\\ V T^. CcZlt I V \ Lincoln and the Liquor Question It is not the use of a bad thing, but the abuse of a very good thing11 -LINCOLN Compiled from the Most Reliable Authorities By Robert J. Halle Published by the Literary Bureau of the National Liquor League of America LINCOLN AND THE LIQUOR QUESTION. The attempt of the Prohibitionists to make capital out of the centennial celebration of Lincoln's birthday and to divert the honor and glory due the great emancipator to their own un christian and heathenish doctrine is too serious to be allowed to pass unnoticed. The Pharisees of old who denounced Christ as a wine bibber were but the forerunners of the Pharisees of to-day who en- deaver to persuade their over-credulous adherents, that the wine that Christ made, drank, blessed, and gave as a memorial of His divine person, was nothing but pure, unfermented grape juice, are the same Pharisees that to-day are claiming Lincoln as a prohibitionist in order to cover their tattered garments, stained with corruption, deceit and dishonor, under the broad cloak of the martryred President. Lincoln has been called the "Man of Sorrow," and as the Christrlike "Man of Sorrow" of old, preached and practiced "tem perance in all things" and at all times. Both Christ and Lincoln drank moderately and abhorred drunkenness, and preached the doctrine of moral and not legal suasion for those too weak to withstand temptation. Let not the honors that are bestowed upon the great eman cipator by a grateful people show him in a wrong light on the Mahommedan doctrine of prohibition. The early history of Lincoln reveals him as a country store keeper who kept in stock and sold liquor as others did in those days. It reveals him as a moderate drinker of wines and liquors. It reveals him as a statesman voting and opposing prohibition and its twin brother, local option. It reveals him as an orator advocating temperance and opposing the false doctrine of pro hibition, declaring that the injury done by liquor did not "ARISE FROM THE USE OF A BAD THING, BUT THE ABUSE OF A VERY GOOD THING." A year ago the writer published an article in the "Champion" on "Lincoln as a Saloonkeeper," which aroused the ire of some very staunch prohibitionists who took exception to the follow ing quotation from a speech of Lincoln: "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temper ance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goea beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and in making crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles on which our government was founded.'' Mr. Alonzo E. Wilson, chairman of the Prohibition- Com mittee of Illinois, offered $50 for proof of the authority of the above passage, while the Rev. Royal W. Raymond, superintend ent of the Anti-Saloon League of the State of Washington (who has since resigned under a cloud), offered $100 reward "for the citation of any accepted authority wherein may be found the words of Abraham Lincoln," as quoted above. Mr. Raymond just now does not care what Lincoln said on any subject. This indignant protest on the part of the prohibitionists caused a general research into the Lincoln archives at Spring field which has resulted not only in the absolute proof of the truthfulness of the above quotation, but in the production of the most positive proof that Lincoln was not only a moderate drinker but an opponent of prohibition and local option. The absurd outcry of the Women's Christian Temperance Association and some ministerial organizations against the serv ing of wine at the Lincoln banquet at Springfield, the attempt of the Anti-Saloon League to make capital out of the memorial celebration by the "breaking of ground" for "a Lincoln Tem perance Memorial Building." to be used for a printing office in which their official organ, the "American Issue," is to be pub lished, is a sufficient excuse for the publishing in a concise form the facts concerning Lincoln and the prohibition question., LINCOLN DRANK MODERATELY. The prohibitionists claim that Lincoln was a total abstainer because some very eminently respectable people declare that they never sazv him drink. Lincoln did a great many things that a host of people never saw him do, but there is a cloud of witnesses who know and saw him drink among them. We quote from three of his best biographers : The Hon. John Hay, late Secretary of State, who was at one time private secretary to Lincoln, who prohibitionists delight to quote in defense of their claim. They have circulated a letter, said to be written by John Hay, in which he states that Abraham Lincoln never took a drink of "whisky." The letter, however, is most cunningly worded and even if genuine it is very inconclusive. It runs as follows : Dear Sir — Mr. Lincoln was a man of extremely temperate habits; he made no use of either whisky or tobacco during all the years that I knew him. (Signed) JOHN HAY. The