Part 13 (1/2)

For many years, specifically since 1848, the slave power had been rown continually more assertive The intellectual and ly repulsive to those who believed in freedom, and such people would not therefore choose that city as a place of residence

The departments were of course filled with employees in sympathy with slavery Pierce had been made President in 1853 The Missouri Compromise had been repealed in 1854 Buchanan ca act of his ad the Kansas infamy in 1859 From these indications it is easy to estiton society when Lincoln entered the city February 23, 1861 Many thousands of his friends poured in from all quarters north of Mason and Dixon's line to attend the ceren to the prevailing sentiment of the city

Every official courtesy, however, was shown to the President-elect The outgoing President and cabinet received him politely He had many supporters and soress These received him with enthusiasm, while his opponents were not uncivil The reeted hilas and Breckinridge, the defeated candidates at the late election, called on hiether manyhis acquaintance So the few days passed busily as the tiuration approached

Of course anxiety and even exciteh to relate here Arrangements were about concluded for the cabinet appointments The most important selection was for the Secretary of State This position had been tendered to Seward months before and had by him been accepted The subsequent selections had been made in view of the fact that Seas to fill this position On Saturday, March 2d, while only a few hours reural, Seward suddenly withdrew his pros on which Lincoln had so carefully worked for the last four months, and was fitted to cause consternation

Lincoln's comment was: ”I can't afford to have Seward take the first trick” So he sent hi of March 4th, requesting him to withdraw this refusal Seward acceded to this and theof the day of the inauguration was clear, ht and showy appearance to the scene

General Scott had used the uteuards about the carriage, guards about the Capitol, a flying battery upon a co hill

Besides this, sharpshooters were posted on the roofs of the houses along the route of travel, with injunctions to watch narrowly the s opposite and fire upon the first manifestation of disorder One cannot resist the temptation to speculate upon the excitement that would have developed had a e fire-cracker at a critical moment!

Shortly after twelve o'clock, noon, Buchanan called to escort his successor to the Capitol The retiring President and the President- elect rode side by side through the streets Reaching the grounds of the Capitol they found an ih which they walked ar This tunnel had been constructed to guard against assassination, of which there had recently been h the senate chae platform which had been erected at the east front The procession was headed by the justices of the Supreown

The platform was densely packed, but in the number there were four men of especial interest When Lincoln had first been nofield, June 16, 1858, he made the speech which caainst-itself speech” One reraph is here quoted:

”We cannot absolutely know that all these exact adaptations are the result of preconcert But e see a lot of fraotten out at different times and places and by different worker, and Jaether, and see they exactly make the frame of a house or a , and all the lengths and proportions of the different pieces exactly adapted to their respective places, and not a piece too le piece be lacking, we see the place in the fra the piece in--in such a case, we find it ier and Ja, and all worked upon a common plan or draft drawn up before the first bloas struck”

The manifest reference here is to the co-workers for the extension of slavery: naer B Taney, and James Buchanan One of this number, Franklin, had fallen into welcome oblivion; James had escorted Lincoln to the platform; Stephen stood ier, as Chief Justice, was about to administer the oath of office It was a rare case of poetic justice

Lincoln was introduced to the vast audience by his forhbor, E

D Baker, at this tion In one hand Lincoln had his silk hat, and as he looked about for a place to put it, his old antagonist, Douglas, took it To a lady he whispered: ”If I can't be President, I can at least hold the President's hat”

The inaugural address had been submitted confidentially to a few trusted friends for criticism The only criticisuided but not governed A perusal of the docuestions were unquestionably good, Lincoln's finished product was far better

This is specifically true of the closing paragraph, which has been widely adreat beauty Froes In the first he e that he would involve the country in war It is as follows:

”I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union shall be faithfully executed in all the states Doing this, which I deem to be only a simple duty on my part, I shall perfectly perforhtful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisition, or in some authoritative arded as a menace, but only as the declared purpose of the Union that it will constitutionally defend andthis, there need be no bloodshed or violence, and there shall be none unless it is forced upon the national authority _The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and collect the duties and imposts_ But beyond what may be necessary for these objects there will be no invasion, no using of force against or a the clause above italicised there was a general questioning,--Does he mean what he says? In due time they learned that he meant what he said, and all of it

The address concluded as follows:

”In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in overnment will not assail you

You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend' it

”I am loath to close We are not eneh passion may have strained, it must not break, our bonds of affection Thefro heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature”

The address was listened to closely throughout Immediately upon its conclusion the speaker orn into office by Chief Justice Taney whose name is connected with the famous Dred Scott decision James Buchanan was now a private citizen and the pioneer rail-splitter was at the head of the United States

In all the thousands of people there assembled, there was no one who listened las At the conclusion he warratulated hied hi the Constitution and enforcing the laws The nobler part of the nature of the ”little giant” cananiural address of his old rival, won hied him here his fealty For a few las was inactive, so that his influence counted on the side of the hostile party, the party to which he had always belonged

But ar actually broke out, he hastened to stand by the President, and right nobly did he redeeiven Had he lived, there are few hty in the cause of the Union An unti of this patriotic activity His last public act was to address to the legislature of Illinois a masterly plea for the support of the war for the Union He died in Chicago on the 3d of June, 1861

CHAPTER XXIII

LINCOLN HIS OWN PRESIDENT