Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part IV, Appendix to diplomatic correspondence of 1865; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, late president of the United States of America, and the attempted assassination of William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and Frederick W. Seward, Assistant Secretary, on the evening of the 14th of April, 1865; expressions of condolence and sympathy inspired by these events

Council No. 30 Union League of the State, Orange, New Jersey

Orange, Essex County, New Jersey,
April 22, 1865.

At a meeting of Council No. 30, Union League, of the State of New Jersey, held at their room last evening, the 21st April, 1865, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted:

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to remove by death Abraham Lincoln, late President of these United States of America, and an honored member of the League;

And whereas the circumstances attending his sudden decease are startling and appalling beyond all precedent, it becomes us as loyal citizens to express our feelings and sentiments on this momentous occasion: Be it

Resolved, That we bow in humble submission to that Infinite Wisdom which has so suddenly removed the beloved and noble head of this mighty nation, and while heart-stricken ourselves, tender our respectful sympathies to the afflicted family of the deceased.

Resolved, That in this dastardly act of an assassin, as in the attempt upon the life of the honored Secretary of State and family, we recognize the same infernal malignity which inaugurated the rebellion, and has made Fort Pillow, Belle Isle Libby prison, Andersonville, Danville, and Salisbury the synonyms of “hellsupon earth” among the civilized nations of the world.

Resolved, That to Andrew Johnson, the executive head of this nation, we pledge our firm, united, and loyal support in all places, and under all circumstances, to the end that this rebellion be annihilated, and the Union be preserved.

Resolved, That in the eloquent and almost inspired words of our martyred President, “With malice towards none, and with charity for all,” we still do most fully recognize the practical truth of the hour, that “Mercy to traitors is cruelty to the state,” and that in the grandest sense, this nation lives not to itself alone in the mighty sacrifice it has laid upon the altar of freedom, but its example and success shall be the assurance of hope to every down-trodden, suffering nationality of the earth.

• SAMUEL D. BACCHUS, President.
• JAMES D. BYERTY, Vice-President.
• ALFRED F. MUNN, Secretary.