6
I)
TUB OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: FEBRUARY 7. 190V.
Career of Abraham Lincoln as an Example for Young: Men of Today
BT SENATOR TJfcTVERlDOn.
Vnr" n. It,. mnt-th.arhll. n.m mmn Jvinlin h th. .t..l,.m.. f .(...I. ,. - - , j. . .1 iw , -,.1,. ....,,.. In knnln TV,. - l, k.. ..ll t1l!
- " - . . - -. - " " ' " " J " - . ' J iuv .mw.o. v rnn . v 1 lie I a IV! III! VI WUIIJI, IIIVJ 1 1 1 1 1 1 h . Bl. U.1B, t U V . 1 1 . p . a J v i, i . l ... . - , .on hi n i i niiv iimb ......... r
(Copyright. li9, by the Chicago Tribune.) to himself, "what any man haa dona I termination and the elemental virtues. Lin- as well have been spoken by phonograph!, every way If you survive, tha struggle with de frol arss commonly ha calloused
i i in HEN a man child la born Into can do." and whan tha young man says coin, too. Ilka you. young man, had little Tlia accepted platform of the hour aroused It. It la too bad, and 1 do not like It a bit. palate which really taatrs nothing at all
1AI n worm tni should be tha mat lie aaya rtghuy and haa taken me opportunity for education-far lese. Indeed, not even the listening Interest of the dele- But tha scientific truth la that the world that Is normal. The blaae man never has
W I P" ot " wno nl well fo" flr"t ,tl Prove It. Bo Abraham Un- that the poorest circumstanced of any of (ates who voted for It. Not ona out of ten has no mora use for weaklings any rca fun. These months and years of
OU, and yet by Sheer Intelligence perils- r them knew what ll rnnlatnait Rut Ihn rr, human twain than tha lunala bitter hard wnrk Khirh IJnrnln'a aiaJllulS
prayer of all who hoi well for
him: May he be honorable. In
dustrious and brave.
Personally, t believe In prayer.
However you work It out. whatever the
reasons may be, the fact remains tht
tangible and definite results follow Intelli
gent prayer. Hut prayer Is not enough.
Neither Is counsel snd advice. Of course,
this la a brontldlc commonplace, so ancient
that It la tiresome, but t must state it to
complete tha point I am making. The ordl-
coln becomes to us aa much of a typa and
a model aa Caesar and Alexander were to
Napoleon a new type and a better model.
This Is a nation of plain people that In
what Lincoln called us. He said, "Ood
must have liked the plain people, ha made
ao many of them." Much of the vitality
of this republic all of It, perhaps Is due
to the fact that up to the present time wa
are still nesr the soil and our atrong men
coma from tha grass roots. While Lincoln's
life cannot be an Inspiration to young men
.ppura msae nis ibck or scnoonng other men ald know what th.r propos.-d haa for weaklings among
platform was. They believed In It; they Business and politics, and
the foundation for a real and effective
learning. He, like you. young man, had
no chance to acquire that polish which is
supposed to come from the mingling with
so-called cultured people, and. yet he was
wise enough to aee that thla polish and cul
ture ao prized by those who do not go
deeply Into human life weakens native
strength in mora cases than It Improves
conduct. Ingersoll said a great half truth
fought for It; their speakers spoks with
wotds that burned even through the Icy
Indifference of tha men who unlntelllgently
voted them down. They had Lincoln's
faith, and therefor Lincoln's enthusiasm.
Tolled with Hla Hands.
But we are now speaking of the larger
things of life; let Us get down to the mora
nary human mind Is so constructed that
there must be tha Influence of exsmple. unhappily born among tha Idle rich and the' when ha declared that colleges are places Immediate and practical. Lincoln worked
There are few of us who can break a new so-called better classes of our country, aa- where brickbats arc polished and diamonds tolled, I mean, tolled physically, tolled with
path; w require some stronger one to cept In a vague, dilettante and theoretical are dimmed. That is not entirely true, of hla hands. Ha did not do this because he
bias tha trail for us. We see the ad- way, his life Is a perfect mold Into which course. The college is not to be sneered at, had to. Ha was a poor boy, of course, had
vantage of wise counsel, but that counsel the young men or tne plain people can even Dy this great master of eloquence,
needs to be vitalised by the knowledge pour and run their forming characters and By all means get a college training If you
that some fellow human being has actually become Llncolnesque. And that means to can, but if you have to choose between
lived It and that In his living It ha has become honorable. Industrious and brave having your energies tamed, your enthu-
proved Its frultfulnees for power and sue- practical idealists, tha achievers of visions, slasms quenched and your self-confidence
cess. And so It is that Lincoln's Ufa Is a the workers out of dreams. , honeycombed with doubt on the one hand
practical help to young men. I find that most youngmen who are be- and a college education on the other hand,
I suppose that no ona any longer ques- ginning to do things In literature, politics turn from tha latter aa you would from an
tlons that fact that tha fires of ambition, or business first saw tha light of day In attractive but destroying drug. When a
which grew Into a holocaust of concurring humble homes they came up through hard man loses his enthusiasm he has begun to
purpose, were lit In tha breast of Bona.- condltiona to tha power which they tow dla In soul.
parts by "Plutarch's Lives." It is said wield, and I am sure that there ara a mil- Adlvce to rarenta
hardly enough to eat. Indeed, and not
enough to wear, but the whip of poverty
never yet drove an unwilling young man to
Industry. Lincoln's father, for example,
was poorer than he was, and yet he was
shiftless, and what we would now call
animals.
