Abraham Lincoln, at age 29, used a speech on Jan. 27, 1838 to the Springfield Young Men’s Lyceum to put down his line in the sand on a vital issue of his times. He firmly set his course against mob rule, criticizing those who take to the streets and the facilitators who rouse them to destructive paths. The young lawyer would not be taken in by feigned disclaimers of “no violence” voiced from those simultaneously stirring up the passions of the citizenry. He would see through the hollow hypocrisy of “No Justice—No Peace,” uttered as an implied threat that mock the true virtues of justice and peace.
Young Lincoln’s lesson provides guidance about the modern tendency to override the orderly processes of law. His perspective is highlighted in an excellent book by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer: “Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion.”
