INDEPENDENT COUNCIL, No. 10, O. of U. A. M. At a stated meeting of the above Council, held May 15th, 1865, the following Preamble and Resolutions were unanimously adopted: WHEREAS, We have learned with profound regret the dastardly and traitorous assassination of our beloved Chief Magistrate, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, at an hour when the nation was rejoicing over successive victories, of an early peace, and the hope of a glorious future for the Union, and when, after four years of mild and gentle governing, he had gained the love and confidence of all true and loyal people; and, whereas, by his death we are deprived of the services of a great and good man, who, by his clear judgment, simplicity, kindness, patriotism, honesty of purpose, goodness of heart, combined with other principles, eminently fitted him to administer the affairs of the nation; and, whereas, the noble character of the departed, the many virtues of his public and private life, the disinterested devotion manifested by him in all his acts to the cause of human freedom and equal rights to all mankind, and the sincere and whole souled consecration of himself to the mighty task of preserving our glorious Union to us and posterity, do well deserve the heartfelt acknowledgement of a grateful people; Therefore, be it Resolved, That we mingle our humble regret with the tears af all loyal people throughout our land in this sad stroke of Divine dispensation, and bowing as we do to the will of Him who doeth all things well, we hope this bereavement may be tempered for our national good, Resolved, That in our late President we recognize one, whose purity of life, exalted patriotism, and integrity of purpose, with a heart ever flowing with the milk of human kindness, had won for himself the affections of all true friends of civilization and progress, and has secured a place in our hearts equal to that held by the Father of his Country; WASHINGTON being the Saviour of our Country, and ABRAHAM LINCOLN its Redeemer. Resolved, That we honor the name of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, our twice elected President, and will ever revere it as that of a pure and unselfish patriot, a wise and sagacious leader and administrator of our country in its weakness and want of preparation for the crisis then upon it, and who with nothing but his firm heart and good purpose under God to rely upon, by the spirit and power of his administration, brought the country to a position of strength from which we may look with confidence over the entire domain of the nation and feel assured that it will soon be reclaimed to Concord, Union and Universal Freedom. Resolved, That we sincerely regret that he was cut off ere his labors were crowned with complete success, and the country free and united, enjoying the blessings of a permanent peace. Resolved, That treason, whether armed or unarmed, should be punished, and righteous retribution visited thereon, in vindication of the dignity, power, and justice of the Government. Resolved, That we deem the assassination of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the legitimate fruit of the secession sympathies of disloyal men and women in our midst, and we believe the time has come when all such base ingrates should be held to a strict accountability for their sentiments. Resolved, That we will ever cherish his memory with grateful and lasting remembrance, having always regarded him as the Father of the people, and the true representative of all that was noble and manly in the American character, and one of the noblest works of God, an honest man. Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the family of our much beloved and now deceased President in their affliction, prayerfully commending them to the great God of all grace and comfort. Resolved, That our Council Chamber be shrouded in mourning for the space of six months, and that a copy of the foregoing Preamble and Resolutions be transmitted to the State Council, and entered upon our minutes. VIGILANT COUNCIL, At a stated meeting of the above Council, held May 16th, 1865, the following Preamble and Resolutions were adopted: WHEREAS, The nation has sustained the loss of a Father, in our late President, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who sacrificed his life for the love of his country and liberty; and, whereas, the noble character of the departed, the many virtues of his public and private life, and the sincere devotion he has shown for the preservation of his country, that the blessings of a united and prosperous nation might be bestowed upon the present and future generations; Therefore, be it Resolved, That it is due us as a patriotic American Organization, to express our heartfelt sorrow and regret at the sudden demise, feeling that we have been deprived of a benefactor and upholder of the cause of human liberty. Resolved, That by the death of our late and beloved President, the country has sustained an irreparable loss; the nation has lost a brilliant star, but whose shadow yet guides the nation in safety in the hour of its darkness and gloom. Resolved, That the Order, by his untimely death, has been deprived of one who should have properly been considered as one of its number; one, who but a few years ago, was humble and unknown to the people, and was enabled by the great institutions of our country, freedom and protection, the guiding star of the Order, the great bulwark against aristocracy, to rise, by his honest perseverance and merit, to the first position in the gift of the American people. Resolved, That the great work of our Order, the advancement of our countrymen from the humblest to the highest in the nation, has been practically determined and settled. Resolved, That the examples taught us by our lamented martyred President, are too noble and glorious to be forgotten, and that it is our duty to perpetuate his memory in some suitable manner. Resolved, That we do most sincerely sympathize with the widow and family of the deceased and beloved President in their sudden and sad bereavement. Resolved, That ANDREW JOHNSON, our noble President, deserves all praise and honor for his determination, perseverance and integrity. He, like his illustrious predecessor, having raised himself from among the rank of his fellow-citizens, and that we welcome him as our President, with an assurance of his fidelity, feeling satisfied that he has the good of his country at heart, and that he is with us in the great cause of our protection. Resolved, That a copy of the forgoing preamble and resolutions be forwarded to the family of the deceased Patriot. THOS. S. PAIST, DAVID M. ALBRIGHT, WILLIAM H. MICHAEL, Committee. WILLIAM R. SALLADA. COLUMBIA COUNCIL, At a regular stated meeting of the above Council, held May 19th, 1865, the following Preamble and Resolutions were adopted: WHEREAS, The Almighty Ruler of the Universe has seen fit, in His Providence, to remove ABRAHAM LINCOLN, our great and good President, from among us, not by a lingering sickness, but by the cowardly hand of a black-hearted assassin, whilst in the full flush of glory acquired by an honest and patriotic devotion to the cause of his country during four years of bloody and causeless rebellion; and, whereas, it becomes us, in common with all true, loyal and patriotic associations throughout the length and breadth of our land, to give an expression of our detestation and horror of the crime, as well as our sympathy to his stricken and bereaved family; Therefore, be it Resolved, That his purity and honest integrity of heart, his untiring devotion to the best interests of his country, during the past four years of unparalleled and gigantic rebellion, his firm determination of purpose to hand down the institutions founded by our fore-fathers to posterity, intact, undivided, and entire, entitle him to the respect and admiration of his own country and the civilized world. Resolved, That we will ever cherish him in our memories, as the first patriot and martyr of his age; worthy to be ranked with the illustrious founders of the nation, who, with WASHINGTON at their head, wrenched these States from the hands of a foreign despot, and gave the priceless boon of liberty to a persecuted people; believing, that as WASHINGTON was the Father and Founder, so LINCOLN was the Preserver and Saviour of the Republic. |