There was some discussion last winter in regard to Lincoln and temperance.
Although he seems not to have been actively promoting abstinence, drys use
two of his statements to support abstinence:

"The legalized liquor traffic ... is the tragedy of civilization."  I've
never seen an original source cited for this.

And then there is a story that, when Lincoln was a shop keeper, he once
picked up a whisky keg, set it on his shoulder as though to drink, then set
it down again without drinking. An onlooker remarked that it takes a strong
man to lift that keg, to which comment Lincoln is said to have added -- It
takes a stronger man to lift it and not drink from it. I have no original
source for that, either.

If anyone can provide sources (or can refute the authenticity of the
quotations), I'd appreciate having them.

James Hedges, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society

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