The sun., 1872-07-26

purpose. But they never thought of buying the
meteriais he had gathered aud garnered, and
Herntion needed badly the ready cash he had so
liberally expended In procuring his treasures
He was embt rrassed, aud Lamon, being aware Of
this, proposed to purchase, and finally became
the possessor Of all Of he Herndon collections.
Mr.. Lannon's capabilities as sn author are still
less than those Of Mr. Herndon. ue has been n
practising lawyer for many years, but hss never
attained any great distinction in his profession.
II he is gentleman OF literary turn of mind
those who know him best never discovered the
fact until he announced himself as the biogra-
pher OF Lincoln. He Is an amIable, companion
gblo fellow, and makes friends wherever he
I5oes. Possessed Of a fine, commanding figure
cnmely features, and engaging manners, he Is
c,ninently fitted for making a favorable impress
sion on first acquaintance. But after dlligent
inquiry we have been unable TO find single man
among his numerous friends who believes that
he yrote the entire book. There are in few
faces In the volume before us evidences OF two
separate bsndiworks, but tho design OF the whole
as we'll az the execution Ia that ofone mind IL Is
true we detoot the Intervention OF another in the
tenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth chapters, butitis
evidently the work of a mutilator and inter-
polator, rather than that of finishing artist
There are changes In tho political tone OF
these chapters In regard TO the death Of Lovejoy
In tho tenth, and Mr.. Lincoln's antl-aboli-
tion record In the fourteenth, and especially
In the account OF the Kansas troubles In the
fifteenth chapter, which do not accord In
spirit and tone with the rest OF tho book. The
differences are so marked and in some instances
the statements are so fatty contradlcted by
what precedes and follows them even In the
same chapter, that they cannot be the wcrk OF
tho real author. The language and style, although
initiated, arc different from that OF the main
body OF the work hence the discordance cannot
result from ordinary corrections OF typograph-
ical or rhetorical errors. AS the now passages
are all intended TO soften and break the
force of the impeachment Of ultra New England
radcalism. we are led to believe that thev have
been introduced at the instance ofthe publishers,
for some political and local reason But II Mr.. La
mon was the real author Of the book, and II what
he wrote was his deliberate belief and conviction,
would he have suffered another hand to mar his
work and make him contradict himself2
Moreover, the real author OF the book must
have had at hts command a great deal OF ma
terial which was not furnished by Mr.. Herndon.
From the peculiar character of this material we
are slow to believe that Mr.. Lamon even knew
of Its existence. 1t Ia the political data which
Is founded the main narrative OF the four
teenth and fifteenth chapters, especially that
which relates to the reachery and actual trea-
son of Douglas to the Democratic party. That
60. -, ,,.,,o,,., ,,,,,,I.. -, 49, 80. -
haps an actual participant, in the stormy con-
tests OF that period In Washington. Mr.. Lamon
was not a politician Of note, and was far re-
moved from the great theatre OF action. In no
otbor n,,co IN tho hoou 40 uo .nd ,ha, bo has
contributed anything of roaI value avon mon
subjects about which bIs onnortunities for OH
taining Information wero .nnl. ua Lnau
nothing OF Washington or Washington noIi,I-
CLANS until he went tbore No one of tho hodv
guard Of Lincoln 4, 1891. The stormy war tImes
followed soon nfterv,rd. and Mr. Iamon was
too infant unon other obiec,a N o,ve evep n
thought 10 anv discussions which might have
taken plaoe on this suhieot between the Do,,o.
laa and RreckinrIdge Denocrat. Indead 4, !.
not 10 bc sunnosod that bo was n, tha, ,trre ON
ANYTHING like terms of intimacy with anv of the
leading men Of either of those fac,ions Dous-
las died In 1861. lust nfter tho innuoura,Ion NJ
Lincoln. and I'm the turmou and aercer nassions
of the war which soon followed. ALI thoucbt ~
either Douelas or b,s actions was swallowed nm
During the Johpson administration Mr. Ian,on
was for a short period tho law partner of Judge
Black; but that gentleman was nt that period
deeply engaged in some OF his greatest law
cases, and IL is scarcely probable that he had
either the time or the inclination to discuss a
question Of this kind with a man Of Lannon's
calibre.
1t would matter but little who the author OF
this book really is were IL not for the patent fact
that the changes we have indicated have been
made I'm the text by the hand Of another. These
changes, AS we have already suggested. are most
apparent in the fifteenth chapter, where an ac-
count OF the Kansas troubles ia given. Tho
easv-aowinR md elegant dIctlon which
the writer displnys I'm the narration OF other
iinportant events. tho granhic manner In which
the story Of tho Douglas and Lincoln debate "a
told The life and snlrt which are rovn into tho
account Of Idncoln's services In tho stata Te,is
lature-au this is wanting IN the few noyes ~
this chapter into which ia crowded n history ~
the Kansas controversv Thers was an or,or,u-
nifty here which such writer .s tho .u,horn,,ht
book has proved himself would not have neolsc,-
ed. In a preyious chnnter be CLEARLY in,ima,es
the opinion no entertains Of Douglas. ,vbile I'm
the succeeding ono he proceeds To utterly de-
molish him. Throughout the entire book he
unmista akabIy betrays n disposition TO piye the
Anti-Slaycry nritators only such iustice os nm
antagonist might render. But in this cbnn,er
the necessity or the prejudices of the publishers
have changed him into nm anoIogist and do,