Evening star., 1924-02-10
BY WILL J.. KENNLD1.

HERE are three men in Con-
sress today whose lives touch
ed that Of President Lincoln.
"Cncie Joe" Cannon. who re-
tired from Congress at the close OF
the last session. is th, only man
alive who ran On the same ticket
with Lincoln when he made his first
campaign for the presidency. He
met and talked with Lincoln and lis
tened to the famous Lincoln Douglas
debates. "a
Gen. Isaac H.. Sherwood. who is
now eighty-eialIt years old and the
oldest man who was ever member
of Congress, says that he is The
only government official now in pub
lie life who was present and heard
Lincoln's last inaugural address"
Repre- resentat:ve Richard Yates OF
Illinois has a distinct memory OF
meeting Lincoln on the street when
he was boy aud having his head
patted by the great enrancipator. His
father was governor Of Illinois
when Lincoln was President. and
they were close personal friends.
Representative Henry r. Rathbone
or Illinois. who is the Lincoln day
orator in the House this year. re-
calls that his parents were the guests
OF President and Mrs Lincoln in the
box at Ford's Theater on the night
that Lincoln was aSsassinated. His
father. an Army officer. was severely
wounded by the assa sSin Booth when
he endeavored to protect the Presi-
dent
only once did ever meet Abra-
ham Lincoln" recalls Gen. Sher
wood. That was on the fourth day
OF March. 1865, when ! was clothed
in the grim harness of war. with my
once blue uniform taruished in CRIME
from the red clay roads of northern
Georgia. Then I stood within ten
Capitol and heard him deliver his
last inaugural--his last Grafton on
earth. ] heard him say:
'Fondly do we hope. fervently do
We pray, that this mighty scourge Of
war may speedily pass away. With
malice toward none. with charity for
all. with firmnesa in the right, as
God gives us to see the right let
us strive to finish the work We are in.
to bind up the nations wounds, to
care for him who shall have borne
the battle and for his widow and his
orphan
I'VE have made nearly fifty-nin
years of history since that eventful
day, but I can see Lincoln now as I
saw him then-a tall. gaunt. stall
wart man. with deep lines OF care
furrowing his cheeks. with mex
pressible sadness in !is face, the face
of a man of many SORROWS: strong
face, a face radiant with .he inspira- =
tion of a great soul---as he voiced in
prophecy the ultimate destiny Of this
nation. As soldier Of the republic
heard Abraham Lincoln voice his
national ideals in his last message
to the American people.
November 4. 1864, was election
DAY for President" recalls Gen. Sher-
wood, who has a vivid memory OF
that day, having taken a very ac-
tive part in the election, when our
veteran army was on the march to
battle; to the desperate death grap-
pie at franklin, Tenn. the bloodiest
battle of the war.
1.-The Ohio legislature had passed a
law that the soldiers in the field
should vote. The Ohio presidential
tickets had been sent to ME for my
regiment, the 111th Ohio. We were to
start at daylight. Just before day.
light i had my horse saddled and
rode back three miles to the rear and
borrowed from our brigade surgeon,
Or. Brewer. an ambulance and a camp
kettle. Whenever we rested that day,
on tAaA rapid march. the soldiers Of
my regiment voted In that old camp
kAttle. We counted the votes at night