Wilmington journal., 1874-01-09
SIMON
WIG WAGS GRANT.
Leaf from the History Of a SCOIudrGl.
WHY HE rs CODDEED BY THE
ADMIN
Let Honest Men Ponder Over 1t.

Let Honest Men Ponder Over 1t.
In his exceedingly quaint and in
structive Life of Abraham Lincoln"
Mr.. Ward Lamon has given the public
several hitherto unedited chapters of
| political history. Here is one of them:
Before the Chicago Convention of
1860 assembled it became evident to
Mr.. Lincoln's friends that the only
chance of beating Mr.. Seward lay in
| arranging q combination of interests
against him. Accordingly they went
to work and arranged it. It was deli
cate piece OF business, but the average
Illinois politician of those days was
notvery. heavily burdened with scruples
| nor squeamish about the means which
took to achieve his ends. How de-
lightful to note the change which has
since passed upon his character
THESE friends of Mr.. Lincoln, as
suming to speak in his name, Approach
ed Mr.. Caleb B. Smith, of Indiana, and
Mr.. Simon Cameron, Of Pennsylvania,
with proposition of a very practical
and business-like nature. 1t these
gentlemen would contract to transfer
the vote of their friends i'll the conven-
ton to Mr. Lincoln, the Illinoisans
"oilltI III ii4tu tucln SoatS Ill
Mr.. Lincoin's cabinet, supposing him
to be elected. Mr. Cameron's repre-
sentatives were first disposed to haggle
and stand ont for better terms. They
demanded for him the position Of Sec
retary of the Treasury. But this de-
mand was pronounced inadmissible,
and finally the original bargain was
ratified. The delivery Of tue votes
followed in due time.
After the election it became necessa-
" to inform Mr.. Lincoln of what had
been done, and what he was expected
to DO. He was both annoyed and dis
tTessed, but his friends insisted upon
his performance of the bond. They
told him that his honor, as well as
theirs, was involved, and their arg1l-
ments finally prevailed upon him to
tender Mr.. Smith the promised port
folio. But at Mr.. Cameron he stuck
for q long timC--so long the latter
supposed, for Il season, that the bar
gain Was '<oIiI," and actually wrote to
another Pennsylvania, Mr. Stevens,
proposing to withdraw i'll his favor.
Mr.. lincoln was thoroughly iu-
informed OF Mr.. Camcron's ante
ccdents AMI character lie was as
aurTd, both 10y iatt9r and word Of
mouth, that The man was nOtoriously
corrupt, IA shameless and unscrupu-
iously intriGuer, possessed with mean
ambition 20 occupy exalted trusts for
which he was hopelessly incompetent.
lie WAS told that Mr.. cameron
never dared to offer himself a candi-
date for the suffrage OF the people;
that such officers as he had held had
been bought of venal legislatures; that
his appointment would be an af1ront
to the party and country. Mr.. Lin
coin felt the full force Of these OBJ
iections He said, "All that [ an in
the wor.d-the Presidency and ali
else-I owe to that opinion of me
which the people expresse when they
call me honest old Abe Now what
will they think of their honest Abe
when he appoints Simon Cameron to
be his familiar adviser?"
He told Colonel Mcclure that if he
would make his charges against Mr..
Cameron specific s,ilI produce the
proof, the appointment should not be
made. But the pressure was too strong
for him. Mr.. Cameron insisted upon
his bond, going on to Springfield to
look after its acquittal. The friends to
whom the new President was indebted
Mr.. Lincoln gave way, and Mr.. Came
ron went into the War Department.
The American people have surely
stay in that department.. They have
not forgotten the stencil of corruption
which presently issued from It's doors
and widows, and which finally grew 50
offensive that the representatives. of
the peoplc-Jlndcr the lead, among
others, OF Mr.. Dawes-undertook to
investigate and discover the source.
They have not forgotten, either. that
Mr.. Cameron suddenly resigned and
took himself off to Russia. But few of
them know the whole history Of that
resignation" and the account Of the
affair which Colonel Mcclure has fur
n;shed Rir. LamOn Will have al the in
terest Of disclosure:
Il saw Cameron the night of the day
that Lincoln removed him. We rct
III the room of mutual friend, and he
was very violent against Lincoln for
removing him without consultation or
notice Ills denumciation against the
President was extremely bitter, for at
tempting, rs he said, his personal as
we'll as his political destruction. He
exhibited the letter which was all in
Mr.. Iiucoln's handwriting, and was
literally as follows [ quote from
carefully treasured collections:
Hon. .SiH,on t.uncro;a, Secretary If
Va:
DEAR StR-I have this day nominal
cd Hon. Edwin II. Stanton to be Sec
rotary Of War, and you to be Minister
PleIlipotentiaIy to Knssia.
Very truly, a. LINCOLN.
81 am sure there Is no material er-
ror in my q>.otatiOn Of the letter.
Cameron's chief complaint was that he
had no knowledge or intimation of the
charge until Chase delivered the letter
We were then, as ever before and
since, rs We ever shall he, not in pnlit-
ical sympathy, but our personal rela-
tions were ever kind. Had he been
entire'y collected he wouid probably
| not have said and dome what [ heard
and witnessed bat he wcpt like n
cGild, and appealed to me to all in
! protecting him against the PRESIDENTS
attempt at personal degradation, as
suriny me- that under like circumstan
! ccs he wcu!l defend me. In my pres
| ence the proposition was made and dc
/ terminod upon to ask lincoln to allow
/ a letter OF resignation to be antedated,
and to write kind acceptance of the
| same in reply. The effort was made,
/ i'll which Mr.. Chase Joined, although
! perhaps ignorant Of all the circlm-
stances of the case, and it succeeded.
/ The record shows that Mr.. Cameron
| voluntarily resigned, while, in point of
fact, he was summary removed with
ont notice. In many subsequent con-
versations with Mr.. Lincoln he did not
! attempt to conccalthe great misfortune
! of Cameron's appointment and the
painful necessity of his removal.
md this man, foisted into n place
| for which lie was totally unfit by an
immoral bargain, branded by the cen
sure of the House of Representatives.,
| kick Il iii disgrace from the Cabinet hy
! Mr. Lincoln-this man Is the same
Simon Cameron whom the present adj
ninistration delights to honor with
/ whom it takes sweet counsel whom it
has placed at The head OF the most dig