Mr. Lincoln and the Pennsylvania Delegation.
--About five hundred citizens of the State of Pennsylvania went to the White House, on Tuesday, to pay their respects to the new President. They were marshalled into the Eastern room. Mr. Lincoln soon appeared, and was addressed in quite a long speech by Mr. Ketchum, of Luzerne. Mr. Lincoln replied as follows:‘ Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Pennsylvania Delegation. As I have so frequently said heretofore, when I have had occasion to address the people of the Keystone in my visits to that State, I can now but repeat the assurance of my gratification at the support you gave me at the late election, and at the promise of a continuation of that support which is now tendered to me.
’ Allusion has been made to the hope that you entertain that you have a President and a Government. In respect to that, I wish to say to you, that in the position I have assumed I wish to do no more than I have ever given reason to believe I would do. I do not wish you to believe that I assume to be any better than others who have gone before me. I prefer rather to have it understood, that if we ever have a Government on the principles we prefer, we should remember, while we exercise our opinion, that others have also rights to the exercise of their opinions, and we should endeavor to allow these rights, and act in such a manner as to create no bad feeling.
I hope we have a Government and a President. I hope and wish it to be understood that there may be allusion to no unpleasant differences. We must remember that the people of all the States are entitled to all the privileges and immunities of the citizens of the several States. We should bear this in mind, and act in such a way as to say nothing insulting or irritating. I would inculcate this idea, so that we may not, like pharisees, set ourselves up to be better than other people.
Now, my friends, my public duties are pressing to-day, and will prevent my giving more time to you. Indeed, I should not have left them now, but I could not well deny myself to so large and respectable a body.
