, 1926-02-10
Lincoln's Faith in
American Principles
Never Lost Sight of Truth
in Declaration of
independence.

those who framed 1t uttered a maxim
intended for all time, when merely
seeking separation from Britain. so
Lincoln reiterated an eternal and
universal truth, and believed in it
as such. Judge Charles c. Simons
writes. in the Detroit News.
Il had thought the Declaration con-
templated the progressive improve
ment in the condition of all men
everywhere" he said. And he knew
that 1t would outlive the death of
slavery, just as the trainers intend
ed 1t should outlive their successful
separation from Britain.
He closed his Springfield speech
with this stirring appeal, after read
ing the Declaration with the Doug
las Interpolation: Are you willing
tina the Declaration should thus be
frittered away?-thus left no more.
at most, than an interesting memento
OF the dead past?-thus shorn of its
vitality and practical value, and left
without the germ or even the sug-
gestion of the individual rights of
man in itl"
Three years later. on Washington's
birthday, Lincoln. President-elect,
stood in Independence hall, Philadel-
phia, on his way to the Inauguration
at Washington. Doesn't it, somehow,
stir the blood and fire the Imagination
to think of Lincoln on the spot where
the immortal Declaration was given
to the world? II have often inquired
Of myself" he said there, what great
principle or idea it was that kept
this C~onfederacy so long together. 1t
was not the mere matter of separa-
ton of the colonies from the mother
land, but that sentiment in the Dec
laration of Independence which gave
liberty not alone to the people Of
this country, but hope to all the
world, for all future time"
Faith Again Voiced.
Speaking to the soldiers of an Ohio
regiment toward the close of the war,
Lincoln again voiced his faith in the
American principle. 1T Is in order
that each Of you may have, through
this free government which we have
enjoyed, an open field and a fair
chance for your industry, enterprise
and intelligence, that you may all
have equal privileges in the race of
life. with all It's desirable human as
pirations. 1t is for this the struggle
should be maintained. that we may
not lose our birthright."
The world is full of strange con
trasts and anomalies. It was a Gu
rious thing that the gentle, kindly,
humane Lincoln should be called on
to lead the nation In the greatest
fratricidal war of history. 1t is a
curious thing that today when pas
sion, and prejudice and hate seem to
rule humanity, there should be
a worldwide revival of interest
in Lincoln. i.
But there is hope In 1t. 1t may
yet be that human nature will vi
brate to the music Of hat passage
which closes the first inaugural,
"We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must
not break our bonds OF affection. The
mystic chords Of memory stretching
from every battlefield and patriot
grave to every living heart and
hearthstone all over this broad land.
will yet swell the chcrrs of the Union,
when again touched, as surely they
will be, by the better angels of our
nature"
Difficult to Recognize.
1t is only when we understand the
true character Of our government,
and why 1t was SO organized and so
established that we are able to rec
selves seemingly wise, may when
fairly considered be seen to destroy
the harmony and threaten the In
tegrity of the whole fabric. We some
times fail to recognize in those things
which seem to promise enlargement
of liberty, things which in reality
must result in curtailment of liberty.
l have myself on occasion failed to
recognize them, and SO perhaps you
may.
Not wholly has the original scheme
of limitations, checks and balances
been preserved. The electoral college
in its original form was early swept
aside. Perhaps wisely so. The differ
entiation between the two houses of
congress by which they were to act
as checks, N upon the other, has
been partially obliterated by the
popular election of senators. The
representative organization of po-
litical parties. which while not Gre
ated by the Constitution, owes its
development to the representative
system of the Constitution, has been
almost wholly destroyed. 1 am not
suggesting that any one of these basic
changes Is In itself vital, and be-
sides they involve political con-
troversies into which I do not care
TO enter-but I am Indicating a tend
nnu In raanaof ill.,. -l-4I---a