Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-19
Debunker Viewed as Victim
OF His Own Attack on Lincoln

Edgar Lee Masters attack on Lin
coin as "a slick, crafty politician" made
| public just before the observance Of the
, latter's birthday anniversary, is held
| in the bulk of the comment through
the country to have reflected more on
the author of this "debunking" than on
| its intended object Shining through 1t
all is evidence that the American peo-
! pie are proud of the human qualities
Of Lincoln, of his struggle and growth,
and of the personality that gives i'm
mortality to his Gettysburg address.
"All of the charges that Mr.. Masters
prefers have been made before" de-
clares the Admission Star, but they have
been obscured in the bright light Of the
halo around the head of the great war
President" Referring to the leadership
of Lincoln, that paper continues: 1T
is true, of course, that Lincoln would
have been politically aSSassinated had
John Wilkes Booth failed in his plot to
send bullet through his body. In that
event his stature in history would have
been less. He is greater in the eyes of
posterity by reason of his martyrdom.
But, in spite of all that Mr.. Masters
and his school can dig up out of the
earlier record, it will be difficult to
make the American people cease to be-
| lieve that Abraham Lincoln was great
soul and to make the intelligent people
of the South believe that his death was
other than a great tragedy for this sec
ton"
1T seems to be the fate of all great
national figures" according to the Los
| Angeles Times ito attract detractors.
Lincoln, though he received plenty of
abuse in his lifetime. has, for the past
generation, been immune except for
minor sniping Now comes Edgar Lee
Masters with a Lincoln biography ap-
parently timed to appear close to Lin
| coins birthday and calls the Great
Emancipator nothing more than sleek
and crafty politician He is the first
to make a major attack on Lincoln, If
Masters can be called of importance
enough to make such an attack. Mas
| tiers Is best known, not as historian,
but as the author of the Spoon River
Anthology which, it appeared, was
keen satire in new manner and as
such was justly recognized. 1t was trick
work rather than literature, cartooning
rather than characterization. His sue
cess in that field seems to have led him
astray. Either that or he has decided
to be a sensationaliSt and cash in on
such a scandal book as there seems to
be a large market for among the So
called intelligentsia. If the latter is
the case he has bartered his literary
reputation for a sour mess of pottage."
~ XXX
when he wrote fms to his diatribe
on Abraham Lincoln" says the Rock
ford Register Republic, land turned it
over to the publishers, he probably told
himself that he would get some white
hot responses from Illinois. Therefore,
he cannot be at all astonished that the
remonStrance has set in. AS matter
! Of fact, 1t is more than a remonstrance
it is a fire of Indignation that Is
sweeping across the State like one OF
the prairie CONGREGATIONS of the pioneer
| days" The Harrisburg Telegraph re-
marks: lone of the difficulties the de-
bunkers usually encounter is that they
get themselves we'll beSmeared with
mud before they even begin to splash
the targets of their invective. Usually
they come out of such controversies
much smaller in public estimation than
| when they went in. It is to be hoped
Mr.. Masters, whose clever verse has en-
deared him to millions, will not find
himself in this unenviable position, but
1t is feared he will
Maintaining that "the harm that is
in it Is small" the Columbus Ohio State
Journal thinks 1t may even make
stronger Lincoln's position in history
The Chicago Daily News responds with
the estimate: Lincoln grew with his
responsibilities and opportunities. He
made no rash decisions and he rejected
no responsible advice without weighing
1t and satisfying himself of its intrinsic
lack of merit. His flrmnesS In adherina
to resolutions deliberately formed was
not mark Of arrogance, but OF deYo-