impartial reader will observe that this letter is undated and the name of the person to whom it is supposed to have been sent carefully omitted; and it covers only a small period of Lincoln's life — about four or five years. The writer makes ref erence to only one kind of alcoholic beverage, viz., "whisky," although there were in Lincoln's time a score or more different kinds in common daily use. This letter therefore is not straight forward or to the point. Probably it is not authentic, though we do not actually say so. John Hay is now dead, and if he lived he would certainly make a frank denial or no denial at all. Even if this letter is admitted to be genuine it contains no proof whatever that Lincoln "never tasted any kind of alcoholic beverage." In fact, it may be considered evidence to the con trary; else why is the name of only one intoxicating beverage mentioned? The natural inference is that Lincoln drank some of "the other kinds" -to his private secretary's knowledge. Upon investigation we find that such is the case. In November, 1890, Hay wrote an article in the Century Magazine in which he makes the positive and most emphatic declaration that Abraham Lincoln was not a total abstainer, but occasionally drank a little wine. The following is a quotation from the article: "The pleasures of the table had few attractions for Lincoln. field. A portion of the ledger leaf showing Lincoln's account, he rarely took more than a biscuit and a glass of milk, a plate of fruit in season; at dinner he ate sparingly of one or two courses. He drank LITTLE or no wine; NOT THAT HE REMAINED ALWAYS ON PRINCIPLE A TOTAL AB STAINER, as he was during PART of his early life." Every just minded reader must acknowledged that the above duly authenticated sentence is good and substantial evidence that Abraham Lincoln, when President of the United States, took a drink of wine occasionally to the full knowledge of his then private secretary. Further proof that Lincoln drank has been found in the long forgotten ledger of a drug firm doing business at Spring field. A portion of the ledger leaf showing Lincoln account which we reproduce herewith. Abraham Lincoln for many years had an account at the drug store of Corneau & Diller, located on the east side of the public square, in Springfield, 111. The junior member of the firm, Mr. R. W. Diller, was one of the popular characters of the day and the drug store was the social center for all the ' JO /.Mr* Mu^&fc^ // '<><> fa, . U&Mt. ' &> at • jr ^Pasr«frtrr-,to /ty- JO §., /&. , >- ^///Zr<,~f/3#- yo x | ft »4*dA,J,*f/ fjr to 5s /j ^Smj/aJrffip^/o^t /¦?' t Jo Fac Simile of the Leaf from the Ledger of Corneau & Diller,. Druggists, of Springfield, 111. local celebrities. It was at the Diller drug store that Abraham- Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas often met and exchanged stories. Mr. Corneau retired from the firm and the business was conducted by Mr. Diller until a comparatively recent date. In 1905, the business having passed to the firm of Hoy & James, there was discovered an old ledger containing the account of Abraham Lincoln from 1849 t0 I853, inclusive. The first entry in Lincoln's account was made August 10, 1849. Up to 1853 the account does not specify the articles purchased, the charge being entered simply as "merchandise." The page reproduced ' is a part of the account of 1853 : Mr. Whitney, who was one of Lincoln's lawyer-partners at Springfield, 111., is the author of a book entitled, "Life on Circuit with Lincoln." It was published in Boston in 1892,- and may be found in any public library. On page 157 the following para graph appears : "Once I remember, several of us drove out to the residence of Reason Hooten near Danville, 111., where we were treated to SEVERAL VARIETIES of home-made wine. A mere sip of each affected Lincoln, and he said, 'Fellers, I am getting drunk.' That was the nearest approach to inebriety I ever saw in him." The plain meaning of this paragraph is that Abraham Lin coln, when he was a lawyer did, once upon a time, indulge in a glass of good liquor and actually became a "little elevated." Mr. Whitney's evidence on this point is conclusive, and he knew Lincoln personally and intimately for a long period. It will be observed that Lincoln, "sipped several varieties of wine," a thing which of course no true total abstainer would do; but then Lincoln was not a total abstainer. Colonel Ward Hill Lamon was at one time Major Domo at the White House and United States Marshal of the District of Co lumbia during the Lincoln administration. Before that he had been intimately associated with Lincoln as his law partner and bosom friend. Lincoln was in the habit of telling Colonel Lamon about his early life, his struggles, trials, adventures and habits. It was only natural, therefore, for Colonel Lamon to become, one of his friend's best biographers. In 1872 he published a "Life of