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

Democracy of the Town of Jerez de la Frontera

[Translation.]

Spain, Andalusia,
Jerez de la Frontera, May 2, 1865.

Citizen Vice-President: As soon as the insidious and treacherous hand of the southern planters put an end to the existence of the illustrious repub lican, Lincoln, a sentiment of horror and indignation seized our minds, a sentiment that springs from the bottom of the heart of the freemen of Old Europe, and, mingling with that of our brothers of Young America, fills all tyrants with fear and dread.

The happy termination of your war, the first in the world from the greatness of the cause you were defending, was not enough to extinguish with the malevolent and cruel instincts of the unworthy merchants of human flesh, in presence of the sacred fire of the idea you were sustaining, an idea that fills the minds of modern generations, and is the banner that will lead us on to victory, amid the shouts of justice and liberty.

Remember, Mr. Vice-President, that Providence has placed the cause of humanity in your hands; that the fulfilment of sacred duties weighs upon your conscience; and do not forget either that, as the emancipation of the slave is a glorious page to be recorded in the history of free nations, and is now welcomed by the world with admiration and enthusiasm, Europe and the world expect that the consequences of the great social revolution, of which you are the representative, will soon be felt.

Courage, Mr. Vice-President, and remember that if the great nation in whose font still burns the sacred flame of the revolution has comprehended the greatness of its mission in choosing you to direct its destiny, you have upon your conscience the future of the people that have been intrusted to your care, and not only them, but the oppressed of the whole world. One more step in the way that your great nation has opened, and the cause of humanity and liberty is safe.

Permit us, however, citizen Vice-President, with the frankness and loyalty of good liberals, to reveal a symptom of pain on remembering the hesitation of the great republic at the beginning of the war, and the excuses after victory was gained. Justice is tarnished by shadows, though they be cast by convenience; slavery is the negative of manhood; and if at first there was a moment of hesitation, be resolute, quick, and firm at last. Human rights are worth more than riches; let there be no more slaves for a single day, although great but passing calamities might be the result.

Receive our most loyal congratulations upon the triumph you have gained, and in it you will find a tear of each one of the workers who wish you well; deposit it in the tomb that covers the remains of the immortal Lincoln.

• MANUEL MAYOL.
• MIGUEL PARADOS.
• CARLOS REISLE.
• RAMON DE CALA.
• JOSÉ HUERTAS.
• PEDRO SCHMIDT.
• SIMON CARO.