was in Washington before his
inauguration, men over the country were betting that he would never be
inaugurated. March 4, 1861, dawned in bright sunshine. At noon the aged
Buchanan called upon Lincoln to escort him to the Capital, there to
place upon the shoulders of the great Westerner the burden which had
been too heavy for the infirm old diplomat. Together they drove down
Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol where the ceremony was held in the
east portico. Distinguished officials were there, but the crowd was
small, because of the rumors of tragedy--and the aged Commander Scott
had posted troops with instructions, "if any of them raise their heads
or show a finger, shoot to kill."

The moment came for the new President to take the oath of office.
Lincoln, attired in clothes obviously new, was plainly embarrassed, and
stood for an awkward moment holding his high hat in one hand and in the
other a gold-headed ebony stick. Douglas, his old rival, stepped
promptly forward with delightful grace and relieved him of hat and cane
and held them for him--a beautiful incident the significance of which
was long remembered. Senator Baker of Oregon--one of his old Springfield
friends--formally presented him, and after he had read his address, the
aged Chief Justice Taney, who had written the Dred Scott Decision,
administered the oath of office.

His address, for which the nation had long been waiting, was read
distinctly, so that all could hear--hear him say that "misunderstandings
had caused differences;"--disavow any intentions to interfere with the
existing institution of slavery, and even declare himself in favor of a
new fugitive slave law. But concerning the Union he was firm. He clearly
put the Union above any issue concerning slavery. He said: "The Union of
these States is perpetual.... No state upon its own mere motion can
lawfully get out of the Union.... I shall take care, as the Constitution
itself expressly enjoins me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully
executed in all of the States," and he was determined "to hold, occupy,
and possess the property and places belonging to the Government and to
collect the duties and imposts." And he closed with the beautiful
peroration founded upon one of Seward's suggestions: "I am loathe to
close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must not break the bonds of our affection.
The mystic chords of memory, stretching from