john: i am john elliff, president of the lincoln group of the district of columbia. the lincoln group has existed since the 1930s to honor the life and legacy of abraham lincoln. and this year we have a special opportunity to hear from an extraordinary speaker.

john: i am john elliff, president of the lincoln group of the district of columbia. the lincoln group has existed since the 1930s to honor the life and legacy of abraham lincoln. and this year we have a special opportunity to hear from an extraordinary speaker. and in introducing him i would like to repeat something that he said at the first national republican convention that he attended as a young man in 1884. he was part of a reform wing of the republican party, and they had an insurgent candidate to be temporary chair of the convention, taking on the candidacy of the republican national committee. that candidate happened to be the african-american congressman from mississippi, john r. lynch. here is some of what our speaker said. it is now less than a quarter of a century since in this city, chicago, the great republican party organized for victory and nominated abraham lincoln of illinois who broke the fetors of the slaves and rent them asunder forever. it is a fitting thing for us to choose to preside over this convention one of that race whose right to sit wit