Ill-treatment of Lincoln around the States (5)
I believe the answer is:
abuse
'ill-treatment' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'lincoln around the states' is the wordplay.
'lincoln' becomes 'abe' (I've seen this in another clue).
'around' indicates putting letters inside.
'the states' becomes 'US' (abbreviation for the United States).
'abe' enclosing 'us' is 'ABUSE'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for abuse that I've seen before include "Mistreat" , "Ill-treat" , "Utter insults, attack in words" , "Improper treatment" , "Bully" .)