Lincoln Lore Bulletin of &.he Louia A. Wurren Lincoln l..ibrnry und Museum. Mark E. N~ly, Jr .. Jo:dilor. May, 1980 Mary Jane Hubler, Editorial A~tsiatont. Publh1hed each month by the Number 1707 Lincoln Na&iona1 Uf(lln.suranceCompnny, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801. A Progressive Admiration: Th eodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln The PtOKressive Era was a great period for American party, a penchant for trying to help the common mao, and a historical writing. The two most learned Presidents since keen inteftst in Abraham Lincoln. Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, occupied Roosevelt's view of Uncoln changed wilh time. Before the !he White HouM in !his age of reform. Bolh men were tum of!he century, his admiration of!he Sixteenth President histonans. The historical discipline was becoming more was conventional for a budding Republican politician with a professionalized •very day. With &.be deaths of the Mnse of history. ROO$evelt considered slavery "o grossly contemporary writers who knew Abraham Lincoln anachronistic: and un-American form of evil;' and he personally- William H. Herndon, Ward Hill Lamon.lsaac noturally admired the man who ended it.. He hal<!d "!he N. Arnold, John G. Nicolay, and John Hay - Lincoln professional Abolitionists." They were the sort of people who scholarship was becoming more critical and objective. One of always agitated about something and, in the ease ofslavery, !he maswrpieces of Lincoln literature, Lord Charnwood's they happened for once to be correct.. Roosevelt thought that biography, appeared near the end of the era. A Republican the ultimate extinction of slavery had been o eertainty, but it and Progressive, Albert J. Beveridge, would soon bring might have taken another hundred years without the Civil writing on Lincoln into the mainstream of profes~ionul War. In sum, he liked Lincoln's moderation. historical scholon~hip. Around the time of the Spanish·Amcrican War, when The greawst spur to the study of Uncoln in this period was Roosevelt was AS<Iistant Secretary of the Navy, he had a the celebration of the centen· rather 11peciol interpretation of nial of his birth in 1909. To this Uncoln's life. "I feel that in factor, one must surely add this age we do well to Theodore Roosevelt's inwrest remember." Roosevelt told the in the life of the Sixteenth Repubhcan Club of New York Pres1dent. It was a lifelong on Uncoln'e Birthday in 1898, intereat inherattd from his " ... !hat Abraham Uncoln, father. Although Theodore who prized the material Roosevelt, Sr., hod married into prooperity of his country so a Georgia slaveholding much, prited her honor even family, he wo& an ardent. more, !hot he wao willing to Republican. Heopparently met jeopardize for o moment the the President ond Mrs. Uncoln material welfare of our citizens while he was in Washington in that in the long run her honor 1862, working to establish a might be established." A syswm whereby allotments for jingoist critique of men who soldiers' families could be valued the stock market more deducl<!d from their pay before than the notional honor all !he money went into the followed ond wes aimed at the hands of corrupt sutlers ond many businessmen who had liquor peddler&. The elder little enthusiasm for American Roosevelt served on the United imperialism. States Allotment Commission Early in Rooaevelt's career. in New York and performed Uncoln appears to have been considerable work for the his second choice among common soldiel'8 and their historical heroes. George families. Heltnew Nicolay and Washington was, "not even Hay well. excepting Uncoln, the very Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., gTeatetlt man of modem times,•• though a younlf man during the Roosevelt told Henry Cabot Civil War, chose to hire o Lodge in 1884. Almost a decade substitute for his army service later, he was still describing rather than to enlist. Some Washington as !he "greatest of have speculated thot his son Americans" and an exemplar later exhibiwd great zeal for of thcaortofnotional greatness combat out of embarrassment forged by "fefits of hardihood, at his father's course during !he of daring, and of bodily war. The father certainly prowess.'' Hunting in his youth innuenced the son in more hod mode Weshington 8 great direct ways. Prom his father, From tit.- J..o,.,, A. Wor""' mnn. Ltrtcoln L..bruytJrJd M~.