occurred In the
operation OF mob vlocnccs. Mr., Lin.
coin continued:
II know the American people nre
Hlu'U 'bftA AfNfA'fhNh
know they would suffer much for iis
sake; I know they would endure evils
long and patiently before they would
ever think Of exchanging II for another
yet. Notwithstanding nil this. II the
laws BE- continually dIsrcrnrdcd and
desplscd. n their rights to be secure
IN their persons and property nrc held
by no better tenure than the caprice
~ n mob. the alienation of their nfrec-
lions from the government II the
natural consequence. and 10 that
sooner or later Il must come. II
Here. then. is one point from which
danger must be expected.
"'rhc question recurs. How shall we
foftify against itT
'srhc answer ls simple. Let every
American. every lover ~ liberty. every
weil-wlslicr tn his postcrIty swcnr by
the blood Of the Revolution never to
violate In the least particular the Lawn