Show WAS AS A I A W H T. T How Hon Lincoln's Experience I at al the time liar Bar Was us n a Sword S l In ht Ills Hands From Frederick Trevor or Hills Hill's Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lin coln the Lawyer L. In the May Century Cen Cen- tur tury tury- When al at last Lincoln was clothed with powers such as few monarchs have ever er exercised when the fate tate of or ormen men and amid o of the tho very nation itself often often orten of or- ten depended upon a stroke of or his pen the time caution and vigilance born of his long experience at the bar bal characterized characterized char char- his every action It would be Interesting to hear heat the confessions of tho the hundreds who called at the White House with the purpose of ot obtaining obtaining obtaining ob ob- his signature In n incriminating documents ts only to have their apparently apparently Innocent request granted In such sucha a n manner that It defeated their sinister sinister sin sin- ister Istel designs Almost every ery line of Lincoln's writing from the official document document document do do- to the scribbles on the little calling cards card which he used to answer the time thousand one requests of the time visitors who thronged his anteroom da day after aftel day shows hows a a. master of prudence prudence pru pru- dence acquainted with the thc dangers lurking In every cry piece of or paper and able to guard himself against surprise with apparent unconcern It was teas a time when great gleat events often often of of- ten hung huns upon trifles rules when the effective effective tive man was he who could tell whom to trust and whom to suspect and at ateer er e every crisis and all hours ho ls l's of the day there was teas a shrewd lawyer aw cr in the White House It H was Lincoln the law lawyer er as well as the statesman who sUJ suggested and urged compensated emancipation upon upon upon up up- on the slave-holding slave states and antI who as ai counsel for Cor that great himself him bin self drew the dt draft of or the time bill designed designed de de- signed nod for Delaware which had It been generally accepted would have saved l thousands of or lives lI and millions of treasure who It was Lincoln tho the lawyer lawet against his personal Inclinations and the heaviest o of moral pressure resisted resisted resisted re re- every effort of oC time the abolitionists to deprive e the south of or her property rights without due process of law maw anu am It was not until every legal lesal remedy had failed that he hc exercised his authority au au- as a military commander and Issued the Emancipation Proclamation tion It was Lincoln the lawyer who fortified by hy his experience In hm hundreds of or jury JUL trials hjal watched the people to whom a L ml mighty hl issue was being presented presented pre pre- and by hy anticipating and Interpreting interpreting inter Inter- their helm thought Inspired public confidence and won a united support It was Lincoln the lawyer la who knowing knowing knowing know know- ing the crucial point in his cause and keeping I It continually In sight sl ht remained remained re re- serenely sane some In the time babel bahel and pressed steadily forward and anel undismayed It was Lincoln tho time lawyer who mm wrote Tote rote the thc state papers which are to today today today to- to day recognized as models of oC finish and form forma not nol only in hm his ills own country country coun coun- try tn but wherever statecraft Is understood understood understood under under- stood and It Il was wa Lincoln the lawyer lawyel whose shrewdness s and tact not only saved l the nation from foreign complications complications but paved pa the wn way for the time Alabama arbitration and award oward On the tho of April 1866 1865 only four foul days das 1 before his death Lincoln spoke of the work still uncompleted It was tho time hour of or countless s le legal al questions concerning the status of or the time seceded states all based upon the in inquiry inquiry In- In whether thc they were still in the Union or out of It and hot discussions discussions discus discus- on this delicate point were carrying car car- carrying the disputants fat far afield The great Icat advocate ocate however waived the quibbling issue i sue aside and passed di directly dl- dl to the heart of oC the case That question he remarked is bad barl as n. the tho basis basis of of-a of n. n controversy and Rood good for nothing at all all all-a a me merely el precarious precarious pre pre- c carious abstraction We Ve all agree that l tI time tho seceded states slates so called arc are out of their proper relation to the Union and that the thc sole object of oC the government civil cl and military In Jim regard legard le- le gard to tho those e states Is to lo again get gel them Into that proper relation Finding themselves safely at home it Jl would be utterly Immaterial whether thc they had ever been abroad Let us all ail Join In doing the time acts necessary necessary sa sary to restoring the proper prOpel practical relations between these states and the Union and each cach forever fore after in innocently innocently innocently in- in indulge his own opinion whether In doing the acts he brou brought ht the states from coin without into th the tho Union or only gave ga them proper assistance assistance assistance as as- they never ne having been out of It It Reading those words who can ean doubt that it would have ha been heen Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln the thc lawyer lawer who would have ha proved the genius of reconstruction had he been allowed to live and help bind up the thc nations nation's wounds |