was ever before him as an actual
presence. On the 11th of February, 1861, he said, in Indianapolis,
"Of the people when they rise in mass in behalf of the Union and the
liberties of their country, it may be said, 'The gates of hell shall
not prevail against them,'" and again, "I appeal to you to constantly
bear in mind that with you, and not with politicians, not with the
President, not with office-seekers, but _with you_ rests the
question, Shall the Union and shall the liberties of this country be
preserved to the latest generation?" Again, on that memorable journey
to Washington, he said, "It is with you, the people, to advance the
great cause of the Union and the Constitution." "I am sure I bring a
true heart to the work. For the ability to perform it, I must trust
in that Supreme Being who has never foresaken this favored land,
through the instrumentality of this great and intelligent people." In
his first Inaugural he said: "This country, with its institutions,
belongs to the people who inhabit it." "The Chief Magistrate derives
all his authority from the people." "Why should there not be a
patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there
any better or any equal hope in the world?"

These sentences were utterances of a faith within him. In the people
he had faith. He saw them only lower than the King of kings, and they
were to be trusted and obeyed.

Yet this man who thus trusted and honored the people, who so
reverenced their authority, and bowed before their majesty, has been
called "tyrant," "usurper," by men who now would make the world
forget their infamy by putting on badges of woe, and who seek to wash
out the record of their slander by such tears as crocodiles shed! Out
upon the miserable dissemblers!

When the people had spoken, he bowed to their mandate. When it
became necessary to anticipate their decision, he did so, calmly
trusting their integrity and intelligence. He considered their wishes
in the constitution of his cabinet, in the choice of military
commanders, in the appointment of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of the United States, and in the measures he recommended to Congress.

The people proved worthy of the trust. They promptly took every loan
asked for the relief of the treasury and sustained the national
credit. They answered all his calls for men. They sprang into the
ranks, shouting

"We are coming, Father Abraham."

They cheerfully laid down life at hi