The Shut Mouth Society Read Online Free PDF

debates, the powers that be still considered him a regional politician of mediocre note. This was his chance to make his mark among the political elite in the media capital of the country.”
    “ Wait a minute. New York City was a media center back then?”
    “ Even more than today. Except for a few Boston publications, all the national magazines and important newspapers came from New York. In fact, sitting onstage with Lincoln was Horace Greeley, publisher of—”
    “‘ Go West, young man’?” Evarts had to suddenly brake and kept his eyes on the rearview mirror to make sure he didn’t get rear-ended.
    Baldwin’s hand leaped to the dashboard for support. When a possible fender-bender had been avoided, she continued in an even voice. “In his time, Greeley was famous for more than a single quip. He published and edited the New York Tribune , the most influential newspaper in the nation.” The traffic opened up a bit and she shifted in her seat to face him more directly. “Back to the speech. Lincoln was only one in a series of politicians invited to speak in the run-up to the Republican convention. No one expected anything eloquent from a man renowned for his homespun yarns and humorous stories, but Lincoln gave what today we would call a presidential address. It was masterful. The speech not only impressed the sophisticated New York audience, but it also read well in newspapers. You have to know Lincoln to understand what a feat that was.”
    “ Explain.”
    “ Well, Lincoln was a highly animated speaker. He looked like a rube, but once he got going, he mesmerized an audience. They interrupted his speech numerous times with cheers or laughter, but Lincoln told no jokes, no stories. That night, he captured his audience with repetition, tone of voice, and facial expressions. He knew every laugh line and played them with the timing of a modern-day stand-up comic. Those types of speeches normally don’t read well in print, but he had carefully crafted it for both audiences.”
    Evarts had to brake again. Not hard this time, but firm enough to irritate him. He hated the fitful nature of California freeway traffic. Why couldn’t drivers pay enough attention to drive smoothly? Too many cell phones, radio station changes, and other activities he didn’t even want to contemplate.
    When once more in the clear, he said, “That doesn’t sound like the morose man that’s been eulogized in marble. Wasn’t he an accidental president?”
    “ Hardly. Lincoln was undoubtedly one of the greatest speakers in history, but he was also a wily politician. There was nothing accidental about his presidency … or his reelection in 1864.”
    “ You sound like you admire him.”
    “ I do.”
    “ It didn’t sound like it during your lecture.”
    “ A man must be judged in his times. Lincoln held the Union together and despite his instincts, eliminated slavery. The man was human, not a saint. Lincoln by any measure was a racist. He also violated the Constitution to such an extent that he should’ve been impeached.”
    Evarts felt himself get irritated, not at the traffic this time, but at the professor’s comments. “How so?” he asked.
    “ He suspended habeas corpus, arrested newspaper editors, jailed Northerners without hearings or trials, bypassed Congress, ignored the Supreme Court, and even arrested a member of Congress. He justified these violations as part of the Executive’s War Powers and claimed that he violated the Constitution for the sole purpose of protecting it.”
    “ If he had lost the war, there’d be no Constitution.”
    “ That’s debatable. The Constitution of the Confederate States of America wasn’t that different from the Constitution drafted in 1787.”
    Evarts felt Lincoln still had a sworn duty to win the war, but he didn’t want to start another argument, so he let the subject drop.
    He took Highway 126 toward Santa Paula. Evarts liked this drive. As soon as they exited the busy freeway,