Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-03
SUMNER AND CAMERON.
unpublished Passages of the Secret
History of the American
Civil War"
Summers Efforts to Prevent Cameron's
Nomination as a Member of
the Cabinet.

me to come at once, if possible, to his
house and going there instantly, as |
CHANGED to be free to do, | found to
my surprise that he had sent for me
to meet Senator Sumner, whom |
found engaged in close conversation
with him, and who greeted me with a
warmth a little out of proportion, as
| thought, to the relations between us,
for | have never affected an admira
ton which | certainly have never felt
for Mr.. Sumner.
1t was soon explained when | found
that Senator Sumner had asked -
to send for me in order that he might
urge me to call at once upon Mr.. Lin
coin and represent to him ''in the
strongest language which you can
command-for no language can be
too strong"-the dreadful conse-
quences to the influence and sue
cess Of the administration which
must fellow his nomination of
Mr. Simon Cameron to a seat
in the cabinet Mr.. Summers con
viction was absolute that Mr.. Lincoln
had bound himself by a political bar
gain in this case, which would itself
suffice to blast his reputation as an
honest man were it made known, as it
surely would be but he treated this
as a small evil in comparison with the
mischief sure to be done by the pres
ence in the cabinet of such a person
as Mr.. Cameron, "reeking with the
stencil of thousand political bargains
worse than this"
When he had abated little of the
vehemence of his language, | took
occasion to ask why | should have
been requested to enter into such a
matter, and on what grounds Mr..
Sumner and -- had reached what
seemed to me the extraordinary.con
clusion that | could be induced to
meddle with it. Senator Sumner in
terrupted me by asking, somewhat
more peremptorily than | quite liked
whether | needed to be informed Of
the true nature of this political Judas
from Pennsylvania, whom Providence
had marked with the capillary sign Of
his character, and who might have sal
to Leonardo da Vinci for the picture
in the Milanese relectory." All thi.
made me but all the more indisposeC
to listen to him, but | finally succeed
ed in ascertaining that he had sent fol
me on the strength of --s assur.
ances as to the way in which Mr.. Lin
coin had been kind enough to speak o
me to himself. | FASTENED to assure
them both that any good opinion
which Mr.. Lincoln might have of mi
must have been based upon my care
full abstinence from precisely sucl
interferences-" impertinent interfer
ences,p | quietly called them-witl
bis affairs, as the intervention to
which they desired to urge me woulC
certainly be. | told them how ex.
tremely slight my acquaintance wa,
with the President-elect, to which -
replied that Mr.. Lincoln himself haC
cited my representations in favor oil
one gentleman whom he hoped to in.
clude among his advisers as havinG
been the the most decisive indorse-
ment" with him of that choice.
could only reiterate my surprise; aud
MIR. Sumner, insisting upon his theme
began again with more fervor, il
possible. He very soon gave me the
true secret of his extreme anxiety on
this point. He asked me what inter
est l or my friends could have in
such preponderance as the Middle
States seemed destined to have in the
cabinet if Mr.. Seward and Mr.. Came
ron we're to enter 1t together, and in
what way it could advance our wishes
or purposes to allow the New England
States, "the cradle'and the spinal life
Of the Republican party" to be hui
inflated and thrust below the salt al
the board which, but for them, would
never have been spread with much
more to the same general effect, but
all this with an intensity and bitter.
ness quite iqdescribable. wa,
more temperate in his expressions, but
almost equally urgent with me to dc
what was compelled, again and again
in the clearest terms, to let them un.
derstand that nothing under heaven
could make me do, even if | had the
| fullest belief that my action could in
any way affect the matter, which !
certainly had not. 1t astonished me tC
see how hard it was, apparently, f0r
| Mr.. Sumner to understand that my
objections to cooperating with ---
and himself did not in some way arise
out of some relations OF my own with
Senator Cameron-out o. some doubt
on my part as to the measure Of mis-
chief to be apprehended from Senator
| Cameron political reputation, and
from the nature of the appointment,
Isure to be made and favored by him
1t was idle Tor me 70 assure him
again and again that / knew perhaps
as much Of Pennsylvania politicians
in general, and Of Senator Cameron
in particular, as other people, aud
should regret as much as he possibly
could any predominance Of Penn
sylvania politicians in the new ad-
ministration. Nothing could stor
him and he insisted on telling me q
succession of stories TO illustrate the
unsorupulousness of Mr., Cameron,
one of which he declared had been
told in his own presence and in O
company of gentlemen by a chief
agent in the transaction, who seemed
to regard it, said Mr. Sumner, as
brilliant triumph Of political skill, a
thing to be proud Of, and decisive
proof Of the fitness of Senator Cam.
eron for any Office in the country.
A CURIOUS CHAPTER IN PENNsYL.
WANNA POLITICS.
1t was to the effect that, when
Cameron found his election to the
senate in grave Doubt. he turned the