~Mum the future President gained an Lot<r in his life, Roosevelt odmiration for the Republican FIGURE 1. Theodore Roosevelt. woo careful to link the two 2 LINCOLN LORE men·a names an public uueranees~ He referred always to not the master or America. and he legitamited his radical ..the two greateat statesmen thi.s country bas ever had.'' Ht doctrine by quoting from Lincoln'• first annual message to never smd pubhcly that he preferred the one or the other. Like ConlfTCSS: his friend Henry Cabot Lodge. Roosevelt was also a great Labor is prior to. and independent of, capital. Capital is admaru of Alexnnder Hamilton, but H81Dilton was for too only the fruitoflabor, nod could never have existed iflabor anti-democratic in political sentiment to be very quotable by had not fust existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and an active politician. Roosevell-t however. professed t.o see a lot deserves much the higher consideration. of Hamiltonian Federnlisim in Lincoln: At the Lincoln birthday bonqutt of the Republican Club of HeiLancoln) seized- half unwittingly- all that was New York in 19ti,Rooseveltspokeon "Abr&ham Lincoln and best and wisest in the tradition of Federalism; he was the Progressive Democracy." He wos no longer Cf:lebrating the true successor of the Federalist leaders; but he grafted on moderate President. Lincoln, who hod mediated between the their syst~m a profound belief that the great heart of the extremists during the Civil War. Now he hailed Lincoln for nation bent for truth, honor, and liberty. meeting "the problems of the present, not by refusing to use Roosevelt despised Thomas Jefferson. He thought "the other methods than thosethothod oolved the problems of the worship of Jefferson a discredit" to his country, and the more post, but by using the new method• nocessary in order that he studied Jefferson, the more profoundly be distTui!ted him. the old principles could be applied to the new needs." This He wae .. the most incapable executive that ever fiHed the progressivism, Roosevelt in&i8ted. mode Lincoln "the real presidential chuar," but he "did thoroughly beheve an the heir of George Washington.'' people, just os Abraham Lincoln did." For n man who Roosevelt still could not mu8Ut ony enthusiasm for detested Jefferson. Lincoln was a crucial link to America'• Thomas Jefferson, who inspired other liberal reformers in libeml tmdilion. The more liberal and reform·mindtd this era. Roosevelt grew. the more interested he became in Lincoln. The founders ofour Government. the men who made the Neither the conservative Hamilton nor the bland Washangton Constitution and who signed the Declaration of could supply that vital impulse. Independence, tended to divide into two groups, those As early as 1885. Roosevelt critized a Supreme Court under Hamilton, who believed in n strong and efficient decision which favored conservative interests by refemng to government. but who distrusted the people; and those Lincoln's critique of the Ored Scott decision. Most often, under Jefferson. who did not believe in a strong or efficient however. it was Lincoln's practicality and moderation which government, but who in a certain sense did trust the people appeuled to Roosevelt. In 1900 he told a correspondent that. - although it was really distrust of them to keep the even though Lincoln was one of the two greatest Americans. government weak. And therefore for decodes we oscillated he hod mode mistakes. Appointing Simon Cameron 08 between the two tendencies. a nd could not develop the Secretary of Wor ond making General Ambrose E. Burnside genuine strength that o democracy should have until commonder of the Army of the Potomac were big mistakes, Abraham Lincoln arose. until he nnd the men with him but t.incoln hod to work with the materials at band to achieve founded the Republican party on the union ofthe two ideas his goals. He could not. for example, accomplish anything by of combining efficient govemmento.l force with genuine ignoring Cameron's innuence in Pennsylvanja ...1( Lincoln ond whole-hearted trust in the people. had not consistently combined the ideal and the practicable," Roosevelt supported increaoingly libeml reform ideas, Roosevelt concluded ...the war for the union would have including the recall of judicial decis•ons. In criticizing the failed. and we would now be split in half a dozen confeder­ Supreme Court. the ex·Preaident lnvoked Lincoln·s acies." denunciation of the Supreme Court of Roger B. Taney and the When. as President of the United States. Roosevelt faced a Dred Scott decision. Roosevelt repeatedly linked his New serious anthracite coal strike in 1902. he recalled resdin11 Nationalism and his third·party candidocy for the Nicolay and Hay's histOry of the Lincoln administmtion and Presidency on the Progressive ticket with the heritage of took inopiration from their depiction of the Sixteenth Abraham Lincoln. President no o resolute man badgered by contradictory advice All this was too much for the living link to the Sixteenth from extremists on both sides. What Roosevelt liked best Prei!ident, Robert Todd Lincoln, to swallow. Though he rarely about Lincoln in this period of his life was hi s strong enl(aged in public disputes over the meaning of his father's conception of the Presidential office. Roosevelt hod "a life, Robert, a Taft Republican. felt thut he had to answer definite philo110phy about the Presidency," he told llenry Theodore Roosevelt.