abraham lincoln and the union-第21章

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erable　creatures　as　certain　powerful　capitalists　who　sacrificed　his　army　to　their　own　lust　for　profits　filched　from　army　contracts。

The　wonder　of　Lincoln's　achievement　is　that　he　contrived　at　last　to　extend　his　hold　over　all　these　diverse　elements；　that　he　persuaded　some；　outwitted　others；　and　overcame　them　all。　　The　subtlety　of　this　task　would　have　ruined　any　statesman　of　the　driving　sort。　　Explain　Lincoln　by　any　theory　you　will；　his　personality　was　the　keystone　of　the　Northern　arch；　subtract　it；　and　the　arch　falls。　　The　popular　element　being　as　complex　and　powerful　as　it　was；　how　could　the　presiding　statesman　have　mastered　the　situation　if　he　had　not　been　of　so　peculiar　a　sort　that　he　could　influence　all　these　diverse　and　powerful　interests；　slowly；　by　degrees；　without　heat；　without　the　imperative　note；　almost　in　silence；　with　the　universal；　enfolding　irresistibility　of　the　gradual　things　in　nature；　of　the　sun　and　the　rain。　　Such　was　the　genius　of　Lincolnall　but　passionless；　yet　so　quiet　that　one　cannot　but　believe　in　the　great　depth　of　his　nature。

We　are；　even　today；　far　from　a　definitive　understanding　of　Lincoln's　statecraft；　but　there　is　perhaps　justification　for　venturing　upon　one　prophecy。　　The　farther　from　him　we　get　and　the　more　clearly　we　see　him　in　perspective；　the　more　we　shall　realize　his　creative　influence　upon　his　party。　　A　Lincoln　who　is　the　moulder　of　events　and　the　great　creator　of　public　opinion　will　emerge　at　last　into　clear　view。　　In　the　Lincoln　of　his　ultimate　biographer　there　will　be　more　of　iron　than　of　a　less　enduring　metal　in　the　figure　of　the　Lincoln　of　present　tradition。　　Though　none　of　his　gentleness　will　disappear；　there　will　be　more　emphasis　placed　upon　his　firmness；　and　upon　such　episodes　as　that　of　December；　1860；　when　his　single　will　turned　the　scale　against　compromise；　upon　his　steadiness　in　the　defeat　of　his　party　at　the　polls　in　1862；　or　his　overruling　of　the　will　of　Congress　in　the　summer　of　1864　on　the　question　of　reconstruction；　or　his　attitude　in　the　autumn　of　that　year　when　he　believed　that　he　was　losing　his　second　election。　　Behind　all　his　gentleness；　his　slowness；　behind　his　sadness；　there　will　eventually　appear　an　inflexible　purpose；　strong　as　steel；　unwavering　as　fate。

The　Civil　War　was　in　truth　Lincoln's　war。　　Those　modern　pacifists　who　claim　him　for　their　own　are　beside　the　mark。　　They　will　never　get　over　their　illusions　about　Lincoln　until　they　see；　as　all　the　world　is　beginning　to　see；　that　his　career　has　universal　significance　because　of　its　bearing　on　the　universal　modern　problem　of　democracy。　　It　will　not　do　ever　to　forget　that　he　was　a　man　of　the　people；　always　playing　the　hand　of　the　people；　in　the　limited　social　sense　of　that　word；　though　playing　it　with　none　of　the　heat　usually　met　with　in　the　statesmen　of　successful　democracy　from　Cleon　to　Robespierre；　from　Andrew　Jackson　to　Lloyd　George。　His　gentleness　does　not　remove　Lincoln　from　that　stern　category。　Throughout　his　life；　besides　his　passion　for　the　Union；　besides　his　antipathy　to　slavery；　there　dwelt　in　his　very　heart　love　of　and　faith　in　the　plain　people。　　We　shall　never　see　him　in　true　historic　perspective　until　we　conceive　him　as　the　instrument　of　a　vast　social　ideathe　determination　to　make　a　government　based　on　the　plain　people　successful　in　war。

He　did　not　scruple　to　seize　power　when　he　thought　the　cause　of　the　people　demanded　it；　and　his　enemies　were　prompt　to　accuse　him　of　holding　to　the　doctrine　that　the　end　justified　the　meansa　hasty　conclusion　which　will　have　to　be　reconsidered；　what　concerns　us　more　closely　is　the　definite　conviction　that　he　felt　no　sacrifice　too　great　if　it　advanced　the　happiness　of　the　generality　of　mankind。

