412 



LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 



On the next morning, at 9 o'clock, he left 

 Cincinnati, and arrived at Columbus at 2 o'clock. 

 He was received with a national salute and 

 every demonstration of enthusiasm. He visited 

 the Governor in the Executive Chamber, and 

 was subsequently introduced to the members 

 of the Legislature in joint session, when he was 

 formally welcomed by the Lieutenant-Governor, 

 to whom Mr. Lincoln responded in these words : 



" It is true, as has been said by the Presi- 

 dent of the Senate, that very great responsibil- 

 ity rests upon me in the position to which the 

 votes of the American people have called me. 

 I am deeply sensible of that weighty responsi- 

 bility. I cannot but know, what you all know, 

 that without a name perhaps without a reason 

 why I should have a name there has fallen 

 upon me a task such as did not rest upon the 

 Father of his Country. And so feeling, I can- 

 not but turn and look for the support without 

 which it will be impossible for me to perform 

 that great task. I turn, then, and look to the 

 American people, and to that God who has 

 never forsaken them. 



"Allusion has been made to the interest felt 

 in relation to the policy of the new Administra- 

 tion. In this, I have received from some a de- 

 gree of credit for having kept silence, from 

 others some depreciation. I still think I was 

 right. In the varying and repeatedly shifting 

 scenes of the present, without a precedent 

 which could enable me to judge for the past, 

 it has seemed fitting, that before speaking upon 

 the difficulties of the country I should have 

 gained a view of the whole field. To be sure, 

 after all, I would be at liberty to modify and 

 change the course of policy as future events 

 might make a change necessary. 



" I have not maintained silence from any 

 want of real anxiety. It is a good thing that 

 there is no more than anxiety, for there is noth- 

 ing going wrong. It is a consoling circum- 

 stance that when we look out there is nothing 

 that really hurts anybody. We entertain dif- 

 ferent views upon political questions, but no- 

 body is suffering any thing. This is a most 

 consoling circumstance, and from it I judge 

 that all we want is time and patience, and a 

 reliance on that God who has never forsaken 

 this people. 1 ' 



On the 14th of February, Mr. Lincoln pro- 

 ceeded to Pittsburg. At Steubenville, on the 

 route, in reply to an address by Judge Lloyd 

 in behalf of the crowd present, he said : 



" I fear that the great confidence placed in 

 my ability is unfounded. Indeed, I am sure 

 it is. Encompassed by vast difficulties, as I 

 am, nothing shall be wanted on my part, if sus- 

 tained by the American people and God. I be- 

 lieve the devotion to the Constitution is equally 

 great on both sides of the river. It is only the 

 different understanding of that instrument that 

 causes difficulty. The only dispute is, ' What 

 are their rights ? ' If the majority should not 

 rule who should be the judge ? Where is such 

 a judge to be found? We should all be bound 



by the majority of the American people if not, 

 then the minority must control. Would that 

 be right ? Would it be just or generous ? As- 

 suredly not." He reiterated, the majority 

 should rule. If he adopted a wrong policy, 

 then the opportunity to condemn him would 

 occur in four years' time. " Then I can be 

 turned out and a better man with better views 

 put in my place." 



He remained at Pittsburg until the next 

 morning, when he left for Cleveland. Before 

 his departure he made an address to the people 

 in which he said : 



" In every short address I have made to the 

 people, and in every crowd through which I 

 have passed of late, some allusion has been 

 made to the present distracted condition of the 

 country. It is naturally expected that I should 

 say something upon this subject, but to touch 

 upon it at all would involve an elaborate dis- 

 cussion of a great many questions and circum- 

 stances, would require more time than I can 

 at present command, and would perhaps un- 

 necessarily commit me upon matters which 

 have not yet fully developed themselves. 



" The condition of the country, fellow-citi- 

 zens, is an extraordinary one, and fills the mind 

 of every patriot with anxiety and solicitude. 

 My intention is to give this subject all the con- 

 sideration which I possibly can before I speak 

 fully and definitely in regard to it, so that, 

 when I do speak. I may be as nearly right as 

 possible. And when I do speak, fellow-citi- 

 zens, I hope to say nothing in opposition to the 

 spirit of the Constitution, contrary to the in- 

 tegrity of the Union, or which will in any way 

 prove inimical to the liberties of the people or 

 to the peace of the whole country. And, fur- 

 thermore, when the time arrives for me to 

 speak on this great subject, I hope to say noth- 

 ing which will disappoint the reasonable ex- 

 pectations of any man, or disappoint the people 

 generally throughout the country, especially if 

 their expectations have been based upon any 

 thing which I may have heretofore said. 



"Notwithstanding the troubles across the 

 river, [the speaker, smiling, pointed south- 

 wardly to the Monongahela River,] there is 

 really no crisis springing from any thing in the 

 Government itself. In plain words, there is 

 really no crisis except an artificial one. What 

 is there now to warrant the condition of affairs 

 presented by our friends ' over the river ' ? 

 Take even their own view of the questions in- 

 volved, and there is nothing to justify the 

 course which they are pursuing. I repeat it, 

 then, there is no crisis, except such a one as 

 may.be gotten up at any time by turbulent 

 men, aided by designing politicians. My ad- 

 vice, then, under such circumstances, is to keep 

 cool. If the great American people will only 

 keep their temper on both sides of the line, the 

 trouble will come to an end, and the question 

 which now distracts the country will be settled 

 just as surely as all other difficulties of like 

 character which have originated in this Gov- 



