Show Legacy or of Inspiration to Americans BY FREDERICK TREVOR HILL Part V Political Ambitious Ambitions Experiences and Discouragements I The interest and importance of Un Lin career as president have bae J lr ly created the impression that t his bis life vaa largely devoted to polities politics and that he h was an extraordinarily successful vI pol politician The truth Is however that he be spent t vety I little of his limo In the political arena prior to the civil ware war r and his hie record there was mainly a series SCriM of disappointments and aad defeats He served four consecutive terms In tn the tM Illinois legislature l during his hiI early cony earl years year ear and anti one term In congress but bat that was as his ent em re experience as aa B of office flee fice bolder holder The explanation of this Is apparently upon the surface He was tU not regarded re as a practical politician cian elan or a generally a avaIlable candidate When he Stat entered the political field party part rule and discipline had bad not been effected In Illinois the e nomina nominations nominations theta for office omee were not made by con conventions and any man who chose hose to present himself as a candidate could do doso doso doso so by b the simple ex expedient lent of announcing ing that fact and statin stating his Individual opinions concerning the questions of or orthe the day The party machine and the boss bos as they the now exist were practically unknown Nevertheless there were even een then thea partisan cliques and leaders who made their Influence felt and Lin Un Lincoln coin coln bad had not been long Vans in once office before he asserted his independence of ol them and braved the displeasure of the tile pub public lic Ue licIn In his SUh year the Illinois legisla legislature legislature ture buta passed a series of or resolutions con eon condemning the formation of or abolitionist societies upholding the sacred acted r of property in slaves sla e and declaring against abolishing the Institution la in lathe inthe the District of Columbia This was wu entirely e in accordance a nce with the pre pro prevailing railing sentiment in the state at that time and any an young legislator lator who op on opPosed opposed Posed It did so EO at his perU pert Of ot this Lincoln was fully folly aware and with every reason for or wishing to avoid in injuring juring his political future he Ite might well have bae been content to east cast st an aa in ron negative vote ote A prudent politician conscientiously opposed to the resolutions would wouW undoubted have adopted this course coarse but Lincoln pr proceeded to demonstrate that he was U neither a prudent nor a practical politician bv by attempting to induce bl hi hias his associates as lates to subscribe to a written pro protest protest test against the act actOR acton on of the majority It was Wa a very erT cautIoUs cautions and inoffensive document d which be he prepared but bat It was sufficiently alarming to te be almost unanimously rejected Indeed only onI one other man had bad the temerity to put his name to th the paper peper but bat despite this thle Its sponsor had It spread In full upon tl tto I records I His Career Foreshadowed i i In 10 this action ac whole hole cat cal career Is plainly foreshadowed i Where here principles were at stake Mate he had I Ino no prudence and knew no fear Balzac Balsac says saTs that the wiliest t politician ln is be te who swimming In the river rtH of events keeps keep his head he d above aboe the surface and floating with witt the current appears to guide its us course OUne Pre From Prem this viewpoint Ie I Lincoln has lias no standing tan IR as a politician it at t all aI for he never neel permitted himself him to tt tobe tobe be 00 carried with the tide thle of or popular opinion unless it tended d in the tiN direction ef of f his goal During the war ar with Ith M Met t tico Ice ico when hen the whole countr country vas as aflame with military ardor and flu h d with hb the brilliant achievement of or cur pur pura arms a he be rose ruse In congress COD I and de denounced flOunced the war as utterly aWe ahie Worse Vorse orse politics polities than this van can scarcely be for criticism of oC I Iones ones country In time of war Is In popularly lorly larl regarded l not ROt only as but bat positively traitorous and he lit wit wh attempts It has little knowledge dge of hu human human j man nature If he M hopes for even a re respectful I hearing Lincoln certainly had no illusions concerning Ing the effect of his but firmly that hat the Invasion Ina lon of Mexico was as an aD 10 o extend th the boundaries of slavery h ha re ye refused fused to be silenced by the roar of th tb t conquering cannon anon or t the e enthusiast tk cheers To the slogan n Our Oar right or wrong be I d u country when ben right tight to be kept right when wrong