Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-02-17
Statesman With
Keen Foresight

It is refreshing that we Americans
are able to look into the pages of
history and find such statesman as
Abraham Lincoln. 1t is not only
refreshing to look into and read about
his character, but to read about his
farsighted utterances and deeds.
President Lincoln proved his hui
manitarian character and his keen
insight into what would make for
a more stable union of the two parts
of the country which had just been
torn by revolution when on Dec.
8, 1868, he issued his proclamation
of Amnesty and Reconstruction"
which granted a full pardon to all
persons, with certain stated eXcep-
tons, who had directly or by i'm
plication participated in the existing
rebellion . with restoration of all
rights of property, except as to
slaves" The only condition imposed
was that such persons should take
land thenceforward keep" an oath
to support, protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States"
and would "abide by and faithfully
support all Acts of Congress and all
proclamations of the President made
during the existing rebellion having
reference to slaves, so long and so
far as not modified or declared void
by decision of the Supreme Court"
That proclamation is typically
American and possibly demonstrates
the rapid progress this country has
made in the comparative short period
it has existed. How easy it would
have been, in a spirit of revenge,
to put to death hundreds who had
been instrumental in the South's Sc
cession from the Union, but no, that
was not Lincoln's way of building
for the future. He would heal the
wounds as rapidly as possible so that
the country could get back to the
pillow and reaper.
The Proclamation led to a most
acrimonious debate in Congress and
Lincoln was denounced on all sides
as despot and a tyrant, who pro-
posed to override the rights and pre-
rogative of Congress as well as of the
people.
For long time President Lincoln
had been subject to all sorts of abuse
and villifcation, both inside and out
side of Congress and he scarcely had
a single defender.
In the midst of the acrimonious de-
bate in the House of Representatives,
occasioned by President Lincoln's
Proclamation of Amnesty and Recon-
struction, young, first-term member,
fresh from the people of the great
Northwest, Ignatius Donnelly, for
mer Lieutenant-Gover of Mime
sofa, took the floor and delivered a
wonderfully brilliant and eloquent
speech, in the course of which he gave
an analysis of President Lincoln's
character, which revealed remark
able understanding of what consti-
tuted Lincoln's elements of great
ness, and when we read it now sixty
five years after its delivery, must be
regarded as truly prophetic. Ignatius
Donnelly said:
81 am aware, Mr.. Speaker, of
the great claims which President
Lincoln has upon the people of
the United States. I recognize
that popularity which accompa-
MES him, and which, considering
the ordeal through which he has
passed, is little less than mir
aculous. He is a great man. Great
not after the old models of the
world, but with a homely and
original greatness.
"He will stand out to future
ages in the history of these
crowded and confused times with
wonderful distinctness. He has
carried a vast and diScordant
population through the greatest
of political revolutions with such
consummate sagacity and skill
that while he led he appeared
to follow; while he innovated be-
yond all precedent he has been
denounced as tardy; while he
struck the shackles from the
limbs of three million slaves he
has been hailed as a ConServa-
tive. If to adapt, persistently and
continuously, just and righteous
principles to all the perplexed
windings and changes of human
events, and to secure in the end
the complete triumph of those
principles, be craftsmanship,
then Abraham Lincoln is the first
of statesmen"
1t should make the people of Min