Business and politics, and literature,
and ait ara all looking for the strongest
and best equipped and they will have
them, too. No "pull" can haul you to the
higher places and keep you there never
forget that an Instant
Tillage to Remember.
Remember that there are hundreds of
thousands of other young men who mean
to' have tha vary place of which you are
dreaming. Remember that tens of thous
ands of these young men have physical
constitutions aa strong as oxen; that their
muscles ara Uaa ateel wire; that their
lunga are Ilka leather bellows; their stom
achs unconscious of Indigestion and quite
able to convert parched corn Into brain
and brawn. Remember that their nerves
ara like Insulated wires, able to withstand
significant whisperings of this moral coun.
sellor the voice of our conscience becomes
softer, more Indistinct and finally w can
not hear It even In the largest things.
In the moral and mental philosophy
which I studied In college, written by ona
bid. you do will make your dally pleasure. lluraUon , which burned Itself
because they make for your dally health. memory. Said thla remarkably
Only the normal man has that true sense n book. ..Neglect our con.
of proportion In which the sunshine of fop , mon,h ,nd bacon,.. 0,.
humor abounds. bag,d nd a but extinct; cultivate It for
But "keep everlastingly at it" Is not tha month and It becomes as dollcato as a
only thing that Lincoln's Ufa teaches you woman-, blush."
young men. If that were all It taught It Tnat ,a Ju.t wnat Lincoln did. Not that
would do very little. It la said that there be waa a Miss Nancy or a fool, no No
are burglars who sre as steadily Indus- gambler on the stock exchange was
trlous, snd all of us know of eminent but shrewder than he; "no "confidence man"
far from admirable directors of great af- understood human nature more perfectly,
fairs who work to the limit of atrength and H dealt with men as he found them; ha
the point of exhaustion utterly ungulded did not go about sermonising In season and
by conscience or by anything except Intel- out of season until he became a nulsane
Icct and selfishness. and a bore. Quite the reverse. What ha
BpW.dld Drassa of He..r. dld was ,lve "P t0 M' of VT'
honor every minute of every day. so that
Lincoln's lite is a splendid diama of en n1, enemles-and ha had hosts of
honor. If you get tha Lincoln spirit into th.m, gooa b0t, hating, red-blooded ene-
your blood you could far more easily com- mles-were compelled to say that. "Lln-
that ha pored over them so many tlmea Hon young men on farme. In vlllagea and I say this word to parents and to all peo- Mt moneV an instrument of increasing resourceful. And finally remember, above was a greater man than Lincoln. Perhaps
mat na almost gnaw mem D7 neari. Alex- among me woraing classes 01 our cmieni pie vi mature age: it you nave a Irlend. r " " f - - . " - - w-
ander, Caesar, Lucullue and others of that burning with an unexpressed determlna- never let him lose his enthusiasms, even and nunt wll1 tu Ws rather than split
tarn bread of human mastery produced Uon to make their lives count for something though they make him appear bisarre, ex- r"" or bulld ""'boa's or grub stumps.
In tha eonsclousnesa of the young Cbrslcan big, something sweet and helpful and satis- travagant and grotesque. Enthusiasms are So by ,ns 'mPule f industry within his
something Ilka m fransy for conquest. And fylng. It Is to Such young men as this that the fires that drive the engine of life; put Dloo1 Lincoln chose to work work persls-
no man can know how many tongues have Lincoln's life Is a personal message a dl- them out and your engine may be there, a ten"y n1 systematically. He never would
been set to musio mat tnruiea ana com- vine wora 01 guidance spoaen Dy tne mourn perfect machine, but motionless and with- nave Deen president or tne American re
tnanded great publlo audiences, legislative of God himself through the deeds and
bodies and Anally tha nations themselves chsracter of this mighty and beloved
by young man having read tha old Greek's America.
fascinating brochures on Cicero and He Knew Poverty.
Demosthenes. For Lincoln, too, wss In like esse with
Becomes sv Type. . these young men of whom I am now speak-
Tha truth la that every young man who Ing yes, and far worse case. He, too,
has tha stuff In him Is searcthng out the knew poverty, its bitterness. Its dlsad van-
lives of men who have achieved things tages, Its cruel hardships, and yet this pov
throughout all history and 1. determining erty "of which you. young man. ara com- for what "el.eved In. That is one reason .only physical Power but those glorious duties which fate finally called upon him relns ot pre.ent power ln your handg.
to do the Ilka. plaining Lincoln turned Into the gold of why ha rose high above being a mere poll- virtues or g.atitude, fidelity, truthfulness to discharge. You will find that Lincoln- u
waa Lincoln's Idea that conscience can
How
tlcian.
