ON LINCOLN AND CIVIL WAR

"Lincoln and Some Phases of the Civil War" was the subject of the oration of James Ford Rhodes at the literary exercises of the Harvard Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Sanders Theatre yesterday morning. Mr. Rhodes prefaced his specific comments by saying that Lincoln was not as faultless as he seems to some of us, but that one need not hesitate to point out his short-comings, knowing that his virtues will swing the balance far in his favor.

Mr. Rhodes took up his subject with the beginning of hostilities at Fort Sumter. He emphasized the great needs of the North at the time--men, munitions, money and diplomacy, especially the latter. England was against slavery, but she was also very much in need of cotton and opposed to the United States tariffs; and the problem of keeping England neutral was one of the hardest faced by the Administration. The policy of Seward, secretary of State, seemed to be to embroil the United States abroad, hoping thereby to bring about a reunion at home. Troubled by the actions of his chief minister, Lincoln was plunged into deeper difficulties by the Trent Affair, where Captain Wilks of the United States Navy boarded the British ship "Trent" and took off Mason and Slidell, Confederate commissioners to England. This inexcusable act aroused great enthusiasm in America, and Lincoln made his first bad mistake by giving in to public opinion and not immediately sending the commissioners to England. The final result of the affair was that England made a formal demand, which was complied with--a blow to American prestige. In spite of this and other minor errors, Lincoln managed to keep the war confined to this continent, which to the his-toian seems a marvel.

Lincoln's Military Mistakes.

Lincoln's chief mistakes were in the military line. His lack of victories, in a great part of the war made his political and diplomatic situation very difficult at times. Early in the struggle he thought of a plan for reimbursing the Southern States with United States bonds if they would declare peace and give up their slaves. But the defeats of the North at this time made the bonds practically worthless, and few believed in their recuperative powers. When finally Lincoln decided upon the emancipation of slaves by declaration, he did it as a military measure, to hinder the effective use the South was making of black labor in auxiliary departments of warfare. Seward opposed the proclamation, saying that the world would regard it as the last cry of a defeated nation. Lincoln accepted the criticism in part, deciding to defer the issuing of the problamation until after a victory. His opportunity came at Antietam, and in September, 1862, the proclamation was issued.

Dark Days After Antietam.

After Antietam followed another long series of defeats for the North. These were accounted for in part by Lincoln's bad judgment in picking his lieutenant's McClellan and Hooker demonstrated their inadequacy to the people long before the President realized it. Finally, Hooker's resignation gave Mead a chance, and with the battle of Gettysburg the North began to cheer up again. Grant also rose to power and fame though ill thought of at first through lack of success and his victories at Vicksburg and Chattannooga added glory to the Administration. Throughout the war the situation of the leaders in the government depended greatly on the victories in the field, and only a startling series of successes carried Lincoln through his second campaign for the presidency.

Troubles at Close of War.

Three other phases of the war were touched on by Mr. Rhodes. He spoke a little of the finances of the country in 1864, and of the "debauch of flat money." He also dealt on Lincoln's unfriendly relations with Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, and the latter's withdrawal and subsequent appointment as Cheif Justice of the Supreme Court. And finally he considered Lincoln's high-minded plan of 1864: of paying to the slave states four million dollars for the giving up of their slaves, and the formation of peace. But there was no one else in the government fine enough to take the President's stand, and his plan could not be carried out.

In closing, Mr. Rhodes called the attention of his audience to the courage, honor and human sympathy of "the most American of Americans" as James Russell Lowell has called him. Caesar may be called the mighty Caesar. Lincoln cannot well be called mighty, in the same sense, but the term "Honest Abe" expresses the opinion and feelings of his countrymen