wron then to be put Dot But this to the practical I displaying not the courage but butI I of his bis opinions a aI I there was lS much of we i i i i is J I when he be was retired to ri t life Ufe I from frem which he himself bl f ne never neer r expected eXe leJ U 41 Io I who suppose sU e that Lincoln was wasI as asI I I not net R t ambitious hot little know man manlie He lie hal baI a natural Instinct for leadership i I arid and desired to earn and anti achieve political I cal promotion No man ama ever cam campa I Ipa I pa more Keenly or carefully than I he M But be he was not greedy for office o Cf j 1 I He lIe was wa not vain Tam He did not think his j I personal more Important than I Ithe the triumph of the Ute principles for fer which he contended and these qualities often oten 1 proved insurmountable obstacles to tic hIt advancement Titus Thus in when j after seven years year eat absent absence from polities politic he reentered the Held field to contest for the II United States Stat h he be allowed hie his devotion to pr to ruin ram ius ta II chances chance for against the violent protest of Ws his friends Wends he lie withdrew in favor feor of ofa ufa ofa a Democrat De t to insure the election of an I antislavery man It le to no wonder that theft ther were ere those who regarded him aa u uan asan an Ineffective candidate To Te the office hunter who is always mere Interested in his s own advancement than in the Ule furtherance of any aft cause he must murt ha have seemed quite as futile as a any aRi y of the disinterested reformers of the tilt present day for whose efforts both the man manon manon manon on horseback ho b k and the man in th the street alike aUk have hae ha an Indulgent smile Nevertheless l this politician who would sot not Qt think as others thought tho 11 b t did not disappear from in ew white others who P Vi pm pin on oa and what hat I I I they were wen told toW were cre so soR anti and he h The people liked his hI eo Ot ge I was finally selected as ai theIr heir tf chamP ol I against Douglas D In th t the s great for the Illinois pro pre preceded I ceded the t civil war warA warA A Forlorn Hope It was a forlorn hope which was thu thus thuI I to Lincoln charge barge for ms tits opponent was one of the most powerful and popular leaders of the Democracy and that party was In control I LIIdi r suck sack circumstances s the ordinary ClId cand date would have been extremely careful to sp speak ak no word which bleh could possibly offend and do his best bent to te curry favor with the voters oters But un genius for bad polities politics asserted a Itself at atthe atI atthe I the tM very tery outset for in his famous I lf speech s h he be declared that the Union UnioR could not I continue to exist half hat slave and half halt free rree Most fost men knew kne n fl their hearts I I that this was true but for a candidate to hint at the dissolution of the Union at the very opening of his campaign was at that crisis almost courting d a feat But Lincoln was undIsturbed 1 either by br b the dismay disma of his friends or orthe orthe the elation of his foes foe lie He knew that I he be was ten ng the truth and sooner or later the truth would prevail Indeed I Ithe the fight had not much more than be begun begun begun gun before he was guilty goUt of or far tar greater rashness for he determined to question Douglas and force toree him to define his po position position on the Issues of the tire day Most earnestly his advisers warned him that his Ingenious opponent would certainly c answer in such fashion as to convince the people of and insure the de defeat defeat feat eat of the ticket But Lincoln was as a leader who refused to be bt I what satisfied I Ithe led and knowing that the people of Illinois would offend the slavery men elsewhere he lie deliberately sacrificed his own on chances for the sen Son senate senate ate by drawing admissions from his big ad adversary at almost defeated him and I which two years ears later not only ruined his chances chanced for or the presidency but brought disaster dl aster to his party part partA A man of different caMbre calibre might easily have hae become discouraged aad nod embittered by b his repeated repealed failures arn amI amIr rebuffs r But Lincoln did not DOt care ran to win success at the expense of ot his cause and after the most it heartbreaking of his hb disappointments appointments he was able to Tte I am glad I 1 made the tile late race and aRd though I 1 now non no sink out of I view I 1 believe bellee I have made some marks which will tell teU for foi tte tiis cause of utI j civil eMI liberty long IoRg after afler I am gone i It was w this spirit pint that in the end made his record re a s story ory of or that succeeded and his big example heartens those who high purpose strive for principles n Ti the Just dust of defeat defeet iK TREVOR HILL |