I ones attended a national convention
where a new propaganda of sound eco
nomlo reform was proposed a program
City of Lincoln Got Its Name XrJZTZS.
of course, not popular. Nine-tenths ot tha
convention were mere politicians, there
laxy. His neighbors called him "a ne'er any shock; that In stress of necessity they mlt ,Uclde than do a dishonorable thing- coln wo.t j. or won't cheat- we can de
do weel." Theia was many another boy can go for days and nighta without sleep, yea, aven a mean thing. From the point nnd ,lpon that "
and young man placed precisely as Lincoln Remember that their wills are as deter- of view of tha nicest points of delicate
was who preferred to go fishing rather mined and undevlatlng as the flow of ocean honor Lincoln's life Is finer than that of Real Tratb aad Real Men.
than systematically to labor, earning hon- currents; that their minds are trained and Washington, who ln many other respects Borne so-called truths disappear even as
they are uttered. Just as some men arc old
at the hour of their birth. Such truths
and men ara not the rral , truths and tha
real men. The real truths aro those that
are always youthful; tha re;il men ara
those who are ns vital In mind and In
spirit when their bodies approach the grave
aa they were youthful In mind and spirit
when they first encountered the world. Tha
problem of life is youthfulncss;' the search
for the philosopher's fountain ot
youth has been amending and yet
the fountain of youth for brain
and heart Is near to every one of us.
Wa may drink and be lmmcrt.il so far as
the spirit Is concerned If we lie suie that
the waters we qunft are those of the ele
mental virtues of Industry, hnor, and
courage; and If we make certain that no
pollution of unworthy rxi-dlency taint a
the stream of those noble Ideals from wh'cn
It should be our dally practice to rcfrcsn
outsclves.
public if he had not done ao; or, what Is
far nobler, the greatest humanist, except
ing only Jesus, that the world has ever
Seen.
numberless difficulties and . obstacles has
made them resourceful and Instant In de
vice. '
How can you expect to win In contest
with this great horde of physical and men
tal hardihood unless you ara similarly
trained and equipped? And I don't know
how you can better be trained and equipped
than by vividly studying Lincoln's life and
methods and following them I mean study-
out use a thing of potential might, but.
after all, no more than assembled scrap
Iron. I find that enthusiasms are the chil
dren of our faiths. Llnaoln never lost his
because ha never lost his faith In things. 1 nav observed this curious thing that' ing, actual studying, that will make your
He believed In things believed In a great neer physical Industry builds character head whirl; not a languid and comfortable
many things, and they were all big things Qu(te as surely as It builds muscles. I rending of soma Incidents of this great
And he believed In them enough to work have seen that the boy who works, develops man's years of preparation tor the lofty
publlo characters only Seward Is the equal
of Lincoln In his exquisite sense of not
only large phases, but also the smallest
details of honor. As a practical asset It is
hard to make you realise how far tills goes.
By being crafty another man will beat you
In this trade ln business or that turn In
politics, but his very succesaes are the
grave diggers of his ultimate and perma
nent victory. For do you not sea that by a
steady and undevlatlng adherence to the
commands of your conscience you build up
a public opinion regarding yourself which
Is more valuable to you, even In a prac
tical way, tlian gold In your coffer or the
and courage not always, of course, but worked worked all tha time; that he con
generally. So Lincoln's example in this re- trived to make every atep ha took upward
N
ton
gard means this to you, young man: That
when you work until your tendons almost
break and your bones are weary you ara
not only earning your wage and all that,,
but what Is far more important you are
quite unconsciously to yourself building up
and strengthening those fibers of character
EBRASKA'S capital was not consisted of but thirteen members, was only for tha purpose of nominating this
named Lincoln for lovs of the eight to five. Tha house passed tha bill man or defeating that one, of fixing up a which will be the determining things when
emanclDator-piesldent, but be- by twenty-five to fourteen. nlatform that would natch sa nuuiv a-rouna in a few years you meet the world and
causa tha men giving the name T1 ct was entitled, VAn act to provide of voters as possible. Nobody except the challenge it not only for a livelihood, but ance of life which we call Joy comes only
thought Its suggestion would Ior tha location of the seat of government little company of enthusiasts for the new for place and power. to the toller. I -bave observed as I have
arouse tha hatred of "copper- mo siaia 01 Nebraska and for the erec- set of principles believed In anything at - And right here let me say that when you gone along through life that luxury Is
on the ladder manufacture him more than
enough strength to take the next step up
wards. Don't get the Idea that his was a plan of
glum and sullen work. He found Infinite
xest In It. Laughter and .fun wova threads
of oolor through the solid and useful
monotony of his youth and young man
hood. Indeed, I thing that that exuber-
be cultivated and I think ha was pro
foundly right in that. We all start with
some degree of conscience, some of us with
a great deal less than others, but by neg
lecting this, that and tha other to us ln-
No Monument at Nebraska's Capital
Lincoln's Relations With the Congress
T
UOUGH Nebraska is a soldier be transmitted to his successor In office
ststa and Its early history Is the if not used during his term of office,
story of the soldier pioneer, as FoUHiu Tne ,ecr.lary M(1 ih(t corTea.
