The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-02-01

eidDoralion, not only because OF
their Importance as factors in his
success in life but also because of
their educational significance.
Courage, will power, and charac-
ter are wrought by the courageous
acts of humanity that one performs
and not by those he reads or dreams
about. Limit of space forbids more
than brief mention of a few ex-
amples of the deeds by the doing of
which Lincoln fabricated the warp
and wool of his character; his carry
ing a dog across river in answer
to his piteous appeals; his correction
of a short-weight tea order; his
thrashing the bully Jack Armstrong;
his rescue from freezing of a motor
ious drunkard; his pulling corn for
three days to pay for a damaged
book; his payment of the national
debit" his climbing a tree to replace
some f1edglings that had fallen from
the nest; his resolve, "If l ever get
a chance to hit this thing Slavery
will hit it hard" and last but not
east important his rail-splitting.
The results of such development
of character and training in service
may be seen in the following cpl
sodes of Lincoln's life:
In 1887 while Lincoln was a men,
Der of the Illinois legislature, that
body passed resolutions denouncing
the anti-slavery movement. Later
Lincoln protested against the resolu-
tions and denounced slavery on the
ground Of injustice and bad policy.
Only one other member had the
courage to sign the protest. Thus
Lincoln early identified himself with
the anti-slavery cause at a time
when such espousal offered no
chance for political neferment.
When the southern leaders enacted
the Kansas-Nebraska Law repudiat-
ing the Missouri Compromise and
opening the territories to slavery,
Lincoln's indignation could no
longer be restrained and he became
the avowed and accepted champion
of freedom in his own state, which
was the only northern state whose
legislature approved the Kansas-Ne-
braska Law.
In 1858 when told by his friends
that his "house divided" speech, il
delivered before the Illinois Republi-
can convention, would bring defeat
upon his party and consign him to
political oblivion, his noble and fear
less reply was: Friends, the time
has come when these sentiments
should be uttered, and if it is de-
creed that l should go down because
OF this speech, then let me 60 down
linked with the truth"
During the war delegations of
prominent citizens importuned the
President to compromise the Difficult
ties with the south, stating that no
efforts were being made to end the
war by peaceful means. Even after
the battle of Gettysburg and the
surrender of Vicksburg a movement
was organized to urge the President
to negotiate an ignoble peace with
the waning Confederacy by sacri-
ficing the freedom of the slaves for
the restoration of the Union. Note
Lincoln's courageous and uncompro-
missing reply in his second inaugural
address: "Fondly do we hope, fer
vently do we pray, that this mighty
scourge Of war may soon pass away.
Yet, if God wills that it continue
until all the wealth piled by the
bondsmen's two hundred and fifty
years of unrequitted toll shall be
sunk and until every drop Of blood
drawn by the lash shall be paid by
another drawn by the sword, as
was said three thousand years ago,
so still it might be said, The judg-
ments of the Lord are true and
righteous altogether
At the beginning Of Lincoln's ad-
ministration his chief solicitude was
for the border states of Delaware,
Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri,
slave states that had not seceeded.
He above all others perceived the
necessity of retaining the border
states in the Union and thus divid-
ing the resources Of the south.
Three OF these state had insolently
refused to raise troops for the
Union at the call of the President.
But Lincoln's policy of mildness to-
ward the south disarmed hatred and
prejudice in the border states and
their retention in the Union was
due entirely to his masterful states
manship. This master stroke may
have been the deciding factor in
the war as these four states and
west Virginia with q population
OF over three million southerners
contributed more than three hun
dred thousand Union soldiers.
When the Confederate commits
sioners Mason and Slidell were
forcibly taken from the British
mail steamer Trent, when England
began preparations for war and de-
manded deparation from the United
States granting only seven day for
reply, and when q great majority
OF the indignant citizens of the
United States demanded war with
England believing with Seward
that We could Suppress the rebellion
and defeat England at the same
time, Lincoln surely averted war by
magnanimously disavowing the act
OF Captain Wilkes and declaring