Abraham Lincoln was as little of a
tyrant as any man who ever lived. He could have been a tyrant
had he pleased, but he never uttered so much as an
ill-natured speech.... In all America there was, perhaps, not
one man who less deserved to be the victim of this revolution
than he who has just fallen[1296]."
The Ministry did not wait for public pressure. Immediately on receipt
of the news, motions were made, April 27, in both Lords and Commons for
an address to the Queen, to be debated "Monday next," expressing "sorrow
and indignation" at the assassination of Lincoln[1297]. April 28,
Russell instructed Bruce to express at Washington that "the Government,
the Parliament, and the Nation are affected by a unanimous feeling of
abhorrence of the criminals guilty of these cowardly and atrocious
crimes, and sympathy for the Government and People of the United
States[1298]...." Russell wrote here of both Lincoln and Seward. The
Queen wrote a personal letter of sympathy to Mrs. Lincoln. Already Bruce
had written from Washington that Lincoln "was the only friend of the
South in his party[1299]," and he was extremely anxious that Seward's
recovery might be hastened, fearing the possibility of Sumner's
assumption of the Secretaryship of State. "We miss terribly the
comparative moderation of Lincoln and Seward[1300].
Pages:
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879