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Harbert,Mich. Sept. 21, 38.
Dear Mr. President
MW
Shortly after Lincoln's assassination,
you may be interested to know, one J. W. Phelps wrote to
Senator Charles Summer that in his opinion it was Lincoln's
carelessness about his personal guards that resulted in the
assassin's success. That point is minor. But in connection
with it Phelps wrote of Lincoln:
"His goodness, benevolence, and magnanimity were
as much out of place at the head of a people so
truculently cunning as we are, as would be a human
head upon a snake's body."
Of course, as a verbal cartoon and metaphor it was not
true and correct, but for grand vehemence in the American
style, it has something surpassing Gen. William Tecumse h
Sherman five weeks later: "Washington is as corrupt as
Hell, made so by the looseness and extravagance of the
war. I will avoid it as a pest house."
So you see there have been other vehe-
ment times in this country.
Yours as always
Part Sandburg
Will Bill 4 before of
erus attached
Document source description
Original Exhibition Caption: Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg admired FDR and saw important parallels between him and President Lincoln. He wrote this supportive letter at a time when Roosevelt was facing growing criticism over his economic policies. Two years later, during the 1940 presidential campaign, Sandburg delivered a speech titled "What Lincoln Would Have Done," in which he concluded that Lincoln would have been a New Dealer.
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"ocrText": "3\nHarbert,Mich. Sept. 21, 38.\nDear Mr. President\nMW\nShortly after Lincoln's assassination,\nyou may be interested to know, one J. W. Phelps wrote to\nSenator Charles Summer that in his opinion it was Lincoln's\ncarelessness about his personal guards that resulted in the\nassassin's success. That point is minor. But in connection\nwith it Phelps wrote of Lincoln:\n\"His goodness, benevolence, and magnanimity were\nas much out of place at the head of a people so\ntruculently cunning as we are, as would be a human\nhead upon a snake's body.\"\nOf course, as a verbal cartoon and metaphor it was not\ntrue and correct, but for grand vehemence in the American\nstyle, it has something surpassing Gen. William Tecumse h\nSherman five weeks later: \"Washington is as corrupt as\nHell, made so by the looseness and extravagance of the\nwar. I will avoid it as a pest house.\"\nSo you see there have been other vehe-\nment times in this country.\nYours as always\nPart Sandburg\nWill Bill 4 before of\nerus attached"
}