Evening star., 1932-11-04


duced as the result Of subsidies. !
closed the eighth door to New Zealand
butter under our law into the United
States on one occasion because they
were subSidizing production.
Attacks Vague Plans"
1t seems to me cruel to hold out hope
to suffering people by vague plans the
most specific parts of which are the
ways of escape from putting it into
action. The only thing we know of the
plan is that he is unwilling during all
these many weeks to submit it to debate.
l would like to give to you an impor-
tant anology with the whole situation
we are now in. From Springfield, III
the heart Of the Western prairies, Lin
coin was called to the leadership of the
Nation at the beginning of a Crisis that
threatened its destruction. 1t was an un
precedented situation Of unprecedented
problems. A multitude Of conflicting
counsels beat in on Washington. An
influential body of public opinion advo-
Gated do-nothing policy.
Even the Commander in Chief of the
National Armies. on the day before Lin
coins inauguration wrote in this spirit:
Say to the seeded States" he wrote:
"WayWard sisters, depart in peace"
"UniOn Must Be Preserved"
The most distinguished statesman Of
the time. William II. Seward. Lincoln'S
Secretary of State, advised the Presi-
dent to take the country into a foreign
war in the hope that this might rally
the separating States to the defense OF
the Union.
AS the long conflict wore on, dis
couraged patriots urged negotiated
r,,l, oil ~ ~ f,f
discordant opinions under the terrible
strain Of discouragement and apparent
failure, Lincoln kept his head. He
thought straight: The Union must and
shall be preserved
He never was diverted from his goal.
He never faltered, and in the end the
policies he had adopted. the forces he
had set in motion carried the country
through. The Union was saved.
His record his example, are price
less heritage to the Nation. They are a
constant incentive to every man VINO
occupies a position Of leadership in dlf-
ficult times They are living guide
to every man who in the presidential
office lives hourly in his invisible pres
enCp.
Economic Conflict.
We are assembled here today in the
midst Of a gigantic economic conflict.
For the last three years We have been
beset with forces that threatened our
ecoonmic structure as truly as the
forces unleashed in the War Between
the States threatened the structure OF
the Republic On other occasions /
have compared our present situation to
a war on a hundred fronts. I have
given some account of these various en-
gagements and of the general strategy
of our campaign.
Here at Springfield. with its historic
associations. it is appropriate 10 review
briefly the events of that earlier struggle
and to consider some Of the simIl2rities
to the situation Of the last three years. We
must not press analOgieS too far. But
believe you VIII agree with me as We
examine the record that certain phases
Of the conflict between the States VIII
help to a better understanding Of recent
events And first l would C9ll your at
tention TO the suddenness and uneX-
pectedness with which the blow ieI
that transformed peaceful people into
people engaged in desperate war.
Conditions Held Inevitable.
As we look back. it seems perfectly
clear that the struggle had been, in the
making lor many years. In the lgnt
of history it seems to have been an
inevitable conflict between two Irrecon-
cilable theories Of government.
But. even as the day Of armed con-
flict approached. the people were busy
with the matters of everyday life If
you search the newspaper and maga-
zine files of the time you will be
amazed at the tranquility shown, III
view of what we now know was i'm
pending
II is easy to be wise after the event
AS YOU all remember, the storm
broke in the weeks Immediately before
LinColn'S inauguration, The events
that followed l need sketch only in
the brOadest outlines. The first two
years we're a period Of almost unre-
lieved gloom for the Union forces. One
disaster followed another and the year
1862 ended with Burnside S defeat at
Fredericksburg. The year 1863 opened
as gloCmily with the disaster to Hooker
at Charlottesville.
But in July Of 1868 the Union retreat
was definitely stopped by Meade at
Gettysburg and Grant at Ticksburg
Still. the victory was far from Won
The draft riots in New York that Sum