"'The State must, in its legislative action, recognize in the law enacted this principle—it must make sure and secure these endeavors to establish, protect, and extend right conditions, right conduct, righteousness. These conditions will be secured and preserved, not by indifference, not by a toleration of evils, not by attempting to throw around any evil the shield of law; never by any attempt to license the evil.' "'This sentiment of right conduct for the protection of home, of state, of church, of individuals must be taken up and embodied in legislation, and thus become a positive factor, active in the state. This is the first and most important function in the legislation of the modern state.' Proceeding, Mr. Lincoln said: 'This saves the whole, and not a part, with a high, true conservatism through the united action of all, by all, for all. The prohibition of the liquor traffic, except for medical and mechanical purposes, thus becomes the new evangel for the safety and redemption of the people from the social, political, and moral curse of the saloon, and its inevitable evil consequences of drunkenness.' "Lincoln studied every moral and political issue in this light and from this standpoint, and, as a result of this practice, he studied the opposite side of every question in dispute, and hence he was never surprised by the seeming strength of his opponents, for he saw at once the moral and legal weakness of wrong and untenable positions assumed. This it is that throws a flood of light on his ready and unanswerable repartee by story and statement. In fact, we have seen, often, that after his statement of a proposition it needed no argument. "Honorable Elihu B. Washburn, Lincoln's closest friend, wrote before he died that 'when the whole truth is disclosed of Mr. Lincoln's life during the years of 1854-55, it will throw a flood of new light on the character of Mr. Lincoln, and will add new luster to his greatness and his patriotism.' "Mr. Lincoln had, as is well known, made up his mind to retire from the political arena. He was annoyed, yea, more, he was disgusted with the low plane on which the politicians, mere politicians, not statesmen, were trying to conduct the affairs of the nation. "Mr. Lincoln was feeling his way up and out of the gloom, despondency, and melancholy which had to so great an extent affected his life. There came to him a new light, a new revelation of destiny in those still creative, or rather recreative days, and it is this phase of things to which Mr. Washburn refers in the above lines.