The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-27
A CHAT WITH SIMON CAMERON
Interesting Story of the Plot to Unseat
President Lincoln.

A correspondent of the New York
Times met ex-senator Simon Cameron
the other day at his Pennsylvania farm,
and had long talk with him about his
life and public service. lie was hale and
hearty as ever, in spite of his seventy
nine years of active life and constant
struggle. In the course of the interview
the ex-senator took occasion to remark
that he commenced life in printing Of
fee, became an assistant editor and so
far from disliking press men he had al
ways had high regard for them. "That
story" he said, "they tell of me talking
of them literary fellows is made up out
of whole cloth. He told also how he
then got into the banking business and
made money, and then into politics.
After a while General Cameron drifted
into war times, and related what he
termed secret effort which was made to
unseat President Lincoln, an effort which
was even then known to but few people.
He said:
"It was shortly after L came back to
America, (from Russin, in 1852, and
while was resting at my home in Penn
sylvania, that / received from number
of most prominent gentlemen an invita-
ton to visit Washington and attend a
consultation which was to be held III re-
gard to national affairs. I afterwards
discovered that this invitation was ex-
tended to me because it was believed that
my somewhat unpleasant exit from the
War Department bad rendered me hostile
to Mr.. Lincoln and his administration.
Knowing nothing of this at the time,
however, went to the capital and found
assembled there a number of influential
gentlemen, who had come together osten-
sibly for the purpose of advising together
regarding the condition of the country.
This, say, was their ostensible purpose
for calling the meeting, but l soon found
that their real object was to find means
by which the President could be i'm
peached and turned out of his Office.
The complaint against Mr.. Lincoln was
that he lacked ability and energy, and
that he was not pushing the war with
sufficient vigor. These reasons, and the
plan of attack, if I may use the expires.
sion, were all made known TO me, and l
was asked for my advice. gave it at
once, stating with as much earnestness as
1 could command that the movement pro.
posed would be a disastrous one, and
strongly urging that it would be little
short of madness to interfere with Mr..
Lincoln's administration. Then l left
Washington and returned to my home q
firmer friend of the President than l had
ever been before. And, as you know"
the Senator said, in conclusion, "the i'm
parchment scheme never amounted to
anything. Indeed, it was soon afterwards
utterly abandoned"
Mr.. Cameron, it may be mentioned,
was of the opinion that with the battle
of Gettysburg the war should have ended,
and after that engagement he visited
General Mead's headquarters, where he
became so strongly impressed with the
conviction that the advantage of that
fight ought to be followed up with fresh
attack that he was on the point of tele-
graphing to President Lincoln. He did
not, however, but shortly after, on seeing
him in Washington, related the circum-
stance, when Lincoln ssured him that
had he received his telegram he would
have ordered a general and Immediate
battle; but, returning to Mead, he said
"We cannot blame him, Mr.. Cameron
we cannot censure a man who has done
so much because he did not do more"
In the course of the interview" Mr.
Cameron takes considerable credit to
himself for having from the first seen
that the war was to be long and bloody
struggle, while Seward and Others thought
it was to last only few months. With
the Republican talk now of unseating
Hayes, the disclosure of Republican
plot to unseat Lincoln is not inoppor
tune.