a state It has bullded no lastlna j, .
ponuing secretary are autnorlsml to us
monument to the general of Its ,uoh methodll tney may acem .xpedlent
careful research In the early legislative by Otoe county."
records and who has corroborated his story Augustus F. Harvey, a strong snd bitter
by views of living men, prominent ln early democrat member of tha legislature, was
days. tha surveyor who laid out Lincoln. All the
Mr. Watkins believes the removal of tha toe members were of his type, unhasl-
capltol from Omaha waa purely for pur- tatlng; in denunciation of anything repub-
poses of real estate speculation and ha Is llcan or of any man, republican, but
certain tha naming of the city was a mere rewd financiers.
incident and not a token of respect and T'lle Washington county representatives
reverence
BY SHELBY M. CULLOM.
nmriHgHg in the dayi
I I waa a conservative,
I I ing body, Jealous of !
I I tives. Just as It has I
friend I have;" "He's not for me now, but thing of a radical In tuc house, and al-
armles, the great emancipator.
Many efforts have been made to erect a
mnnnmnnt tn Prealflent T.lnrnln nn thn
stala canitol arounda. but every effort haa ''rth. Tha officers of the association ais
for raising tha funds and promoting tha
success of tha association.
-head'' democrats, who were moving tha tlon f public buildings there." It spec!- all. The nominating speeches were tame, do meet the world you will have to be Just usually the parent of vice, but never of
seat of government from Omaha ln 1867 and Ile mat t once a university and agrlcul-
tnlght result In slight advantage ln tha tura' school combined should be provided
legislative fight and possibly prevent re- well as a portion of a new capital bulld-
moval. and tha state penitentiary, tha latar
This Is the view of an historic event In In a location adjoining the city. Money
the state's chronicle of events, advanced for tha public buildings had to be furnished
by Albert Watkins of Lincoln, editor of y tne promoters and this Is the reason " , ' """T s , T " " . ... "I . , .1; .k" u "i . h r,u .m .. -hn rniin-. th hereby authorised to expend a sum not to
hmtts IH.faaw r-i M w - Vas A Mr W'sBitVltlfl a. irs. T nnn. fi IV OVY U Is 19vV, -OJf klltl wlll.ttHV 1IWU1IV.; tail Will Illin UVC1, OJ1U BU UII. k 1UUUU vuii i auil-OUDlll tau lit eft naj HIUCU " " v w..w-
The History ot Nebraska, who haa made wttkina aaya Lincoln waa financed w . rT..- ! t i . . fi thmnB-h th. w.r i th Mhiiinn xceed 10 per cent of the amount of the
BsssjsgjBjsjBBfc uiun&oo in vna uugr v. xiiiuui, mm tie Knew siiinoii poBUiveiy now every --, uiucb nucu i. v iuu w-0.. .... s- - - -
hard work- man stood, and the great majority of them -'rong for the good of the cause in hand. legislatures nave inea u. i... fu,,. m .ma en-
its preroga- were for him. Speaking of Lovejoy on this occasion Mr. Appropriations nave Deen maae ior in - "'" w paiu vo 100
always been Ao Interesting: Catalogue. Lincoln said: "He was one of the best men v'V"h "very mc.u ...v. ....,:, .iu mi iw
but there was far more intense It was an Interesting catalogue of per- ,n congress. If he became too radical I -I'pruprmi.o,. u.... ao... - - ....m,., postage, m-
proviso wnereoy mo attempt nus men uu- cry, printing, sterrograpnic worn, necessary
feated,
Once the work proceeded sufficiently far
ro..ijr uo- " "- -u liii, ..!.. v. make. Concerning .Tamoa a
. ... - SStraaaa ftllak V, lg Taf 1 . . . a-aam-vww ItlfUVl. lOllll 111 BJ1U IHIL IT K lm ' .-.-v '
ctruea, wu responaioie ior ne name. e iiMuuigwii wumy momwr. . -
suggested It wtUe tha bill providing for Beside. Senator Patrick tha oth.r mem- h'. W ,Car.ry T" ,7
removal was pending third reading In tha r from Douglas county was Isaac 8. 1. ,L . L, vf1ntu"y
senate and did It ln the hope that Otoe Haecall. : Senator Patrick gained national " Thl was especially true
county democrats, who despised Abraham Prominence ln tha fight to secure the Ore- f0" u k1W. "I '-w
"ncoln as much as ths republicans of ths on eor for Tilden, and ha was a strong "u M J, . .'. " .. T.
loved him. would rebel at the title
ad halt the progress of tha bill long
enough to prevent its . passage by some
other means. Tha name was accepted with
acclaim and the bill went through the
house and senate as If on greased ways.
It was quickly signed and the work of ex
ploitation In Lancaster county was begun
shortly after.
