New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-21

ovr OF TIE PLAIN PEopLE."
v,,rAx !. coryEY RECALLS ANECDOTES OF THE
WARTIME.
;uLI

have had the opportunity to render
~v,ce SO important aud benefcent to country ana
hrmanity as Abraham Lincoln. Bnt we may ques-
t;on whether his career as President and Emanci-
,ator through the trying scenes of the great CS'i
war or even the tragic and touching incidents OF
his nutimeIy death, wouid have excited and kept
Live the afectionate and increasing interest IN
h,s character. If that character had not peeh
.rted nv traits some of them quaint, original ana
homelv. that appealed to the common heart OF man
lind and revealed that touch OF nature that makes
,he whole world kin. 1t has been often and truth
,nllv said of him that he was man whose heart Lay
close to the great popular heart and felt Its beat
;uys Even after he had reached the perilous eeva-
t,on NJ the White House. where the truth is apt to
he seen through very refracted mediums lie never
Cor a moment lost the faculty of reading the mind
- ,hose whom he called the plain people" In
.rnth he was by BIRTH education, experience and
s.r,n,tbv me of ~ the plain people" himself, and
.ho traits that make hun uniquely interesting
,vere simply the outgrowth OF mind, original ana
v;yorous. and n kindly heart. developed by, ana
tal;nc shane from the modes of thought and ex-
rresson the habits aud manner of life OF the people
amid whom he had been brought up ana lived
norn In England or Massachusetts, and educated
in conventional fashion at Oxford or Harvard, he
would doubtless have been man Oh marx ana
nower lint he would have not have been the Abra-
MacauIay argued that Millions learning tended to
elm the wings of his imagination. it NAV be said
that the training of the schools would probably
have polished away, not indeed the native humor
e,a shrevd faculty of observation, but that quaint
and original habit of thought and speech which
found constant expression in racy aud effective
phrase and in stories Of Western life often home'y
but never obscene, and always singnlarly apt In
illustration.
But am not writing an essay on MI Lincoins
character or genus.-a theme well worn but not yet
exhausted. My less ambitious work is to record
a few examples of his "preachng by parable" and
of his habit Of condensng idoa in single telling
phrase
When these incidents happened may premise
that was in the public service. and by virtue of
= custom established by Mr. Lincoln. had occa-
sional access to the Cabinet meetings during the
absence of my departmental chief, the Attorney
General. But l had such intimacy with the
President or opportunities OF gathering the good
things that fell from his lips as others some OF them
yet living had. and what l have to tell is, with
small exception doubtless well-knowa to those who
were nearer to him than L But think it has not
before been published.
The skill and success with which Mr.. Lincoln
would dispose of an embarrassing question or avoid
premature committal to q policy advocated by
others is we'll known. He know how to send appii-
cants away in good humor even whom they failed
to extract the desired response
A story told of him after General Cameron's
retirement from the War Department, which have
mover seen in print illustrates this habit Every
one knows that Mr. Linooln's Cabinet was chosen
chiefly from his rivals for the Presidential nomiua-
ton aud from considerations largely political But
the exigencies Of the demanded. in the opinion
of many good Republicans. reorganization of the
I'll al al NJ mr.
for the great work in hand. OF this opinion were
some of the leading Republican Senator'S After the
retire ment of General Cameron they held caucus
and appointed committee to wait on the Presi-
dent The committee represented that inasmuch
as the Cabinet had not been chosen with reference
to the war; and had more less lost the confidence
of the country and since the President had decided
to select new War Minister, thcy thought the
occasion was opportune to change the whole seven
Cabinet Ministers. They therefore earnestly
advised him to make clean sweep and select seven
new men and 50 restore the waning confidence Of
the country. The President listened with patient
courtesy and when tho Senators had concluded he
said, with characteristic CLEAN OF hunor in his
eye; aGensie1nen, your request fof change of the
whole Cabinet because l have made one change,
reminds me of story once heard In Illinois oil q
farmer who was much troubled by skunks They
annoyed his household at night. and his wife in
sisted that he should take measures to get rid OF
them. One moonlight Night he loaded his oil SHOT
gun and stationed himself In the yard to watch for
the intruders. his wife remaining IN tho house
anxiously awaiting the result. After some time she
heard the shotgun 90 of and In few minutes the
farmer entered the house. What luck mad you =
said She Il hid myself behind the wood pile said
the old man, with the shotgun pointed toward the
hen-roost and before long there appeared not one
skunk but ssven. I took dim. bazed away, killed
ono. and he raised such a fearful smoll that con-
cluded IL was best to let the other six co."
With hearty laugh the Senators retired and
nothing more was heard Of Cabinet reconstruction
One of Mr.. Lncolns most amiabe qualities was
the patience and gentleness with which ne would
listen to people who thought they had wrongs to
redress or claims to enforce. But sometimes whom
his patience had been abused for selfish or I'M
worthy purposes he was quite capable Of admin
isteripg canstic rebuke IN his own way
One day when he was alone and bnsily engaged
on an important subject. involving vsxatioD and
anxiety, he was. by some mIschance, disturbed by
the unwarranted intrusion OF three men who
without apology. proceeded to lay their claim
before him. The spokesman Of tho three reminded
the President that they we're the owners of some
torpedo or other warlike invention which. IL the
Government would only adopt IL. would soon crust
The rebellion. sNow," said the spokesman. w
have been here TO see you time and again; yon hav
referred ma TO the Secretary Of War. to the Chief
Ordnance and the General of the Army, and the,
will give us no satisfaction. We have been KEEP
here waiting till money and patience are ex
hausted and We now come to demand of you lina
reply TO eur application"
Mr.. Lincoln listened quietly 10 this insoen
TRADE. and at its close the old twinkle came int
bis eye.