The New York herald., 1864-02-19

Ties Fowke ana Po0re OF the MAFshaI'e ONCE, fo
defvAuding Wilham 8. Wilson. recruit in th'
Sixth United States cavalry. Of $500 bounty money
The Marshal demanded the return Of the money
the alternative being lodging in Fort Lafayette
Ahern became indignant at his game being spot
ed aud at the threat thus held out and at once re
fused to disgorge, preferrng he said, TO go u
Lafayette. The Marshal made out the order
which had such effect that Ahern offered TO pay
back $50. but subsequently offered the whole
sum TO get out OF his trouble. and asked to be al
lowed TO go home to get it. A file Of soldiers
were called in from the provost guard to accom-
pany the Marshal's deputy and his prisoner 10 the
latter's house. Ahern. however, declined to 60 in
such company. The Marshal consented to send
an officer to Ahern's house. where he received
5000. which sum the Marshal paid over to Wilson
the recruit. Yesterday Marshal Murray sent s4ld
to Major General Dix. which he extracted from the
fangs OF dishonest substitute brokers, and which
will be paid over to the families of the recruits.
The Presidenttal Oampatga-Ths First
EiectioneersnG Document.
We publish, in another column. this morning
the frst electioneering document Of the ap
preaching Presidential campaign. II is hasty
collection Of racy little jokes by and about
President Lincoln. AS il was originally printed
in that radical organ, the Evening Post. it ia
apparent that the radicals have finally con
ciuded TO support Lincoln for another term
In this point of view it demands special atten-
ton.
Every age and country has its great Joker
Greece had the great Esop, aud also Diogenes
who was hard. dry. caustic old wit, and made
host OF jokers. chief among whom were Horace
and Juvena Italy had Boccaccio, who pub
lished several volumes Of very unctuous jokes.
and. notably, the Decsmeron. France had
her Rabeais, who laughed at this world and the
next, and made sport of poteatates and priests
with equal humor and severity England had
Joe Miller, who is a. immortal as St. George
and the Dragon. and who is said to have per
pe.rated almost all the good thiags we have
read or heard during the past century. Bat
why should We multiply examples? Suffice it
to say that America has at last produced her
Lincoln, more commonly translated into the
vernacular Honest Old Abe"
President Lincoln is q joke incarnated. His
election was very sorry joke. The idea that
such a man as he should be the President Of
such country as this is q very ridiculous jok e.
The manner in which he first entered Washing
ton-after having fed from Harrisburg in a
Scotch cap, long military cloak aud . specia,
night train-was a practical joke. His debut
in Washington society was joke; for he in
troduced himself aud Mrs. Lincoln as "the long
and short of the Presidency His inaugural
address was joke. since it was full Of promises
which be has never performed His Cabinet
is and always has been q standiag joke. All
his State papers are jokes His letters to oar
generals. beginning with those to General Nc
Clelian. are very cruel jokes His plan for
slavery in 1900 was d broad joke
His emancipation proclamation was a solemn
joke. His receot proclamation Of abolition and
amnesty il another joke. His conversation is
full Of jokes. Of which those which we
republish this morning are pretty fair
specimens His title OF "Honest' is satiri-
cal joke. The style in which he winks At frauds
Department, frauds in the Treasury Depart
ment. and frauds in every department. is
costly joke. His intrigies to secure q renomi
nation aud the hopes he appears to entertain Of
a reelection are. however the most laughabie
jokes Of all.
AS joker President Lincoln is unique. With
the caustic wit Of Diogenes he combines the
best qualities Of all the other celebrated
jokers of the world. He is more poet-
cal than Horace, more spicy than Juve-
nal, more anecdotal than Esop. more
juicy than Boccaccio. more mellow than roll
licking Rabelais, aud more often quoted than
the veteran Joe Miller. Besides this. Mr.. Lin
coin has peculiar sort of joke. better than
any Of those practised by his famous predeces-
sors An old German joker-a general. il we
remember rightly-used to have somewhat
similar style. This general would order out a
regiment Of soldiers. place them in position
upon a mammoth chessboard and play chess
with them for a whole day. The privates be
employed as pawns, the captains as knights,
the chaplains as bishops, aud 80 on. But where
this German Joker used regiments President
Lincoln uses armies; and the worst Of 1t is that
be never wins the game. For instance:-That
was fine joke when he removed General Free
mont. on the very eve Of victory, and allowed
Prices army to escape That was another fne
joke when he held back Mcdowell and per-
mitted the Peninsula army to be cut to pieces.
That was still another brave joke when he
removed Mcclellan. after the triumph Of Antie-
tam. and so brought about the massacre at
Fredericksburg and the subsequent rebel inva-
sion Of the North. The people do not appre-
ciate these stupendous military jokes however.
Perhaps the loss Of life and property takes
away some Of the fun. Nevertheless. we are
assured that somebody laughs at them--down
| below.
:. If President Lincoln Is going TO try his
chances for another election, we advise him to
,oOtlect and publish his iokes The posf article