-excitement, bitter feeling, and sonal characteristics, and I knew then that lway I could send for him and talk Proviso whereby the attempt has been de
general interest in congress than thdre is Abraham Lincoln's habit of studying men ' over and he would go back to tha floor
today. Prlsldent Lincoln was freely crltl- had not Uieed when he went to Washing- nl do about as I wanted."
clsed; he had bitter opponents ln congress, tol. nd I saw, too, that he had a perfect Shortly before Mr. Lincoln was nominated
as a candidate for a second term Salmon P.
member of his cabinet, had quietly
Blaine, who undertaken to secuie the nomination for
was then In the houae. Blaine had made himself. I was ln Washington when the sa-
a apeecb that day that had attracted at- cret letter written by Senator Pomeroy urg-
tention. Lincoln said of him, "Blaine Is Ing politicians to support the Chase candi-
one of the rising young men of our coun- dacy cams out. and I was among those who
, . -. liavv iu ms rear tit mo vuuer uuusa, wi.c.v ...
try. an assertion which succeeding years urged that Chase be turned out of tha cabl- they now . forlfo. Drob,biy by most peo- ,lected-
pruveu to oe true. net. and I so expressed mvself to the nresl- .1. . n. i - Rv.nth
' - - - ui a.iu in-aiimi uuir uv Liiuav miu u.w
for raising
icldent and not a token of respect and ' wasnington county representatives . ' ' ' 7" . .
.verence for the name of the president. ho deserted to the removail.u were Mam- " jout8,d; b pthe , J , '1." " r, Chase a
J. N. H. Patrick of Omaha, recently de- Unthanlc and Slater. Senator Davis "Lna? ?l. CDX 'jLl.
that tha stone wss delivered to ths state
house grounds and there for years served
as a bench for capltol visitors. Until finally
one day, about three years sgo, tha State
Board of Public Lands and Buildings con
cluded to clean up and the marble blocks
had to go. - A horse was hitched to them
and they were dragged over the grass to a
place ln the rear of tha boiler house, where
clerk hire and commissions
funds when necessary.
Sixth. The raising of this fund is ln no
sense to be considered a partisan or local
undertaking, but shall bo state wide In Its
soliciting and all ara asked to contribute
regardless of political or religious affilia
tion, age, color or sex. Tha officers of this
association ara to be suceeded as their
successors to the various state offices ara
Pledges may ba made to this
He replied: "Let him alone; he can n season and out of season labored for a fund payable at the call of the treasurer.
partisan. Knowimr th. minri. nt h. n. t,r length of his administration, the T -,n 1. , ... net'
. - - ' - . V. - ' muming wnen tne roes- cent.
the lL7jrj0Vll ..'a --d Pn. .num.rU on T b. 'pdeT'haTen YinetC & "Z" " '" - B-ank; wU, be provided for the purpo.o.
... . . ai!v.A k ,1. 1 ... w. .,1,.. ' 1 OUtSlUS. nreslflAnf. It u n nn! rw1 that all mntHhuMnna ha inaili
red nag, but It had tha effect of the olive . , ' a., .v rtr.u..jr penej that j WM caUed upon to announce
branch. Mills S. Reeves and W. W. Wardell that K wa '"oedlngly important that the the terrible news to the great crowd as- Bore BO
were leading Otoe senators. president should know Intimately and Judge sembled In the old state house square ln That was hjs way of looking at things.
Every wire was pulled to Induce tha correcUy the men whose support he must Springfield. He wa of too kindly a d tp sltlon, too grt
members to favor tha new location. It was eelc m nearly every project ha waa called Five years previous he had departed a man, to punish anyone ior being against
a fight of members living north of the upon to undertake. Lincoln knew his men. from Springfield for Washington, never him, but at the same time he was more far-
Platta river and those living in the south ,nero was never a president of the United to return. I clasped hands with him st, seeing than others. He knew that to re
move Chase would only make a martyr of
t -....... . . , . , iuiiv r.vvr anu uiubo living in uie souin - ' - . " 1 " v
Legislature procedure was fully as lively wh,ch waj won fcy y(tM Qf thft wo hoUB9 States who could so well and so correctly parting, and there passed between us a
u ti.a msinnui o neurtiu msiory as , ,.. . ludn men Ahraham I.lnh. .n n conversation whuh atr.n.than.rf nv 1a. . j k,.i, . nhi nni
, . .... . iiioinutira irvoi vvasnington county naa tne ..... - j aonu .i.u, u.n w vm.v " " purrv a local m
It Is sometimes at nreaent. Members nluved . . - .a it ...... t.rmln.tlnn t t 1 ,k. , ... . . ... . . lurr'' " iucbi
- - - one aenaxor ana. oy one member from " """""" juug- . pun nun m u. puamun to inaw " .the statue. That was back ln 1893, and for
president.
The marble blocks were a present from
the state of Tennessee and they were de
livered to Nebraska, and out of them tho
Lincoln monument waa to have been chis
eled. Tha gift signified truly the union of
the blue and the gray. Some little cutting
waa done, soma effort made to collect
funds to complete the work, and John
local sculptor, engaged to make
for ttma In much tha aam. vruv 11 u.,.l . n.arlv .n..b.. 9 k. Tlllnl. ... .. . . , . . ...
n.in- Vn.Vh7 . ..v .Z UaKt from Dodge deserting and """ " - "...- ine ao ministration, ana so ue sunpiy . alI the. vearB tne marbI, ha, rMte(, on
davloua methods to accomplish their ends ,ldnE wlth number, from south of the 1 UP" the White house a ,pntiU'ft' and Mr- Llnl" had h'" 'one. which waa by far the wisest tha ltol tronaBi udersturbed aicept
and often played for high stakes. Mr. rtv., few months before he was assassinated and J"" atta'ned hla title "Mr. President.' thlnB t0 d0. untll Mc. Chase resigned once th. nn.
