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Show jyBEST WRITERS! '. THEY KEPT THE FAITH, Thero havo been published In Tho Weekly Inter ocean a hundred ' or moro lotters from mon who cast their first votes for Fromont or Lincoln. Most of tho first voters for Lincoln servod In tho Union army, and a ma-Jortly ma-Jortly of them becamo homo-makers In tho noror West after tho war. All of thom aro telling stories of tho kind that Illuminate history. For oxamplo, ono man, sovcrely wounded at Cold Harbor In 18G4, and who saw In Gen. McClellnn his Ideal soldier, went to tho polls on crutches nnd votod for Abraham Lincoln, because be-cause he thought Lincoln's platform was right nnd McClellnn's wrong. Anothor man, who with ten thousand thou-sand other Union soldiers was n prisoner pris-oner at Florence, Ala., votod a black bean for Lincoln. Tho Confederate authorities, desiring to ascertain tho sontlment of tho Union prlsonors, established es-tablished a polling place, and decreed tho prisoners should voto whlto or black beans whlto beans for McClel-Ian McClel-Ian and black beans far Lincoln. Tho cipanclated and despondent men marched up to tho polls and voted black beans for Lincoln, many of thom saying: "All hell cannot make us voto white be,ans." In other cases first votes for Lincoln Lin-coln were cast In rebel stockades; In others again, on tho evo of battlo or on long marches or after battlos. Of thoso who voted for Lincoln In 18C0 some cam from tho old Whig party, some from tho Domocratlc, and not a fow from tho Froo Soil party. Letters havo boon received from men who votod for Harrison In 1840, Clay In 1814, John Halo In 1852, Fromont in 185C and Lincoln In 18C0. Tho spirit that runs through all theso lotters Is that ,of devotion to principle, prldo In loadershlp llko that of Lincoln and exultation In having started right In tho career of citizenship. citizen-ship. The story of a man who Todo fifty miles to voto for Lincoln, br who walked ten miles to voto for Grant, or who, wounded, was carried, to tho polls clutching a ticket for Lincoln In his hand, mny seem extravagant In thla day, but thoy havo tho pathos of fioro- lam, and tioy show YJintiBUKjrty fifth tint,' Ainorlcnn of' forty tuiij' fortye four years ago had In him. When men como forward by tho Kcoro to testify to tholr prldo In the fact that thoy votod for Lincoln In troublous tlmeg, thero Is afforded to tho younger and Indifferent voters of this later day a lesson in political conscience con-science and political conviction. Tho first voters for Lincoln wcro mon who stood fast whon -danger threatened, who fought and won through their dovotlon to principle, and who to-day rojolco In the momory of duty dono and faith kept. Chicago Inter Ocean. |