418 



LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 



Declaration of Independence which gave lib- 

 erty, not alone to the people of this country, 

 hut, I hope, to the world for all future time. 

 It was that which gave promise that in due 

 time the weight would be lifted from the 

 shoulders of all men. This is a sentiment em- 

 bodied in the Declaration of Independence. 

 Now, my friends, can this country be saved 

 upon this basis ? If it can, I will consider my- 

 self one of the happiest men in the world if I 

 can help to save it. If it cannot be saved upon 

 that principle, it will be truly awful. But if 

 this country cannot be saved without giving 

 up that principle, I was about to say I would 

 rather be assassinated on this spot than sur- 

 render it. Now. in my view of the present 

 aspect of affairs, there need be no bloodshed or 

 war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in 

 favor of such a course, and I may _say, in ad- 

 vance, that there will be no bloodshed unless 

 it be forced upon the Government, and then 

 it will be compelled to act in self-defence. 



" My friends, this is wholly an unexpected 

 speech, and I did not expect to be called upon 

 to say a word when I came here. I supposed 

 it was merely to do something towards raising 

 the flag. I may, therefore, have said some- 

 thing indiscreet. I have said nothing but what 

 I am willing to live by, and, if it be the pleas- 

 ure of Almighty God, to die by." 



The party then moved to a platform erected 

 in front of the State House, and the President- 

 elect was invited to perform the ceremony of 

 raising the flag. This drew forth from him an- 

 other brief speech to the assembled multitude. 



Mr. Benton, of the Select Council, then, in a 

 few words, invited the President-elect to raise 

 the flag. Mr. Lincoln responded in a brief 

 speech, stating his cheerful compliance with 

 the request, and alluded to the original flag of 

 thirteen stars, saying that the number had in- 

 creased as time rolled on, and we became a 

 happy and a powerful people, each star adding 

 to its prosperity. " The future," he added, " is 

 in the hands of the people. It is on sxich an 

 occasion as this that we can reason together, 

 reaffirm our devotion to the country and the 

 principles of the Declaration of Independence. 

 Let us make up our mind, that when we do put 

 a new star upon our banner, it shall be a fixed 

 one, never to be dimmed by the horrors of 

 war, but brightened by the contentment and 

 prosperity of peace. Let us go on to extend 

 the area of our usefulness, add star upon star, 

 until their light shall shine upon five hundred 

 millions of a free and happy people." 



The President-elect then threw off his over- 

 coat, a brief prayer was offered and a gun fired, 

 when hand over hand he raised the flag of 

 thirty-four stars to the top of the staif. 



At half-past 9 o'clock the party started for 

 Harrisburg. The Legislature of Pennsylvania 

 was then in session in that city. Both Houses 

 were visited by Mr. Lincoln, and to an address 

 of welcome by the presiding-officer of each, he 

 thus replied : 



" I appear before you only for a very few brief 

 remarks, in. response to what has been said to 

 me. I thank you most sincerely for this recep- 

 tion, and the generous words in which support 

 has been promised me upon this occasion. I 

 thank your great commonwealth for the over- 

 whelming support it recently gave, not to me 

 personally, but the cause, which I think a just 

 one, in the late election. Allusion has been 

 made to the fact the interesting fact, perhaps 

 we should say that I, for the first time, ap- 

 pear at the Capital of the great Commonwealth 

 of Pennsylvania upon the birthday of the Fa- 

 ther of his Country, in connection with that 

 beloved anniversary connected with the history 

 of this country. I have already gone through 

 one exceedingly interesting scene this morning 

 in the ceremonies at Philadelphia. "Under the 

 high conduct of gentlemen there, I was, for the 

 first time, allowed the privilege of standing in 

 Old Independence Hall, to have a few words 

 addressed to me there, and opening up to me 

 an opportunity of expressing, with much regret, 

 that I had not more time to express something 

 of my own feelings, excited by the occasion, 

 somewhat to harmonize and give shape to the 

 feelings that had been really the feelings of my 

 whole life. Besides this, our friends there had 

 provided a magnificent flag of the country. 

 They had arranged it so that I was given the 

 honor of raising it to the head of its staff. 

 And when it went up I was pleased that it 

 went to its place by the strength of my own 

 feeble arm ; when, according to the arrange- 

 ment, the cord was pulled, and it flaunted 

 gloriously to the wind without an accident, in 

 the bright glowing sunshine of the morning, I 

 could not help hoping that there was in the 

 entire success of that beautiful ceremony at 

 least something of an omen of what is to come. 

 Nor could I help feeling then, as I often have 

 felt, in the whole of that proceeding, I was a 

 very humble instrument. I had not provided 

 the flag; I had not made the arrangements for 

 elevating it to its place. I had applied but a 

 very small portion of my- feeble strength in 

 raising it. In the whole transaction I was in 

 the hands of the people who had arranged it, 

 and if I can have the same generous coopera- 

 tion of the people of the nation, I think the flag 

 of our country may yet be kept flaunting glo- 

 riously. I recur for a moment but to repeat 

 some words uttered at the hotel in regard to 

 what has been said about the military support 

 Avhich the General Government may expect 

 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 

 proper emergency. To guard against any pos- 

 sible mistake do I recur to this. It is not with 

 any pleasure that I contemplate the possibility 

 that a necessity may arise in this country for 

 the use of the military arm. While I am ex- 

 ceedingly gratified to see the manifestation 

 upon your streets of your military force here, 

 and exceedingly gratified at your promise here 

 to use that force upon a proper emergency 

 while I make these acknowledgments, I desire 