Watkins is confident that the removal of Rhrlv .rt.e th. r.rio ... .m. s. short time after my election aa a member
the capital city from Omaha was engineered pushed, a grant of seventy-five sections of of tho hou of repreeentatlves. I had
by members from Otoe county with a view m Washington county was made by boea visiting In Washington and spent con-
of reaping a rich reward In the sale of the state for the construction of the North- "idereble time around congress, talking with
real estate that would follow. How It was ern Nebraska Air line, which was to run members and senators, and It seemed to
accomplished will make one of the Inter- from DeSoto to Fremont, but which wai me tha scarcely any of the strong men
astlng chapters to tha narrative he la never actually constructed for more than were In favor of the president. I was
which I took delight ln using.
"Good-bye, Mr. President," said I, "I
will be down In Washington with you one
of these days." "Come on 'Mr. Speaker,' "
he replied. "I hope you will appear there
soon."
After a few years I kept my promise.
too often, and then, ona day. mucn to tne The flr,t OTKtiDiei effort to secure a
chagrin of hla secretary of tha treasury, monument to Lincoln was undertaken In
he accepted hla resignation. 1887, when Mr. Sargent, a member of tha
No more striking Illustration of Mr. Lin- Abe Lincoln post Grand Army of the Re-
coln's magnarflmty can ba given than his public, of David City, proposed that $10,000 110,000 which will ro raised by the efforts
appointment of Mr. Chase to ba chief Jus- be raised among tha old soldiers for the of tha association, will make $25,000 for
tlta of the United States a few months after erection of the monument on the grounds the work. However a prominent Lincoln
he had accepted his resignation as secre- or tne state. Jt was intended then to hsve lawyer bad agreed to raise $15,000 provided
It la desired that all contributions be made
not later than February 12, 1900. '
Eighth. If tor any reason the money
subscrHxnl and paid cannot be uaed for tho
above purpose on or before July 4, 1910, tha
aame shall ba refunded (unless otherwise
agreedO, less 10 per cent of the amount which
may be used for necessary expenses as
provided fur In section five.
So far the response of the publlo has
been very generous, but It wus thought by
tha officers pf the association that tha
publlo treasury should ba drawn upon o
complete the fund. So Representative Henry
of Holt county has Introduced a bill In the
house appropriating $16,000 for the erection
of tha monument, which added o tha
an1 lmma.4lat.lv fnllnwlnv mv .t.rf.t1nn tl
now preparing. five miles out of DeSoto. The land waa greatly Impressed and concerned on account k. i t u . . w..v,i...
Tha capltol city wag for two days st traded to John I. Blair, who became presl- of the number of adverse criticisms I had look over the field of my coming labors. Ur oi tua Ueaury- " happened that the monument on the grounds of the State state appropriated $26,000 which would
Bellevue, where J. Sterling Morton first dent of the air line which later was tha hoard. Before leaving Washington I called as the successor of Congresman John T. 1 wa" ln Mr- Foley's office when Mr. university. The department commander buy for Nebraska the finest Lincoln monu-
resided. Oowrnor Burt, after whom Burt nucleus of the Northwestern road In Ne- upon the president, and asked him: "Mr. Stewart. I boldly entered the room of cha8 came 10 tha vvl,ue "ou,e. 10 lnan" ?h i :, ... conrormny witn ment ln the world.
On the birthday of Lincoln, February 12,
county was named, on arriving from South braska. Real estate In Lincoln also was Lincoln, do you allow anybody to talk to Secretary Nlcolay at tha White house, as Prta.aent ior nis appointment as uuei .--.mui...... n,-. pusnea DO-
Carolln picked out Bellavua as tha Beat boomed and the sale of lots was one of tha you about yoUreelf." Ha said. "Certainly.1 had been accuatomed to do during my Justice. The door was ajar and I heard tha yona tne starting point,
of government. He was there two days eaturea of the location of the new city. , sit down.- I told him I wanted to talk visits to Washington, and found, much to few wojtf that pussed between thtm. Tney Then cams the John Curry project In 1895.
when ha died, and when bis successor, In the legislature at the time there was with him a little about what I had seen and my surprise, that I had broken in on a were both extremely dignified. Mr. Chase Mr. Curry negotiated with the state of
Thomas B. Cuming of Iowa, was named, one member of the present legislature, heard around congress since coming here, conference between the president and Sec- thanked him in a few words, and the presl- Tennessee for the marble from which to
Influences from Omaha were Instrumental T. J. Majors. There was also Lawson and said It seemed to me that most of the retary Seward. President Lincoln, seeing dent simply responded that he hoped that cut "tatue
. ..,.. ewmah f.tv, t ..,.r, nh.Mn Th. iirnn. man w-. hi- u. ma. as I . was about to withdraw, said. Mr. Chase would do his duty, and so ths Nenrsska a present of two ImmenM
ati um wwtovviwai v uibhi mm nvi as. a , - - "j"'vi . -
now, metropolis of tha state for the aeat scheme of removsl. however, originated ln with a smile, "It Is not quite so bad as "Corns ln. Cullom and, turning to his Interview closed.
