Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-06-15
THE EVENING STAR.
MR. LINCOLN AND THE MISSOURI
RADICALS.
w hat the President Thinks Of his Gener.
+ !. ais and Expects Of his Cabinet.

What the President Thinks Of his Gener.
ais and Expects Of his Cabinet.
y, For several months the Germans OF the West
have been conducting vigorous campaign
against the President, Cabinet and 4eneral-in-
Chief OF the army. The movement came to
head few weeks since by the assembling of
convention at ST. Louis, which adopted reso-
buttons recommending President Lincoln to
perform the following acts.
l. Dismiss Secretaries Seward and Blair from
ms cabinet. 2. Drive Gen, Haileck out Of
Washington. 3. Restore Gems Fremont, Sigel
and Butler to large commands. !. Remove all
the gradual emancipationists and Frank Blair
men from public ofices In Missouri, and ap.
point radicals in their places.
A committee OF citizens was appointed to
visit Washington and lay the demands Of the
convention before President Lincoln. That
duty has been performed, and the result is the
sHbioined report:
Nessr,. Emile Pretorias, Theodore 0sshauses and
r =. Rombaaer, Committee, etc.:
Gentlemen-During professional visit to
Washington city, presented to the President
Of the United States, In compliance with your
instructions, copy of the resolutions adopted
in mass meeting at St. Louis on the 10th Of
May, 1858, and requested reply to the sug-
xeetions therein contained.
The President, after careful and loud read
ing Of the whole report of proceedings, saw
proper toenter into Conversation OF twohours'
duration, In the course OF which most Of the
topics embraced In the resolutions and other
subjects were discussed
As my share in the con rersation Is of ssecon.
dairy Importance, propose to omit 1t entirely
In this report, and, avoiding details, to conmu-
nicatSto you the substance of noteworthy re.
marks made by the President.
I. The President said that 1t may be ar1isfor-
tune for the nation that he was elected Presi.
dent. But having been elected by the people,
he meant to be President, and 10 perform his
duty according to his best understanding, il he
had to die for 1t. No general will be removed,
suit the views or wishes Of any particular
party, faction or set of men. Gen. Halleck is
not guilty OF the charges AIDE agains 1t him, most
of which arise from misapprehension or igno.
rance of those who prefer them.
2. The President said that it was a mistake
to suppose that Gems. John @. Fremont, b. F.
Butler and F. Sigei are 'systematicaily kept
ont OF command" as stated in the fourth reso-
lution; that on the contrary, he fully appre-
ciated the merits Of the Generals named; that
BY their own action they had placed them.
that he was not only willing but anxious to
place them again in command as soon as he
could find spheres OF action for them, without
doing injustice to others, but that at present he
"had more pegs than holes toput them in"
3. As to the want of unity, the President
without admitting such to he ihe case, inti-
mated that each member of the Cabinet was
responsible mainly for the manner of conduct.
ing the affairs OF his particular department.
that there was no Capitalization OF response
bility for the action of the Canine. anywhere
except in The President himself
4. The Cissensions between Union men in
Missouri are due solely to g. factious spirit
which is exceedingly reprehensible. The two
parties /" ought to have their heads knocked to-
gether." "Either would rather see the defeat
OF their adversary than that Of JEFF. Davis I"
To this spirit Of faction is to be ascribed the
failure OF the Legislature to elect Senators, and
the defeat OF the Missouri aid bill in Congress,
the passage Of which the President strongly
desired.
The President said that the Union men in
Missouri who are in favor of gradual enancipG-
hen represented his views better than those
sj,11 Int sn56 aUfi Ia
explanation of his views on this subject, the
President SAID that in his speeches he had fire.
queRtly used as an illustration the case OF a
man who had an excrescence on the back OF
bis neck, the removal of which, in one operation,
would result in the death of the patient, while
a. tinkering it off by degrees would preserve
life. Although sorely tempted, I did not reply
with the illustration OF the dog whose tail was
amputated by inches, but confined myself to
arguments.
The President announced clearly that, as far
as he was at present advised, the radicals in
Missouri had no right to consider themselves
the opponents of his views on the subject of
emancipation in that State
S. Gen. Curtis was not relieved on account
of any wrong act or great mistake committed
by him. The system OF provost marshals
tablisned by him throughout the State, gave rise
to violent complaint That the President had
thought at one time'to appoint Gen. Fremont
in his place; that at another time he had thought
OF appointing Gen. Mcdowell, whom he char
acterized as good and loyal, although very
unfortunate soldier; and that at last Gen Scho-
field was appointed, with view ifpossible, to
reconcile and satisfy the two factions in Mis-
souri,. He has instructions not TO interfere with
either party, but TO confne himself to his mill
tary duties.
! need hardly assure you, gentlemen, that
our side of the case was as fully presented
the occasion admitted AT the close of the on
versatiCn the President remarked that there
was evidently "a serious Misunderstanding
springing up between him and the Germans of
81. Louis W hich he would like TO see removed.
arr-r,1 30 ~ ~ho+ he
ion related to facts. men and measures, / with
drew.
j am, very respectfully, etc,
JAMES TAUssIG.