ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Born-12th February 1809 Died-15th April 1865) On 15th April 1965 the Indian Posts and telegraphs Department will bring out a commemorative stamp on Abraham Lincoln, the great American statesman. It is a fact of history that nations produce men who are equal to the times. India had Mahatma Gandhi to guide her in her struggle for freedom. To the United States of America came Abraham Lincoln in her hour of tribulation.

The ideals for which Abraham Lincoln stood have a special significance for us in India since they were so akin to those of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Separated as they were by space and time, these two great leaders were motivated by two basic convictions-belief in the common man and belief in the ultimate triumph of truth. As it happened, both of them laid down their life for the cause, which was dearest to their hearts. Lincoln, the 16th President of United States of America, was called to the helm of affairs in 1861 at a time when that country was on the verge of a civil war over the question of the abolition of the Negro slavery.

The civil war, which lasted for four long years, ended in victory for the northern states, thanks to Lincoln's stewardship. His leadership and indomitable courage were a bulwark against the forces of reaction and outmoded beliefs. He earned the gratitude of his countrymen by preserving the Union of the States of America and of millions of Negro's by abolishing slavery. His creed was simple-- "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of difference, is no democracy."

He had faith in people, in the basic goodness of men and in democracy. 'God must like the common people', he said,' or he would not have made so many of them'. He believed that 'no man is good enough to govern another man without that other man's consent'. Democracy meant to him 'the government of the people, by the people, for the people'. These basic tenets have inspired liberators and humanitarians for generations after Lincoln. By his precept and unexampled, Abraham Lincoln served the cause of the downtrodden and the oppressed not only in his own country but all over the world. In the words of our Late Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, he was '...one of those very select great men who have become part of the world's consciousness as embodying certain ideals which the world treasures....'

15th April 1965 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln and on this occasion the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department takes the opportunity of paying homage to the memory of one of the worlds greatest humanitarians and champions of liberty.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India