almost superhuman wisdom, patience and courage so often displayed under the most trying circumstances. Whatever of discourtesy may be chargeable to the great Secretary of War in his treatment of Mr. Lincoln at Cincinnati was atoned for abundantly by the subsequent cordiality and earnest devotion which he manifested toward his chief throughout his great and disinterested service as Secretary of War. And it remained for him to immortalize the closing scene in the life of President Lincoln as he stood beside his prostrate form and bowed his head in grief as he uttered those memorable words, "Now he belongs to the ages." Mr. Harding also became a great admirer of Mr. Lincoln, and in relating the account of the Cincinnati incident he did so for the purpose of showing how both Stanton and himself had been led by Mr. Lincoln's external appearance to underestimate the man so greatly.

CHAPTER III

THE LAWYER-PRESIDENT

HE record of Mr. Lincoln while a practicing

TH

lawyer, as shown in the preceding chapter, reveals the sources of the greatness that was so manifest when he was called upon to deal with the affairs of the nation. In his work as a lawyer he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the common law and an understanding of its history and purposes. He had learned the important lesson that there are at least two sides to every controversy, that there is usually some merit on each side of every dispute. He had learned to take a comprehensive view of every question requiring his attention, to analyze every problem, to separate the true from the false, to detect and expose sophistry and present the real issue stripped of every immaterial consideration. He had acquired a knowledge of men by means of which he understood the motives which prompt and the impulses which control human action. He was familiar with the history of Anglo-Saxon liberty and the chronicles of that great struggle which gave to the English people the Great Charter and that system of jurisprudence which has been a shield against

oppression wherever the language of the common law is spoken.

His knowledge of the principles upon which the national government was founded, and of the scope and limitations of the Federal Constitution made him an expounder of that instrument no less worthy of confidence than Webster. The knowledge of men and principles which Mr. Lincoln acquired in the practice of his profession were of infinite value to him after he became President, and that knowledge was constantly applied by him in the administration of the affairs of government and contributed greatly to his fame as a statesman. The lawyer was not superseded by the executive, but both were combined in the person of the President. He was confronted with many difficult situations, but he trusted the final decision of none of them to others, but himself decided every question, whether of law or fact. His legal training enabled him to grasp the intricacies of international law and to decide correctly the most important questions arising thereunder. His modification of the answer of his great Secretary of State to the British Government in the Trent affair affords evidence of this; and throughout his state papers will be found abundant proof that every executive act had received the careful consideration of the lawyer-statesman. He carefully weighed and exam

ined all the angles of every contention which arose, whether with men or nations; and after mature reflection he never failed to arrive at conclusions which his trained judgment approved. He was not of that class of men who have won the plaudits of that great mass of citizens who concern themselves only with immediate results.

The public men who have been the recipients of the applause of this class of citizens have not been unwilling to belittle the framers of the Constitution or to disregard the limitations of that instrument, whenever, in their judgment, the immediate good has seemed to them to demand that they do so. While occupying the executive office, they have not hesitated to take upon themselves the exercise of powers granted by the Constitution to coördinate branches of the government whenever they have believed that the general welfare required it. Mr. Lincoln belonged to that other class of men who, by reason of their thorough knowledge and understanding of the limitations placed upon the executive by the Constitution, have regarded such limitations as sacred and essential to the preservation of the liberties of the people.

The greatest among the Presidents of the United States have been men of the latter class, among them Madison, John Adams, and Jefferson, each of

whom displayed distinguished ability as well as a profound knowledge of the science of government. That they were so well fitted to perform with justice and moderation the duties which devolved upon them was due, in no small degree, to their knowledge of legal principles and their experience at the bar. Each had engaged actively in the practice of law before entering public life. Washington, while not himself a member of the bar, availed himself continuously of the services of that great lawyer, Alexander Hamilton, who was always his friend and counselor, and without whose valuable assistance it is probable that the administration of the first President would not have held its present place in history.

Adams, Jefferson, and Madison were noted lawyers before the Revolution, and when called to the office of chief executive of the nation, their experience and training as lawyers were of inestimable value. So it was with Lincoln. When he became President, he carried with him into that office a ripe experience at the bar. By contact with men in all the relations of life, he had acquired skill in those elements of diplomacy which must be possessed by every successful lawyer. His knowledge of the Constitution and laws enabled him to test from the viewpoint of the trained lawyer all important measures, and made him ever cautious in the exercise