The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1956-02-25

$4,000 49, WIZ ~ y obNClAAO
glory of Abraham Lincoln
The Great Mans Birthday
is an annual excuse for Po-
liticians Of every Stripe to
claim kin with a President
that most of them would
have fried or fricaseed in
his own hey-day. Twas ever
thus; twill ever be!
This year, next year, and
all the years Of our lives, we
shall hear of Lincoln's devo-
ton to principles of free en-
terprise, and the inherent
right of free men in all ages
to work out their own desti-
ny.
The memory of the Eman-
cipator will be mutilated, and
his words garbled like ham
burger, to credit radicals and
resctionarieS alike with his
intellectual stature and So
Cial philosophy.
All the politicians Of earth
fancy themselves in Lincoln's
class. A saint would be re-
made in every devils image!
Even the Communists get in
to the act. They claim that
Lincoln read Karl Marx. So
what?
The truth is, Lincoln
had little in common
NTH the political Zom-
bies currently pulling
strings in contemporary
puppet shopS. Booths
bullet may haze Saued
him from Impeachment
BY their Stmidn Ances-
tors.
Lincoln neUer ,DaS, and
neUer could be, the choice
OF either Big Business or
Big Government. He l0dS
hated bv the economic
royaItSts of his day. He
i0dS deSpiSed By the Big
Wheels in every political
party.
The nation was in crisis
but God was in His Heaven
We needed the inSpirationa
greatness Of an uncommon
man. God gave us Mr.. Lin,
coin. 1t seems sacriligious t,
smear a God-send with a DO
litical label.
The Republican Party wa
founded by Jefferson, reviv
ed by Jackson, and restore
by Lincoln, was short lived
and has no modern counter
part. 1t was the People
Choice, but Poison to Poll
ticians of every stripe.
To leading politicians of h
day, in all parties, Lincol
was common clay; a dirt
joke. His unfaltering faith
democracy often embarrasSe
his own Cabinet. Only whe
he died did they breath
easy.
If Lincoln was mistreate
and hated by power politi
clans on both sides OF tn
aisle, he was loved by tn
people for the enemies h
made. His devotion to patrio
tism and disregard of sell
were out of this world.
The real Lincoln rarely an.
pears in modern politica
speeches. Quite over-done il
the maudlin portrait of q
gangling, country pumpkin
lawyer who gladly gave hi,
life to keep the country one
and indiviSible.
Little known is Lin
coin, the Man; relentless
Liberal, yet dedicated
American. All his lite, he
i0GS a courageous and
accompanying chan1pt-
on OF social justice. His
every breath lDas an in
Utt1tton to dSsGssinS.
His DdS not mere lip
service to the dotgn-trod-
den and exploited. Where
he stood on the perennial
right OF all people to
freedom from erploita-
ton is indehbly etched
IN our history. There is
no compromise Nth con-
science.
Here In NetD England,
IN an era 1Ohen the spec
tdcle of t0orkers striking
against employers DaS
considered eQuiUGIent to
sIdUes rebelling against
masters, Candidate Lin
coin Das put to an acid
test, and passed it.
Dtsre0nrdtng political
advisors, he took the
stump at a rally OF strik-
ing shoeworkerS in LINN,
and placed himself
sQaarelp on the side OF
the strikers. Many nelOs-
papers OF the day called
1t political suicide.
On this and many other
occasions, Lincoln advocated
the right and duty OF free