et government. The location remained In the bralna of the Otoe county men and they that." and with that he took up a copy of cabinet officer. "Seward, you remember xhe me..age to congress the year I was
........... . . .... . mhu nlil fri.nil Htm w art .hft WBS hftr. lAJlt 1 ....... .... .. I ..,.ull II a , i u rvi.l ..f aim.
vi were tne ones cnieiiy in teres tea in tne . tne congressional directory, with tha re. " " " - -
Omaha from the Utter '60s to 1867.
Morton was so disgusted that he moved ut come. T. P. Kennard of Lincoln was mark that there were many congressmen
from Bellevue to Nebraska City and re- secretary of state and then Uved ln Wash- on his side, and turning to the list of
talned his home there until he died. ' Ington county. John Gillespie- was auditor senstors and representatives he went over
Otoe county interests were never sats- Jld David Butler was govs nor. T.irte three it for my benlflt. I saw that nearly every
flad after their defeat and repeated at- were chosen a commission to select the name was marked, and as he went down
tempts were made to move tha capUol. which In the bill was Indefinitely the list he commented on each as. for in-
Once an efft waa made to change the looawd to Lancaater or Beward counties. stance: "This man for me;" "The best
location to a point northeast of Lincoln
and to call It Douglas City. This failed.
Other attempts were without result until
finally tha Otoe people mustered enough
strength In Itet to" win. They thouolit then
by removing tha site to a point away from
Omaha and also a short distance from their
own county seat, that Nebraska City would
be tha chief city of Nebraska and would
continue to renialn tha supply depot for
tha Interior settlement and especially of
the newly created town. ,
The removal bill waa Introduced In both
house and senate to the house by Mr.
Crewe and ln tha aenata by William A.
Preason, who lived in the , tenth district,
which was Richardson, county. Governor
Butler bad called a special session for May
It, liO. especially to take up thla matter.
11a waa aa ardent removallst.
Mr. Preason Introduced his bill June 4;
It passed the senate June 11; passed tha
houae June 13; and wsa signed by tha chief
executive June 14.
While the strife wss on the anti-remov-allsta
exercised every art known to the
Isgtslators tor delay, but the majority was
against them, as the record reveals deter
mined and certain action. When tha meas
ure was about to coma up fur third reading
In tha aanata "Nets" Patrick moved that
the name of tha new capital, which In the
bill waa designated "Capltol City" be
changed to "Lincoln." He had lost In
every attempt to atay tha removallsts and
was fighting for every possible advantage,
however small. A delay of a day In de
bating tha name, ha thought, misht give
opportunity to devise some scheme whereby
ths votes on location might be changed.
To Mr. Patrick's surprise the "copper
heads" from Otoe county, who despisej
Lincoln as a man snd had supported tbelr
horns papers In abuae of him, received tha
aew and much more euphonious name with
willingness. Tba dilatory motion proved
ne delay at alL Tha only atop It provided
was that taken to pass It by acclamation,
Tt Tvl U the aeuaia eg ovuocU, wbiaH
term? Well, ha waa beaten for re-election clnctness and fiankutsss as to actual con
and this Is the young man who beat him." dltiona prevailing ln the land. A sunny
Brilliant Crowd.
blocks.
The legislature of JW3 trade the third at
tempt. John M. McClay. a memhr-r cf the
horse from Lincoln, Introduced a bill ap
propriating $10,0fX for a monument to Lln-
tha Grand Army of tha Republic of the
state and the schools will by special pro
grams do honor to the martyred president
and at tha same time they will take up a
collection to add to the fund already raised.
and optimistic view of every situation was roin to be erected on the state house
There were many great and Interesting taken, however, and if the people wished
men In both the house and senate In thosa to take a gloomy view ot even disastrous
terrible days during the civil war, and
many of them continued leading figures
war euisodes It was their own doing. At
the time the message waa written General
during the days of reconstruction lmmedl- Sherman was attempting his famous march
' . . "-' ' ' .
...
.,''.'. .
ately following. With many of these I
wss personally and later became mora or
less Intimately acquainted. There was Fes
senden of Maine, who succeeded ss secre
tary of tha treasury the dignified Salmon
P. Chase, whom many people' (Including
himself) thought Indispensable, and suc
ceeded him In the office so well that the
country never felt the change. There was
John Sherman In the senate, even then one
of ths leaders, later to become one of the
greatest secretaries of tha treasury; Thad
deus Stevens ln the house, who wielded an
Influence second to none; Charles Sumner,
one of ths great men of his day, who filled
a peculiarly Important place In the his
tory of his time, then serving aa chairman
of the foreign relations committee. Senator
Trumbull of Illinois waa one of tha leaders
of
of 300 miles directly through tha Insur
gents' region. There were plenty of fore
bodings at Washington as to the eventful
outcome. Mr. Lincoln dismissed the sub
ject In his message with these few words,
after stating the undertaking: "The result
not yet being known, conjecture ln re
gard to It la not here Indulged."
