The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

THE LIFE, PUBLIC SERVICES, AND

should deliberately resolve to have, immediate peace, even at the loss of
their country and their liberties, I know not the power or tlhe right to
resist them. It is their own business, and they must do as they please
with their own. I believe, however, they are still resolved to preserve
their country and their liberties; and in this, in office or out of it, I am resolved to stand by tlhem. I may add, that in this purpose to save the
country and its liberties, no classes of people seem so nearly unanimous
as the soldiers in the field and the sailors afloat. Do they not have the
hardest of it? Who should quail while they do not? God bless the soldiers and sea;vlen, with all their brave commanders.
The latter part of this speech was called forth by a,urrent mislreprese:ntation of a speech made by Secretary Seward at A uburn, on the 5th of September. The Secretary
had alluded to tile declaration of the Chicago Convention
ill favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, and the
inievitable tendency of the success of the ticket nominated
upon that platform to paralyze the efforts of the Government to put down the rebellion by force of arms; and
he asked, if such a thing should happen, "who could
vouch for the safety of the country against the rebels,
during the int:erval which must elapse before the new
Admilistration can constitutionally come into power "
pllis } was distorted into a threat that if the Democratic
Calldidate should,b elected, the Administration would
take means to retain by usurpation the power which
should of right be handed over to him. And the charge
was repeated so persistently, that the President at length
felt called upon to notice it as he did.
The result of the October elections had practically
determined the result in November. But, as the time
drew near, the atmosphere seemed full of turbulent and
threatening elements. Loud and angry charges of fraud
in thie October elections were made by the Opposition, but
were not sustained; and they were succeeded by yet
louder clarl ces from the other side of an attempted fraud
in the soldie-rs' votes of the State of New York, which
were followed up by proof. Some of the Democratic
agents weret convicted of these attempted frauds, and,
after trial and conviction by a military commission, they
were sentenced to a heavy imprisonment.