Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-17

. 4<AMSOAA AcsA~
tlOn.
In our comments upon the showing of
the Radical papers that Mr.. LINCOLN, In d
stead of dying poor, left large estate
most of it the earnings of his four years and
one month of Presidential life, while 9TH
ers who filed the same Office for the same
salary, left the White House poorer than
they went into it, we spoke of the efforts
TO traduce the character of Mrs. LINCOLN
by bringing her dead husband forward as
a witness against her. This, we argued,
would not rebound to the credit of the late
President. w
The article from the Mac-d-cheek Press
of Saturday is case in point. In the bit
ter contests while Mr.. LINCOLN was Psesi-
dent, the Democracy gave him credit for
more OF honesty than is now charged by
his own friends and his own supporters
upon the dead President. The following,
exhibiting chapter Iof the inner lie at
the White House while Mr.. LINCOLN was
President, is so disgraceful that we wish it
had been withheld from public view, al
though circumstances, and the source from
which it comes, leaves no doubt in our
mind ofits truth ~ ,js.r.. s,..s +. 81
From the Mac-a-cheek Press-Don Piatt's paper, ]
MRS. LINCoLN's WARDROBE.
1t is difficult to conceive OF anything
more humiliating to an American citizen
than the late conduct and correspondence
of Mrs. Lincoln, which the Democratic
press has seized on and spread before the
public with shameless aviditv.
How this differs from the course pursued
by one of their most distinguished leaders.
lSenator Bayard had at one time given him
some accounts from the White House by a
Republican committee of the Senate, with
the understanding that what he determin-
ed on the committee would endorse. "A few
DAYS after, to the establishment OF that
committee, the eminent Senator returned
the accounts marked approved" and,
when asked for an explanation, said:
"Gentlemep, this woman-is is the wife, of
our President. Any assault upon her is an
attack on ourselves. Let US say nothing
about it,"
In the same spirit, the committee from
the House, appointed to investigate the
tcondition of the Executive Mansion, i'm
mediately subsequent to the death of Mr..
Lincoln, suppressed the shameful facts
that came to its knowledge.
Now, however, the Democratic press, in
hopes of damaging their opponents, drags
Mrs. Lincoln and her conduct before the
world.
Well, it is shameful enough, God knows,
but In what way it is to attach to the Union
organization we are at loss to discover.
That the ADVERTISEMENT so widely made at
this woman's request, exhibits not only
her greed, but the corrupt condition of the
nent part. we are prepared to admit, and
in this view is damaging to the late admin
istrat ton. But the cry of ingratitude is too
silly tor serious refutation.
IL was known to a wide circle, that busi-
ness or social life brought In contact with
the Executive Mansion, that IT'S interior
was as gross, vulgar and corrupt as it was
possible for any house TO be and retain even
a semblance eofrespectability. The startled
public now reads its history in a forty thou
sand dollar wardrobe, made up of shawls,
aces and diamonds, the gifts of "dear
friends" How dear the poor public is now
realizing in the millions that shameless
thieves have stolen and are yet stealing.
The saddest part of all this is the tarnish
it casts upon the sainted memory of the
martyr President, How was it possible
tnat these gifts FROM "dear friends" were
paid for in lucrative offices, given over the
signature of A braham Lincoln, withont that
shrewd man being aware of the Infamous
character of the official and the nature of
the bargain that brought him into office
This is a surmise only, but Thurlow Weed
seems determined to bring the business
home to the late President. Commenting
on the late conduct of Mrs. Lincoln, he
says: .s'P1i1qnH ~ r St4.
we happen to know-the late Caleb
B. smith, then Secretary of the Interior,
being our urinfOrmanL--a tact which incensed
Mrs. Lincoln. against Mr.. Seward. The
President gave the Prince Napoleon din
ner, tor which Mrs.. Lincoln sent to the
Secretary of the Interior for payment bill
of some $500. This demand. though wholly
illegal, coming from the Presidents wife,
embarrassed the Secretary, who called
upon the Secretary of State for advice,
where he learned that Mr.. Seward had also
dined the Prince, having the same number
of guests, and giving them duplicate of
the dinner at the White House. In fact,
Mr.. Seward ordered both dinners from the
same restaurant, and by his own bill knew
the cost of EACH For what MIR. Seward
paid $500, Mrs. Lincoln demanded 5000.
But whether three or nine hundred, the
claim was alike illegal, and could not be
paid. For this, however, Mrs. Lincoln
quarreled with Secretaries Smith and Sew
ard. This amount, however, was subse-
quently covered up in gardner's account,
but occasioned scandal, which respect for
Mr.. Lincoln measurably suppressed"
4uls w ecu hoNO duuCu 9uC lftCL Ghdl
this refusal TO approve of a bare faced
swindle cost Mr.sSmith his seat in the Cab
met, Mr.. Lincoln so tar sypathizing with
his wife in this extraordinary transaction.
Mrs. Lincoln was not only as anprinci-
pied and ayariciOus as the late sale indi-
Gates, but she was, and is, exceedingly
ignorant and stupid; and yet how are we
to account for the control she exercised
over the domestic life and public affairs OF
the famented President?
We remember how panied the loyal
the darkest hour of our national pride
when our armies were paralyzed by imbe-
cility, and our treasury was being robbed
by dishonest agents; while the artillery of
the enemy echoed through the very
halls of the Capitol-a dancing, drinking
entertainment, or ball, was given at the
White House. ataS
This was shocking, but it became horri-
BILE when the fact leaked out, that while the
noise of revelry shook the time-honOred
mansion, in one of the upper chambers a
child of the host and hostess lay dying OF
a fever, that had set fin,5 and alarmed the
family physician, when the cards of invita-
tion were beng issued. 81
We turn away from the inner life of this
White House, that was in fact a whitened
sepulchre, in sorrowing disgust, and fee
ashamed through all our being, that tht
curtain was ever lifted to let light in on its
loathsome contents.
A Suggestion to Democrats.