The sun., 1880-12-12

Thirteen years have now elapsed since the
death of the remarkable man known as the
war Governor" Of Massachusetts,. yet there
are no signs OF the speedy appearance OF
the biography in whose preparation Mr.. Il. Z.
Whipple has been understood to be engaged.
Tho Messrs. Roberts therefore. have done well
to publish tho small volume entitled Memoirs
and "reminiscences Of John A. Andreto. by PELEd
W. CHANDLER. 1t Is true that the sketch OF his
subjects life originally prepared by Mr..
Chandler for the Massachusetts Historical
| Society is somewhat meagro in substance
| and academical in tone. 1t was not. he tells
u.s. consistent with the usages OF the society
to enter into discussion OF controverted
| political points. nor would it, we infer. have
tailed with the austere temper OF that body had
he ventured to enliven his discourse with cheer
| full and suggestive anecdotes. The skeleton OF
| facts presented in this memoir Is however.
| abundantly and happily filed out by Mr.. Chan
| dler in the personal "reminiscences included In
| the present volume. and which seem to be the
| fruit Of long and intimate acquaintance with
| Gov. Andrew. There is. to be sure. one char
| acteristlc and interesting incident which hap
pens to turn upon prayer recorded in the
memoir ITSELF namely. an informal mission.
| on which young Boston merchant was sent to
| Abraham Lincoln and which Is thought to have
HdStcHtu tHo Du'
! this was very generally reprinted in the news
papers ut the time OF its first publication in
| April Of this year.
Mr. Chandler's recollections are otted down
in such an informal. sprghtly. engaging way.
| that the writer seems to be induging himself In
| ironical comment on tho dry. Judicial tone
which he had affected In the preceding memoir
| out Of Difference to the tastes and habits OF his
| audience. Nothing more genial and effective
| in the way OF biographical ana has lately been
! produced by any professional man Of letters.
| In his appraisement OF his subjects. character.
| abilities. and achievements. Mr.. Chandler Is at
| once generous and discriminative. He points
| out how Andrew was trammelled all his life by
| the defects OF his early education. by his neg
| lect OF anything like steady work at school and
| college. The boy was. it seems what is called
an omnivoroIs. that Ia to say q desultory
| reader, but he never applied himself like lad
who meant business. to the studies before him.
| 1t was an obvious consequence OF such lack Of
| discipline that it was at all times not only
| difficult for him to sit down TO hard work
| but that it cost him far more than the
| normal amount OF labor to master the legal
| questions necessarily occurring in his practice
| IIo got up his cases. however. with great care
and patience. and IN the management OF them
| displayed dexterity and pertinacity which
| must HtNo ScCuicu Hii uuu hN''. " h'kh
| position at the bar. Indeed. at the time OF his
death he was doing lucrative business, earn
ing. Mr. Chandler tells us. some 100000 year.
| Tho peculiarly sympathetic character OF the
| man might have been inferred from the char
| acter OF the clients whom. In his early practice.
he drew around him. No one who had hard
case with no money to pay for legal assistance.
was ever turned away from his Office for that
reason. and no one. however guilty. was de-
| MED the advocacy which. on technical or moral
| grounds. he seemed entitled to receive.
thank God" q lawyer once exclaimed to An
drew. that there is one man at the bar to look
| out for the poor devils who are guilty enough.
and have no friends and no money" Before
he became immersed in politics. Andrew was
| employed 1t seems. good deal in divorce
cases. especially on behalf OF the weaker sex.
| 1t must be confessed. says Mr. Chandler. that
in these matters he was sometimes grossly de-
| ceived by his fair clients. A case is cited whero
there was conclusive evidence OF the woman's
guilt and where Mr. Chandler. who was coun-
sci for the injured husband. made known the
facts to Andrew. and offered to enter into an
arrangement by which the woman's wrong
doing need not come out. Andrew. we are told.
regarded this as a sort OF blufr. and was in the
highest degree indignant. sending back de-
6ance in strong language. embracing some
robust expressions that he would not have used
In a Sunday school address. Tell your mas
ter" he shouted in conclusion, to the astonished
messenger. " am not afraid Of him and all his
crew." The decision. however. was against him.
though Mr.. Chandler thinks it doubtful whether
Andrew was ever convinced Of its justice.
He was a Northern Whg; in other words
Andrew. while an Rnt-savery man. was
in favor only OF such measures as could
be constitutionally adopted in relation to
Ia. 81.
OF Mr.. Garrison. he did not approve his
methods. and was shocked by his asperties
and indiscriminate denunciations OF the slave
owners" He thought 1t was possible to hate
slavery without hating every slave owner. Even
after the nomination OF Fremont he declared
that II the Whig Convention in Massachusetts
woul put good State ticket in the field. and
take no action on tho Presidential question he
and his friends would co0peratci in keeping the
old party alive in tho Commonwealth. The
Whig party OF Massachusetts preierred to 90
down with colors flying. and took course
which Was intended as a declaration Of war
against Andrew and all who acted with him.
As political manager Andrew was not sue
cessful. He was not. indeed personally OBJ
noXious. like Sumner. who. as Mr.. Chandler
reminds us. could not DO elected member OF
the School Committee in his own ward
Andrew. on the contrary. was personally pcpu-
lar all his life, and with all sorts of people; bu,
when 1t came to matters OF principle he was too
strniGhttorward square. and emphatic to suit
those who would like to accommodate their
principles to special emergencies" Moreover
he was the most obstinate OF men when he took
u position. and singularly destitute in n ward
caucus Of that tact which is at onco effective
with the promscuous crowd and those who arc
clothed in purple and fne linen" Il was
Andrews singular good fortune that. during
his two terms in the Legislature 1S5s -6Ol the
Republican party was gricvously deficient In
parliamentary ability, and he was put forward
rs tho champion OF tho popular side in an un.
equal contest with Caleb Cushing. Andrew go
all tho applause. but he also got some
sharp raps from tho veteran politician
which, there is too much reason to think
the sufferer never forgave Andrews nomina.
tion Tor Governor in 1860 seems to have beer
tho outcome Of genuine popular impulse
which overwhelmed the old political managers
who regarded him as an intruder upon theil
preserves. Mr. Chandler WAS in tho Logsa.
ture during tho second and third years after