Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-02-25
THE PRESIDENT-THE CABI-
A Leaf and a Lesson from Hi.tor

From the New York Sun.
. Mr.. Lincoln arrived in Washingto
two weeks before the Inauguration. /
train followed him from Illinois, who's
, leader was David Davis, formerly Law
partner of the President, and whom h
subsequently made Judge of the Su
: preme Court of the United States. Davis
with head erect, and hat defiantly cock
, ed ON one side, bore an air which seem
ed to say, Behold the keeper of the con
science OF the King! Mr.. Lincoln wa
little known to the Republicans of tn
Central and Eastern States. They wer
not then aware how much firmness, sa
gacity, and cunning lay concealed unde
that ungainly exterior and those pro
vincial manners He took rooms a
Willard's. The throng of Cabinet ma
kers and office seekers that Immediately
surrounded him was like the letting il
of great waters. 1t overfiowed the pub
lie resorts, and rolled It's surges up anC
down the avenues, night and day, from
the steps of the Executive Mansion tC
the corridors of the Capital. Horac,
Greeley splashed about in the crowd hi,
coat dangling around his heels, his ha
dropping upon his shoulders, the OBJ
served of all observers; while ever and
anon there glided through the throng
the tall, swarthy, spectral form of Thur
low Weed.
The Republicans were divided into
Radicals and Conservatives Mr.. Chase,
Mr.. Hamlin and Mr.. Greeley were lively
types of the former, while Mr. Seward
Mr.. Cameron and Mr.. Weed were shin
ing lights among the latter. The first
battle fought by these factions was about
the composition of the Cabinet The
New York Radicals had defeated Mr..
Seward at Chicago. Foremost among
those who had slain New York's dis
tinguished son on that field stood Mr.
| Greeley, Mr.. David Dudley Field, Mr..
Jas. s. Wadsworth and Mr.. George OPP
| dyke. They would gladly have kept
| Mr.. Seward out of the Cabinet. But
| they early gave up this point, and then
determined to insist upon the introduc-
| tion of Mr.. Chase into the council of the
| President as counterpoise to the astute
| and experienced New York statesman
They also seriously objected to Mr.. Cam
eron and Mr.. Winter Da is, to whom it
was believed the President had resolved
TO tender seats. Mr.. Han1lin, whose
radicalism was of the deepest dye, had
brought forward Gideon Welles as the
representative for New England. Lin
colin took kindly to Welles New York
ers knew that in the famous Free Soil
struggle of lS4S he had affiliated with
the Barnburners, and SO Greeley, Field,
and their colleagues were delighted that
one member of the Cabinet was secured
whom no emptatiOn could seduce, and
who would always be f:.ithful to their
principles and their faction.
And now furious contest arose over
Winter Davis. The Radicals, led by the
powerful combination from New York.
whose headquarters were in the spacious
rooms of Mr.. Wadsworth at Wizards $,
brought out against him Montgomery
Blair. Seward, Davis OF Illinois, Weed,
and OF her willy managers, not excepting
Mrs. Lincoln, who edged into the fight.
and gave forecast of that love for in
termeddling and intrigue which on sub
sequent occasions dispensed valuable pa
tronage and gave serious trouble, took
ground for Davis. The clearly defined
line of battle was the assumed conser-
vatism of Davis and the undOubted radi-
calisaa of Blair. The conflict waxed |
warm. Every inch OF ground was con- |
tested. Wadsworth never fought with I
more courage, not even at Bull Run or |
the Wilderness. Hamlin stamped, and |
Greeley-well, he argued and entreated. |
Fearing they were to be defeated on this
part of the line, the Radicals again open
ed fire OH Cameron. They denounced /
him as Pennsylvania Conservative.
who was unsound on the slavery ques-
ton, and insisted, at all events, that he
should not have the seals of the Treas
ury, but if, in order to redeem pledge,
it was necessary that he go into the Cab
iuet, he must take the inferior and un-
influential portfolio of the War Depart
ment-nobOdy then dreaming that We
tpar tn ro1a IF illinv,
of men in the field!
At this critical juncture Francis p.
Blair, Sr., Familiarity known by the en-
dearing name of "Old Blair" got the
ear of the President, and suggested a
The terms were finally
adjusted, by which it was agreed that
Cameron might go to the War Office,
while the modification of the Radicals
should be Modified by throwing Winter
Davis overheard, and their interests
secured beyond all contingency by as
signing places to both Montgomery Blair
and Gideon Welles, whose ra6icalism
was of the New York type, and whose
on the negro subject no one
could question. 7
The conflict now assumed new and
an alarmingp phase. Mr. Seward, through
some strange hallueination, had not
5CCHCu W ICAdlu VII w clICc dS vi
in the structure of the Cabinet.
He had not then learned to appreciate ,
The Incompatible genius of that rare
man. But he knew the Blairs and
Salmon p. Chase, and he resolved that
f it lay within his scope he would keep t
he one or the other out of the Cabinet. +
Having ascertained that Blair was firm I
y fixed in the saddle, he endeavored to
)ust Chase And now the war was re- q
lewed upon the great rival of the Pre- :
nier. The radicals rallied to his sup =;
port with uncommon vigor. kilograms
lew over the country, and reinforce
nents promptly arrived at Willard's.- i
The anti-Seward wing of the party felt :
hat all was at stake, for Chase WAS to P
De their head center in the Cabinet
Custom houses, postOffices, ,mafshalships. | (
Oreign missions, fat cOnsulates- were =
)ut to hazard. Lincoln was mysterious :
md reticcnt. He had not said a word
o Chase about the Cabinet.
The day of the Inauguration arrived.
lincoln sworn in as President by Taney 9
md Chase was sworn in as Senator by I
iamlin. The day wore on, the night Il
,assed away, but the President made no
ign. The morning of the next day rose \
With leaden sky that typified the pail =
hen hanging over the prospects of the :,
Chase was m Jody, Field was n
nervous, Wadsworth was silent, Carroll n
vas chatty, Greeley was cross. Affairs .
we're reaching a desperate pass. The
fifth of March-we are not sure but it
vas the sixth-was waning, and they &
elt no assurance that they had so lost {
he main point in the game they had so a
played. AS final resort, some q
ne suggested rally upon John Sher- e
nan for the Treasury, his name having o
een occasionally mentioned at previous
tages of the imbroglio. +,
This suspense could not be endured.- il
he drama must be speedily carried to n
eliminating point. Mr.. Wadsworth +
roposed that Opdyke and Greeley should b