The　final　significance　of　Lincoln　as　a　statesman　of　　democracy　is　brought　out　most　clearly　in　his　foreign　relations。　　Fate　put　it　into　the　hands　of　England　to　determine　whether　his　Government　should　stand　or　fall。　　Though　it　is　doubtful　how　far　the　turning　of　the　scale　of　English　policy　in　Lincoln's　favor　was　due　to　the　influence　of　the　rising　power　of　English　democracy；　it　is　plain　that　Lincoln　thought　of　himself　as　having　one　purpose　with　that　movement　which　he　regarded　as　an　ally。　　Beyond　all　doubt　among　the　most　grateful　messages　he　ever　received　were　the　New　Year　greetings　of　confidence　and　sympathy　which　were　sent　by　English　workingmen　in　1863。　　A　few　sentences　in　his　〃Letter　to　the　Workingmen　of　London〃　help　us　to　look　through　his　eyes　and　see　his　life　and　its　struggles　as　they　appeared　to　him　in　relation　to　world　history：

〃As　these　sentiments　＇expressed　by　the　English　workmen＇　are　manifestly　the　enduring　support　of　the　free　institutions　of　England；　so　am　I　sure　that　they　constitute　the　only　reliable　basis　for　free　institutions　throughout　the　world。。。。　　The　resources；　advantages；　and　power　of　the　American　people　are　very　great；　and　they　have　consequently　succeeded　to　equally　great　responsibilities。　It　seems　to　have　devolved　upon　them　to　test　whether　a　government　established　on　the　principles　of　human　freedom　can　be　maintained　against　an　effort　to　build　one　upon　the　exclusive　foundation　of　human　bondage。　　They　will　rejoice　with　me　in　the　new　evidence　which　your　proceedings　furnish　that　the　magnanimity　they　are　exhibiting　is　justly　estimated　by　the　true　friends　of　freedom　and　humanity　in　foreign　countries。〃

Written　at　the　opening　of　that　terrible　year；　1863；　these　words　are　a　forward　link　with　those　more　celebrated　words　spoken　toward　its　close　at　Gettysburg。　　Perhaps　at　no　time　during　the　war；　except　during　the　few　days　immediately　following　his　own　reelection　a　year　later；　did　Lincoln　come　so　near　being　free　from　care　as　then。　　Perhaps　that　explains　why　his　fundamental　literary　power　reasserted　itself　so　remarkably；　why　this　speech　of　his　at　the　dedication　of　the　National　Cemetery　at　Gettysburg　on　the　19th　of　November；　1863；　remains　one　of　the　most　memorable　orations　ever　delivered：

〃Fourscore　and　seven　years　ago　our　fathers　brought　forth　upon　this　continent　a　new　nation；　conceived　in　liberty；　and　dedicated　to　the　proposition　that　all　men　are　created　equal。

〃Now　we　are　engaged　in　a　great　civil　war；　testing　whether　that　nation；　or　any　nation　so　conceived　and　so　dedicated；　can　long　endure。　　We　are　met　on　a　great　battlefield　of　that　war。　　We　have　come　to　dedicate　a　portion　of　that　field　as　a　final　resting…place　for　those　who　here　gave　their　lives　that　that　nation　might　live。　It　is　altogether　fitting　and　proper　that　we　should　do　this。

〃But　in　a　larger　sense　we　cannot　dedicate；　we　cannot　consecrate；　we　cannot　hallow　this　ground。　　The　brave　men；　living　and　dead；　who　struggled　here；　have　consecrated　it　far　above　our　power　to　add　or　detract。　　The　world　will　little　note　nor　long　remember　what　we　say　here；　but　it　can　never　forget　what　they　did　here。　　It　is　for　us；　the　living；　rather；　to　be　dedicated　here　to　the　unfinished　work　which　they　who　fought　here　have　thus　far　so　nobly　advanced。　　It　is　rather　for　us　to　be　here　dedicated　to　the　great　task　remaining　before　us：　that　from　these　honored　dead　we　take　increased　devotion　to　that　cause　for　which　they　gave　the　last　full　measure　of　devotion；　that　we　here　highly　resolve　that　these　dead　shall　not　have　died　in　vain；　that　this　nation；　under　God；　shall　have　a　new　birth　of　freedom；　and　that　government　of　the　people；　by　the　people；　and　for　the　people；　shall　not　perish　from　the　earth。〃



CHAPTER　VIII。　THE　RULE　OF　LINCOLN

The　fundamental　problem　of　the　Lincoln　Government　was　the　raising　of　armies；　the　sudden　conversion　of　a　community　which　was　essentially　industrial　into　a　disciplined　military　organization。　The　accomplishment　of　so　gigantic　a　transformation　taxed　the　abilities　of　two　Secretaries　of　War。　　The　first；　Simon　Cameron；　owed　his　place　in　the　Cabinet　to　the　double　fact　of　being　one　of　the　ablest　of　political　bosses　and　of　standing　high　among　Lincoln's　competitors　for　the　Presidential　nomination。　　Personally　honest；　he　was　also　a　political　cynic　to　whom　tradition　ascribes　the　epigram　defining　an　honest　politician　as　one　who　〃when　he　is　bought；　will　stay　bought。〃　　As　Secretary　of　War　he　showed　no　particular　ability。

In　1861；　when　the　tide　of　enthusiasm　was　in　flood；　and　volunteers　in　hosts　were　responding　to　ac