The Portland daily press., 1867-09-18


The Washington correspondent of the Bos-
ton Advertiser gives the following highly in
teresting account of tho man who has lately
directed the policy of the administration.
Binckley is no myth like McCrackep and
McGinnis Among the illustrious persons
who called on the President yesterday" said
one of our papers the other morning, 'was the
Hon. j. M. Binckley, attorney-general OF the
United States" That paragraph alone estab-
lished his existence Besides, there is the
wonderful sentence, Contempt OF law long in
dulged speedily grasps at the heart-strings OF
public ORDER" that sprung in all its beauty
from none other than his teeming brain II
will go into some of our educational text books
as perfect and unapproachable specimen of
rhetorical absurdity and nonsense, and thus
bear down to coming generations the name of
that confidential adviser who was most after
Andrew JOhnson's heart
Mr.. Binckley's early life like that of Shakes
peare, seems to be shrouded in obscurity. Ohio
claims him for her son, as she does Grant and
Sheridan. How he grew from babyhood to
boyhoOd, and from boyhood to manhood, there
is none to tell.
1t Is vaguely recOllected that he first appear
ed in Washington as an "artist"-in plain
terms, that he came here to paint panorama
but of this no one is quite certain
In the fall of 1858, he projected monthly
magazine, terms three dollars per year." to be
called "The Censor" He intended it for "a re-
view of the political press" His prospectus
was two thirds of column long, and began IN
this wise ITO approach that most august
tribunal, the Public, before which the most
kngly pride must conceal an anxious awe OF
more nObly confess an honorable reverence, is
ever an occasion of deep earrestness, the very
dffidence of the former must impair confidence
in the latter whereby the embarrassment is in
creased" The sentence anybody can perceive,
has the genuine Buckley ring.
NJ. D;,oElav afudied madirina--~tn nxtand
the area of his knowledge" one of his friends
tells me. He failed as q doctor, and took a
clerkship in the land Office
In the summer of 1861, all government em-
ployees were required to take the oath ofallegi-
ance The loyalty of Mr. Binckley was of such
fine texture that this oath troubled him. He
consulted counsel as to the constitutionality Of
the act prescribing it, and finally concluded
that he couldn't or wouldn't take It, The COM
missioner determined to remove him. but he
was allowed to resign.
Then II the annals of the neighborhood
are correct, he set up as o land-claim agent.
Pretty soon he took to studying law, and
Bradley, the debarred, being one of his exam
iners = was admitted to the bar November
1863 Three years and eight months after.
ward he was a cabinet minister-tho legal adj
wiser Of the President. "Lives of great men
all remind us" go. His career at the bar was
brief. He had one case, that of a block
ade runner-he finally paid costs and with
drew 1t. He says now that he was not prac-
titioner, but consulting attorney and consti-
'tutional lawyer" aa
Directly he turned up as q clerk in the ofice
OF the present District-Attorney.
In the summer or fall of 1864 he was the city
reporter of the Chronicle
Early in 1865 he transferred himself to the
Intelligencer, and became one of its editorial
writer's He breathed out threateuings against
the aradicals," and greatly lifted up his voice
and wept at the degensracy of the times. He
was constantly "prating about the Constitu-