Note of Determlaatlen.
In other words, Mr. Lincoln Intimated to
congress that the country would cross no
bridges until they were reached. However,
there was contained In that message to
congress, when the war was nearly over, a
note ot determination which left no deubt
ln the minds of those who resd it that
Lincoln still believed the sentiments ha had
expressed In his great speech wherein he
said, "A house divided against Itself can-
nni atanit." a aneech which 1 heard him do
the upper house and waa recognised ver by ,h(S way and , must confea, that
as ona of tne great lawyers oi ins nation. u waa an uUerance which waa a bulwark
Hendricks of Indiana. Wilson of Massa- to m-!n those trying dais when detennlns-
chuaetts, Howe of Wisconsin, Henderson of tjon only gaVa way to doubt and fear.
Missouri, Chandler of Michigan, were men yhose were dark days, but how soon was
In their prime. John A. Logan was dutlng to coma vindication of Lincoln's diagnosis
tba early part of Lincoln's administration that ths Issue could only be tried by war
a member of the house, resigning In 1861 and decided by victory. In the early days
grounds. In Its meanderlnga through tha
legislature there was attached to the bill
an amendment providing that thla ap
propriation should become available only
when the city of Lincoln contributed a like
sum. Notwithstanding tills amendment
was sufficient to kill the bill. Its sponsors
never gave up hope and even carried tha
r easure to the supreme court to establish
Its legality, when It was attacked. Tha
bill passed both houses regularly, but In
th confusion incidental to final ajoum
mert. the bill failed to receive tha sig
nature of the speaker of the houae, and the
president of the senate. When Governor
Mickey signed the measure .he mads a no
tation to this effect, but he held It legal
and after him ths supreme court alse es
tablished Its validity. But the city of Lin
coln was too busy with other matters to
raise its share of tha money necessary, sa
Nebraska never had to make good on Its
part of ths bargain.
Since that failure there haa been a '
quiet agitation going on among the old
soldiers and others snd this took final
shape at the banquet given by the Young
Men's Republican club of Lincoln Just one
year ago Lincoln's birthday.
Addison Walt, deputy secretary of stats.
Introduced a resolution which wss adopted
he became the foremost volunteer officer of 0f spring cams the campaigns around Rich- by the club, providing for the Incorpora
te civil war.
esse ( His Colleagues.
I regarded Thaddeus Stevens as the dom
inating figure ln the house during the war
tlon of tha Abraham Lincoln Centennial
Memorial Association of Nebraska. The
governor of the stats st that time, George
L. Sheldon, waa made president, and tha
state treasurer, L. G. Brian, the treasurer
of tha association, with M-.v-WVt as sec
retary. Following Is the plan adopted by
H, H. FIELDS.
Wko Mai XiocwU la CwuucU SI aft.
mond and Lee was driven to the final
stand, where he accepted bitter and un
conditional aurrender.
To Lincoln was given but a gUmpse ef
snd tha dye of reconstruction, but there h promised land. Ha lived to see tha
wera other, who became famou. In Amer- ot rebellion broken, but was sent to
, :.,, i ,. ,,, Th... vw,r. nis eternal rewaiu ut.ui. us aaw ....
" hee. 7t Indiana. William B. Allison of hr'ty of th. union established In all th. thl, aMoclatlon
-.w.. m . , rebellious, laiee.. ne wan peruuneu u
ows. James Q. BUIh. of M.lne. Conk- mountain. NebT and to catch
ling of New Turk, next to whom I occu- th- 0( . re-
pled a seat and was practically at hi. b(jt hi wery feet wef, n(Jt
elbow during his fierce atruggl. In debate ,,tt.d to cross the border that sepa-
' with Blaine some years later. Owen Love- . . . ., - ,. . .,
Joy repreaented ona of tha Illlnol. districts bi. ,.tla but firm mannar ha b.d th "hJ,.1b rmlVd
previous to my own term In tha house. I ... ." , An M. tiddin-. The rislna- vMual contributions and appropriations by
was at the White Houss when ths news curtau, cf succeeding years hss only served
f his death was brought to Mr. Lincoln, t0 ,how tba soul of wisdom which that leg
end I recall tha kindly manner la which uiatlva body bad before It during those
It spoke erf him. Lovejoy bad been soma- 4Urk daa as a guiding angel.
First. This monument to ba erected on
the ststa house grounds ln the city ef
Lincoln, the alta to ba designated by tha
officers of the sssocletlon,
fcfecond. The funds for ths erection of
the legislature.
Third. The stats treasurer Is hereby made
tha custodian of ail funds subscribed Ml
paid for this purpose and said fund are to
n
?
-1
'J!
3. W. NICHOLS,
Who Was a Member of Lincoln's Body
Guard.
f
I
eY
if)
f 'i
j