Abraham Lincoln" — a volume of over 600 pages. (Os good & Co., Boston.) Upon page 80 the following sentence may be read: "In those days Abe (then a young man), as usual, is de scribed as being funny, jokey, full of yarns, stories, rigs, as being tall and green, frequently quoting poetry and reciting prose-like orations. They had their own amusements. Abe (who was the camp cook while boat building) extracted a good deal of fun out of the cooking and TOOK HIS DRAM WHEN ASKED TO, and played 'seven-up' at night, at which he made a good game." Does not this paragraph contain an emphatic declaration that Lincoln "TOOK A DRAM?" A "dram" means a glass of whisky, rum, gin, or brandy, which judging from his drug store bill must have been his favorite tipple. The same historian, on page 65 of the work referred to, de scribes a fight which Lincoln broke up. He says : During the time Lincoln lived at Gentryville he seems to have spent his spare time in writing very bad doggerel containing sar castic, ironic allusions to some of his neighbors ; this resulted in a fist fight between one of the men who had been slandered and John Johnston, who was Abraham Lincoln's step-brother. Johnston appeared to be getting the worst of it, when Lincoln, "bursting out of the crowd, seized Grigsby by the heels and flung him off. Having righted John, and cleared the battle ground of all opponents, 'he swung a whisky bottle over his head, and swore that he was the 'big buck of the lick.' " Herndon and Weik, on page 44, refer to this incident in the following language: "There he stood, proud as Lucifer, and, swinging a bottle of liquor over his head, swore he was 'the big buck of the lick.' 'If anyone doubts it,' he shouted, 'he has only to come on and whet his horns.' " Isn't that a dainty dish to set before a prohibitionist? Mr. Foster, a lawyer, of Peoria, 111., in an interview in the Chicago Tribune declared he saw Lincoln drink whisky several times in a law office in Bloomington, where Mr. Foster was a law student in 185 1. The law firm was Rogers & Leeming. Mr. Leeming was afterwards a master in chancery in Chicago. He died a few years ago. "I saw Lincoln drink more than one time and more than one day, and saw him drink whisky that had been given him by my preceptor, Mr. Rogers. "I don't believe Mr. Leeming ever saw Lincoln drink, for Rogers and Lincoln were close together and generally came to the office by themselves, had their quiet little drink, then sat down and talked about the day's work for a long while. "Lincoln would come up from his home on law business when court was in session, and after a hard day's work he would come over to our office with Mr. Rogers, who would get the jug of whisky, pour out a generous drink for Mr. Lincoln and one for himself, and then drink it right before me. I was 19 years old, and considered too young to drink, and so was 9 not asked. They generally had but the one drink, but on un usual occasions would take a second glass, smaller than the first one. "Abraham Lincoln was a temperate man, but he would take a drink of whisky with a personal friend when he felt, its need. I have seen him drink whisky under such conditions. He did not use tobacco." C. H. Smith, 266 31st street, Chicago, who was sutler for a Wisconsin regiment throughout the war, offers "circumstan tial evidence" that President Lincoln drank claret: "Lincoln visited our regimental headquarters with Secretary of Ward Seward. I had five cases of claret in my stores, and this wine was used for entertainment of the party. I can't say that Mr. Lincoln really drank any of the wine, but others who were in the tent said he did. I only know that I never got back any of the wine." Further proof, if necessary, could be furnished, but even the most skeptical must admit that Lincoln was a moderate drinker. LINCOLN KEPT A SALOON. In McClure's Magazine for February, 1896, page 220, ap pears the fac simile of the tavern license issued to Lincoln and his partner March 6, 1853, which we produce herewith. Some of the clerical prohibitionists have ' declared this to be a "fake," but we give herewith a fac simile of the certificate from the County Clerk of Sangamon County to the effect that it is abso lutely on record in his office. The following is the form of the license and the bond that was used in those day : THE LICENSE GIVEN TO LINCOLN. Ordered that William F. Berry, in the name of Berry and Lincoln, have a license to keep a tavern in New Salem, to con tinue twelve months from this date, and that they pay one dollar in addition to the six dollars heretofore paid as per Treasurer's receipt, and that they be allowed the following rates, viz. : Franch brandy, per half pint 25 Peach brandy, per half pint i8j4 Apple brandy, per half pint 12 Holland gin, per half pint 18^4 Domestic gin, per half pint 12^ Wine, per half pint 25 Rum, per half pint J&H Whisky, per half pint i2/^ 10 gf'iynfyT«-