The full text of Lincoln's address to the Washington Temperance
Society of Springfield, Illinois - delivered in 1842 on February 22
(Washington's birthday) - can be found in The Library of America
edition of his speeches (Speeches and Writings, 1832-1858. New York:
Library of America, 1989). The speech is also of interest for its
critique of prohibitionism. Lincoln advises the society to only
employ "persuasion." He criticizes those who would "dictate" or
"command" others to temperance, and calls denunciations of
dram-sellers "unjust" as well as "impolitic."

>for those who look at lincoln's address, or are familiar with it already,
>note one of the early uses of the adjective "homeless."  lincoln meant by
>it the absence of family ties (as the result of bad behavior linked to
>drink) that would give the term its principal meaning until the advocates
>of the 1980s brought it back into wide use to indicate the lack of an
>abode.  jb
>
>At 09:37 AM 10/31/00 +0000, you wrote:
>>It may be of some interest that at least in 1842 Abraham Lincoln was
>>an enthusiastic supporter of the Washingtonians, as documented in an
>>address to their Springfield meeting celebrating Washington's
>>birthday.  I came across extended excerpts in
>>
>>                Paul M. Angle and Earl Schenck Miers (eds).
>>                The Living Lincoln
>>                1955, Barnes and Noble Books, N.Y.
>>                pp. 47-56
>>
>>                                   Paul Shiman
>>                                   (a lurker for Lilian)