Temple Court Building, Atlanta, Ga. $1.00 Per Year 10 Cents Per Copy WESTERN ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: CHICAGO SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE: Wm. E. Herman, 112 Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill. The M. Raftery Co., 84 Washington St., Chicago, Ill. _Entered as second class matter December 21, 1906, at the Post Office at Atlanta, Ga._ [Illustration: SYDNEY LANIER] WATSON’S JEFFERSONIAN MAGAZINE Vol. III JANUARY, 1909 No. 1 EDITORIALS An Estimate of Abraham Lincoln (_The Editor of a Northern magazine applied to me for an article on Abraham Lincoln._ _After some hesitation, I decided to comply with the request. In doing so, my rule of_ SAYING WHAT I THINK _was followed. Mr. Lincoln was “sized up”, just as I would try to measure the proportions of Cromwell, of Robert Bruce or of Gladstone, or any other historical character._ _But the Northern editor was “afraid” my article would stir up “sectional feeling.” He, therefore, returned it with the polite letter which follows._ _Whosoever reads this rejected Lincoln article, which the Jeffersonian Magazine now presents, will probably feel some surprise that so liberal an estimate of Mr. Lincoln was ruled out, as contraband, by a non-political Northern magazine._ _It is proper for me to say that so much of the article as follows the paragraph in which the South’s feeling toward Mr. Lincoln is expressed, was written after the MS came back. Even with these additions, I fear that my Northern brother would have been afraid to publish my estimate of Lincoln._ “_New York, November 21, 1908._ “_The Hon. Thomas E. Watson,_ “_Dear Sir: We have read your estimate of Abraham Lincoln. We tried our best to figure out some way by which it could be shaped around in a manner that would be suitable for our magazine. You see, first of all, in dealing with Lincoln or any Civil War subject we cannot afford in any way to stir up sectional feeling. I am afraid your article is open to criticism in this respect. If you were only in New York, and we could go over this thing personally, I have no doubt but what we might frame up an article that would be mutually satisfactory. The time is so limited that I suppose we will just have to give it up. Yours very truly,_ _Editorial Department._”)