The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-06-22
Personal RecoIlections Of Mr.. Lincoln.
VERY CURIOUS CoNyERsATfON
What He I hought A bout COaspiracies To As.
sassinatc Him Three Years Ago.
) rr coLoNsI cmAkLss G. nALrLNE.

BF COLONEL CHARLES G. HALPISE-
In the year of 1862 the writer OF thu:
article, being then a member OF the star
of General HaIleek. had frequent oc
casion TO wait upon our recently deceas
ed President, both during official hours
and at other times.
Once-on what was called "a public
day,r when Nv Lincoln received ali APP
plcant5 ia their turn-the writer was
struck by observing, as he passed thFohgl y
the corridor, the heterogeneous crowd
ofmcn and women, representing all ranks
and classes, who we're gathered IN the
large waiting room outside the Presi-
Dental suit OF offices.
Being ushered into the President )
chamber by Major Hay, the first thing
lie saw was Mr. Lincoln bowing an elder
ly lady out OF the door-the President $
remarks to her being, as she still linger-
ed and appeared reluctant TO go: Il
am very sorry madame; very sorry
But your own good sense must tell you
that am not here to collect small debts.
You must appeal to the courts in regular
order"
When she was gone, Mr.. Lincoln sat
down. crossed his legs, locked his hands
this being his fayorite attitude when
much amused
"What odd kinds Of people come in
To see me-" he said "and what odd ideas
they must have about my office Would
YOU believe, Major, that the old lady who
has Just left came in here to get from me
an order for stopping the pay of q Treasu-
ry clerk who owes her board bill Of
about SO p And the President rocked
himself backward and forward, and ap
peared intensely amused.
s'She may have come in here loyal
womln," continued Mr.. Lincoln but I'll
be bound she has gone away believing
that the worst pictures of me In the
Richmond press only lack truth in not
being half black enough"
This led to "a somewhat general con
yersation in which / expressed surprise
that he did not adopt the plan in force at
all military headquarters, under which
every applicant TO see the General com
inanding had to be filtered through
sieve of oilicers--Assistant Adjutant
Generals, and so forth; who allowed
none in 10 take up the General 5 time
save such as they were satisfied had
business of sufficient importance, and
which could be transacted in no other
"Of every hundred people who come
to see the General in Chief daily" ex
planned, "not ten have any sufficient
business with him, nor are they admitted. +
On being asked to explain for what pur-
pose they desired to see him, and stating
it, it ia found, III nine cases out OF ten,
that the business properly belongs to
some one or other Of the subordinate
bureaux. They are then referred, as the
case may be, to the quartermaster, com
Inissary. medical, adjutant- general, or
other departments, with an assurance
If they saw the General in
Chicf--he could do nothing more for
them than give them the same direction.
With these points courteously explain
ed" i added, "they go away quite con
tent, although refused admittance."
"Ah, yes!' said Mr.. Lincoln, gravely |
and his words on this matter are i'm
portant as illustrating a rule of his &C
tion, and to some extent, perhaps, the .
essentially representative character of
his mind and of his Administrations
"Ah, yes such things do very well for
YOU military people, with your arbitrary
rule. and in your camps. But the office
of President is essentially civil one,
and the affair is very different. For my
self, ] feel-though the tax on my time
is heavy--that no hours of my day are
better employed than those which thus
bring me again within the direct contact
and atmosphere of the average of our
whole people. Men moving only in an
official circle are apt to become merely
to say arbitrary--in their
ideas and are apter and apter, with each
passing day, to forget that they only
hold power in a representative capacity
Now. all this is wrong. l go into these
promiscuous receptions of all who claim
to have business with me twice each
week, and every applicant for audience
has to take his turn, as If waiting to be
shay ed in a BARRIERS shop
.Many Of the matters brought to my
notice are utterly frivilous, but others
are Of more or less Importance, and all
serve to renew to me 4 clearer and more
vivid image of that great popular assem-
blage out of which sprang, and to which
at the end of two years I must return.
tell YOU. Major he said--appearing
at this point TO recollect l was in the
room, for the former part of these re
marks had been made with half shut
ewes, rs If in soliloqny-.'I tell you that /
call these receptions my public opinion
baths--for l have bat little time 10 read
the papers and gather public opinion in
that way, and though they may not be
pleasant in all their particulars. the eff
feet, a awholc, is renovating and invig- /
Grating to my perceptions of responsible
" and duty Ii would never do for
President to have guards with drawn I
sabers at his door, ir he fancied he !
were, or were trying TO be. or were as I
suming to be an emperor
This remark about guards with drawn I
sabers at his door" called my attention I
afresh to what had remarked to myself /
almost every time l entered the White 7
House. both then aud since; and to which +
had very frequently called the attention 1
both OF Major Hay and General Halleck 1
the utterly unprotected condition of
the Presidents person, and the fact that .
any assassin or maniac. seeking his life, /
could enter his presence without the in
tericrence OF single armed man 20 hold 1
him back. The entrance-doors. and all /
doors on the official side of tho huildtn,r