Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-03


gave the history of it in his presence.
and who is certainly prominent man
in the financial circles of Philadel-
phla, stated that leading member of
the legislature Il think he said a
State senator) offered to vote for Mr..
Can eron, and to induce two or more
OF his friends to do the same thing. if
he could be relieved of some local in
debtedness in the place where he re-
sided and put in the way of a liveli-
hood elsewhere - his constituents
being so hostile to Mr.. Cameron that
it probably would not be agreeable for
him to continue among them after
Mr.. Camerons election through his
help to the senate. No bribe passed
but the local legislator was appointed
to a remunerative position in the way
OF his calling Gas lawyer, l think in
one Of the great Philadelphia corpora
tions, and removed to that city. hav
ing previously paid off his local in
debtedness with a loan from Mr..
Cameron on the security Of some
stock which he happened to hold in a
small way, at that time of no appre-
ciable value.
The loan was never called for, but
through some subsequent legislation
the small railway in question was
brought into more extensive railway
system, and the collateral in Mr..
Cameron's hands advanced to a value
far exceeding the amount for which
it had been ostensibly hypothecated.
After listening to Mr.. Sumner for "a
considerable time, | asked him why
he did not 60 himself to Mr.. Lincoln
and depict the senator from Penusyl-
yania in the dark colors in which he
had represented him to us. He init
mated that he had already done so;
and after a little the conversation
took turn which confronted me
with the painful conviction that all
this indignation about Senator Cam
erOn had its origin not so much in
any real horror Of the Pennsylvania
element in politics as in the belief,
which | hope is we'll founded, that
the presence of Mr.. Cameron and Mr..
Seward in the cabinet will confirm
Mr.. Lincoln in his disposition to pur-
sue conservative conciliatory policy
which may bring the seeded States
back into the Union, rather than a
policy aimed at to complete separa-
ration of the slaveholding from the
non-slaveholding region.
DOUGLAS PART IN LINCOLN's FIRST
INAUGURATION
WASHINGTON, March 4, 1871
am sure we must attribute to the mis-
chievous influence Of the Blairs the
deplorable display of perfectly unnec-
essary, and worse than unnecessary,
military force which marred the inau-
guration to-day and Jared so scandal.
ously upon the tone of the inaugural.
Nothing could have been more i'll
advised or more ostentatious than the
way in which the troops were thrust
everywhere upon the public attention,
even to the roofs of the houses on
Pennsylvania avenue, on which little
squads of sharpshooters were absurdly
stationed, | never expected to expe-
rience such sense Of modification
and shame in my own country as
felt to-day in entering the capital
through hedges of marines armed to
the teeth. Fortunately all passed off
we'll, but it is appalling to think Of
the mischief which might have been
done by single evil disposed person
to-day. A blank cartridge fired from
a window on Pennsylvania avenue
might have disconnected all our
hopes and thrown the whole country
into inextricable confusion. 1t has
been one Of our disagreeble, clear,
windy Washington spring days. The
arrangements within the capitol were
awkward and very i'll attended to.
No one was at ease. Neither Mr..
Buchanan nor Mr.. Lincoln appeared
to advantage. Poor Chief Justice
Taney could hardly speak plainly in
his uncomfortable agitation. | must.
however, except Senator Douglas,
whose conduct cannot be overpraised.
saw him for moment in the morn.
ing, when be told me he meant to
place himself as prominently forward
in the ceremonies he properly could,
and to leave no doubt in any one S
mind of his determination Ia stand by
the new administration in the perfor-
nance Of its first great duty to main
tain the Union. | watched him care
fully. He made his way not without
diffculty-tlg there was literally no
sort Of order in the arraDgements-to
the front of the throng directly beside
Mr.. Lincoln when he prepared to read
the address A miserable little rick
ETY. table had been provided for the
President, on which he could hardly
find room for his has, and Senator
douglas, reaching forward, took it
with a smile and held it during the
delivery Of the address. It was a
trlfiing act but a symbolic one. and
not to DO forgotten, and it attracted
much attention all around me. Mr..
Llqcoln mas pale and very nervous,
and did not read his address very
well, which is not much to be wonder
ed at under all circumstances. His
spectacles troubled him, his position
was crowded and uncomfortable, and,
in short, nothing had been done to
render the performance of this great
duty either dipni6ad in lie ofroat a.,
physically speaking, easy for the Pres
ldent. The great crowd in the grounds
behaved very well, but manifested
little or no enthusiasm, and at one
point in the speech Mr.. Lincoln was
thrown completely off his balance for
a moment by a crash not far in front Of
him among the people, followed by
something which for an instant looked
| like n STRUGGLE wos NOT rnd;.