I have read about this in my
Team of Rivals book. Stanton had to make the hard decisions. Lincoln
was more correct, that obvious, yet unintentional mistakes, should be
pardoned. Duty is a dangerous word in my humble opinion. Stanton
fell behind ‘duty’ as his alibi. I read stuff on the internet and listen
to Br. Roper. There’s a lot of ‘duty’ related discourses. Duty, I
guess can be done out of love or at of failure to see the big picture.
Did Christ do his duty? This sounds wrong to me. Did the Jewish
church leaders do their duty to eradicate the Christ for undermining their
organization, determining that He had no authority? Yes. Duty
alone has no Spirit. Duty alone is a closed, little box. Duty
is a very neutral word. Duty to what? To God, to the Fuhrer?
If, to God, then what kind of God? Our Duty to our God requires each us to
make hard decision as well. Do we do our Duty to do the right thing as
determined by Christ’s teaching at all times, regardless of the social,
religious or political ramifications or do we capitulate? Duty is
governed by where your allegiance is.
I would agree that a
person following the Savior, can ask the Savior to help him do his duty.
Some people (perhaps most of us) have distorted views of what the Savior would
do in certain situations. I just hope that our primary allegiance is
doing what Jesus would do. If it is otherwise, all sorts of nasty things can be
done. Better to labor all our days to remove false traditions and
notions. False traditions distort our reactions and actions.
DUTY
Edwin Stanton was the Secretary of War during the Civil
War. He had been a brilliant attorney prior to his public service, and
was known as a gruff but efficient administrator. That Lincoln selected
him for his cabinet position is a testament to Lincoln’s willingness to do what
he thoughts was right for the country, under any terms. Lincoln knew
Stanton from one of the highest-profile legal cases of the 19th
century. Stanton and a colleague had been hired to defend a patent
infringement suit brought by Cyrus McCormick’s company for infringement of his
famous “Reaper” machine. Because the case was tried in a jurisdiction
familiar to Lincoln, he was asked to participate on the defense team to give it
a local presence. However, when Stanton and Lincoln met for the first
time, just before the trial began, Stanton asked his legal partner why that
“ape” was there, indicating that Lincoln was not needed and would not be
participating in the proceedings. Though he could have been offended and
returned home, Lincoln stayed to hear the brilliant Stanton argue the
case. Stanton must have been shocked when Lincoln selected him to be the
War Secretary.
Despite their rocky beginning, the two men became close
friends during the ordeal of the war. Because the only telegraph was in
the War Department, Lincoln spent many anxious hours with Stanton as the two
men awaited news from the battlefield. One area of tension between the
two men, however, revolved around the issue of granting pardons. As is
true in all wars, the North had its share of soldiers who deserted, fell asleep
on guard duty, or committed other crimes. Many of these offenses were capital
crimes that demanded the death penalty. Lincoln tended toward mercy in
these situations, especially when he received a petition for clemency from a
pleading family member. Stanton, on the other hand, had received many
requests from his generals in the field to uphold the harsh rules of war, for
fear that leniency would undermine army discipline.
On one occasion, Stanton’s aide observed the mother, wife,
and children of a convicted deserter on their knees begging for the life of
their loved one. Coldly, Stanton told the little family that the decree
could not be changed and that the man must die. With that, Stanton turned
and exited into his private office. The family left, heartsick. A
few minutes later, when the aide cracked the office door, he observed Stanton
bent over his desk, sobbing into his arms, his great frame heaving, as he
repeated over and over again the phrase, “God help me to do my duty!”
Because of his abrasive nature, Stanton was occasionally
criticized by those who petitioned for his removal from office. In
response, Lincoln once said, “He is the rock on the beach of our national ocean
against which the breakers dash and roar, dash and roar without ceasing. He
fights back the angry waters and prevents them from undermining and overwhelming
the land. Gentlemen, I do not see how he survives, why he is not crushed and
torn to pieces. Without him I should be destroyed.”
Hopefully, we will never face the terrible responsibility of
duty that Stanton did. Our burdens will surely be lighter. If, however,
that call of duty ever comes, I hope we can say, “God help me to do my duty!”
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