Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-05-30

Ia the Fall of 1862 the writer Of this ar
ticle, being then a member of the staff of
Gen. Halleck, had frequent occasion to
wait upon our recently deceased President,
both during official hours and at other
times.
Once-ou what was called 'sa public
day." when Mr. Lincoln received all appli
cants in their turn-the writer was struck
by observing, as he PISSED through the
corridor, the heterogeneous crowd of men
and women, representing all ranks and
classes, who were gathered inS the large
waitiug-room outside the Presidential suit
of Offices. -
Being ushered into the Presidents cham.
Der by Major Hay, the first thing he saw
was Mr.. Lincoln bowing 40 elderly lady
out of the door-the Presidents remarks
to her being, as she still fingered and ap-
peared reluctant to go: EL am really very
sorry, madame; very sorry. Bat your own
good sense must tell you that am not
here to collect small debts. You must ap-
peal to the courts in regular order"
When she was .igone, Mr.. Lincoln sat
down, crossed his legs, locked his hands
over his knees, aud commenced to laugh
this being his tavorite attitude when much
amused.
"Wbat odd kinds of people come in to
see me, he said; "Rnd what odd ideas they
must have about my officel Would you
believe, MsjOr, that the old lady who has
juat left, came in here to get from me an
order for stopping the pay of Treasury
clerk, who owes her bOard-bill of about
$40 2" and the President rocked himself
backward and forward! and appeared in-
terB ly amused.
"She may have come in here loyal wo.
man." 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 and bad enough" a.
This led to 3 somewhat general conver
sation, in which I expressed surprise that
he did not adopt the plan 10 force at all
military headquarters, under which every
applicant to see the general commanding
had to be filtered through sieve of Off
cers-assistaut sdjutant generals, and so
forth; who Rllowed none in to take up the
generals time save suoh as they were sat
isfed had business of sufficient importance,
i and which could be transacted in no other
manner than by a personal interview.
"Of every hundred people who came to
see the genersln -in- chief daily" explain
ed, 'not ten have sufficient business with
him, nor are they admitted. On being
asked TO explain for what purpose they de
sire to see him, and stating it, it is found, in
nine cases out of ten, that the business
properly Belongs to some one or other Of
the subordinate bureauE. They are ther
referred, as the, case may be, to the quar-.
termastsr, commissary, medical, Rdjntant'
general or other departments, with an as
surauce that-even if they saw the gener.
al-in- -chieE-he could do nothing more fol
them than give them the same direction
With these points courteousIy, explained
added" they go away guile content, al.
though refused admitiance."
"Ah, yesi" said Mr.. Lincoln gravely-aud
his words Oh this matter are important as
illustrating rule of his action, and to
! some extent, perhaps, the essentially rep
resentGtiYe character of bis mind and oi
bis administration. "Ah, yeBI such thiugE
do very we'll for your military people, viii
your arbitrary rule, and in your camps
But the Office of the President is essenti
ally civil one, and the affair is very diff
ferent. For myself. II feel-though the tai
on my time is heavy-that no hours of ny
day are better employed than those which
thus bring me again within the direct con
tact and atmosphere of the average of ou
whole people. Men moving only in an of
fetal circle are apt to become merely Off
cial-not to say arbitrary--in their ideas