Hon. H. B. W. Johnson, Secretary of State
Whereas the honorable Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States of America, a ruler ordained of Heaven, has, by the ruthless hand of the assassin, been removed from his sphere of usefulness in this life; and
Whereas in the death of that great chief the American nation has sustained a severe loss, in which the interests of nations, as well as those of mankind generally, have participated; and
Whereas the government and people of the republic of Liberia, which is legitimately an offspring of the great American republic, fostered during the period of its colonial growth by a society of American citizens, and recently greatly favored and sustained by the United States government, recognized in the late President of the United States one who utterly abhorred slavery—a friend of the negro race and a promoter of the interests of Liberia; and
Whereas, by the sudden and lamentable death of this great ruler, not only has a nation been deprived of its head, but a home and a hearth are desolate, and kindred hearts are broken, and tears of grief are shedding by those who, by reason of a foul murder, have been deprived of a companion, a father, a friend: Therefore,
Resolved by the President of the republic of Liberia and his cabinet in council, That it is with sincere regret and pain, as well as with feelings of horror and indignation, the government of Liberia has heard of the foul assassination of the honorable Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States of America.
Resolved, That the government and people of Liberia deeply sympathize with the government and people of the United States in the sad loss they have sustained by the death of so wise, so just, so efficient, so vigorous, and yet so merciful a ruler.
Resolved, That while with due sorrow the government and people of Liberia weep with those that mourn the loss of so great and good a chief, they are, nevertheless, mindful of the loss they themselves have experienced in the death of the great philanthropist whose virtues can never cease to be told so long as the republic of Liberia shall endure; so long as there survives a member of the negro race to tell of the chains that have been broken; of the griefs that have been allayed; of the broken hearts that have been bound up by him who, as it were a new creation, breathed life into four millions of that race whom he found oppressed and degraded.
Resolved, That our prayers are also on behalf of him who has been called so suddenly to assume the reins of government, the honorable Andrew Johnson, President of the United States of America; that we trust that the God who controls the destinies of nations will endue him with all wisdom necessary to rule so great a people, and continue to guide the nation in its rapid progress to the consummation of its greatness and glory.
Resolved, That we express, moreover, our sympathy for the efficient statesman, the profound diplomatist, the honorable William H. Seward, Secretary of State of the United States, who, with the Assistant Secretary of State, had nigh fallen a prey to that horrible conspiracy which has robbed the American nation of its brightest jewel.
Resolved, That while we are reluctant to invade the sacred precincts of domestic sorrow, we cannot refrain from expressing here our sympathy for Mrs. Lincoln, the estimable widow of the late President, exhorting her to receive to [Page 473] her consolation the words of Holy Writ, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,” and to be sustained by the promises of Almighty God, who will be a husband and a father to the widow and orphans of him who, in his lifetime, was not only the ruler of his own people, but a father to millions of a race stricken and oppressed. That, while wicked men have desolated her home by the perpetration of a crime too horrible to be uttered, the renowned chief, the beloved companion, the tender father, has died to redeem a nation, a race; and, dying in the performance of so noble a work, he has left behind a monument more lasting than brass, and generations yet unborn shall call him the mighty ruler, the great emancipator, the noble philanthropist.
Resolved, That copies of these resolutions be presented to the United States consul general in Monrovia, with a request that he forward a copy to the proper authority at Washington, and also one to Mrs. Lincoln.
Secretary of State.