The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-11
LINCOLN'S STORIES,
How the Great President Managed tt
Conciliate COntending Factions.


nature. Long intercourse with the
people and with politicians, practice a.
a jury lawyer and experience as 8
legislator. made him familiar with the
weakness and strength of men. Or
one occasion the Governor of North.
ern State rushed to Washington, brist.
ling with complaints against the Wal
Department. He had stormy inter.
view with Mr.. Stanton, and then went
over to the White House to lay his
grievances before the President.
In the course of few hours, the
Governor was seen vending his way to
the railroad station, wearing Il pleasant
smile, and only anxious to go home by
the next train.
"Mr. President, how did you dispose
of the GOVERNOR" asked friend. He
went to you in a towering rage, and
came out smiling. l suppose you found
it necessary to make large concessions
to his demands?"
go no, | didn't concede any thing"
replied the President "You know how
that Illinois farmer managed the big
log which lay in the middle of his feldP
To the question of his neighbors as to
how he was getting along with it, he
replied, I've got rid of that log!'
Got rid of it? How did you do itp
1t was too b g to haul out, too knotty
to split, and too soggy to burn. What
did you do?'
"Well now, boys, if you won't tell the
secret III tell you how l got rid of it;
plowed around it.
Now, said the President, don't tell
anybody, but that's the way 1 got rid
of the Governor. l plowed around
him."
Another Governor, though able, pat.
riotic and untiring in raising troops,
always wanted his own way, and was
very eXacting in his intercourse with
the General Government. Once his
complaints and protests were so bitter
that it was feared he would refuse to
cooperate. The Secretary of War,
therefore, laid the dispatches before the
President.
"Never mind, never mind" said Mr.
Lincoln, after reading them. "Thest
dispatches don't mean any thing. Just
go right ahead. The Governor is like
boy saw once at launching. When
everything was ready they picked Out
boy and sent him under the ship to
knock away the trigger and let her go
cat the critical moment every thins
depended on the boy. He had to dc
the Job by a direct, vigorous blow, and
and then lie fiat and keep still while
the ship slid over him. The boy die
every thing right, but he yelled as i
he was being murdered from the tint
he got under the keel until he got out
Il thought the skin was all scrapec
off his back, but he wasn't hurt at all
The master of the yard told me thai
this boy was always chosen for thai
job, that he did his work well, and haG
never been hurt. But he would Away
squeal.
That's just the way with the Gov.
ernor. He only wants to make yor
understand how hard his task is, ana
that he is on hand performing it.
During the war there arose conhic'
of authority between the military ant
civil powers. Civil officers would gran
permits to bring out cotton from Ger.
tain districts in state of instruction
The military officers, however, be,
lieving that the cotton spectators in.
terfered with army operations, multi,
fed the permits issued by the Treasury
Department. The cotton spectators
brought the matter before President
Lincoln, and through one of his friends
from Illinois, asked what would be the
probable result of the contest
"By the way, what has become OF
our old friend. Bob Lewisp" asked the
circuit court of Dewitt County.
"When Bob became of age" said
| the President, che found among his
fathers papers a number of land-war-
rants. AS the land was located in
Northeast Missouri, he went there to
investigate, going on horseback, with
a pair of saddle-bags.
ARRIVING at the locality, he hitched
| his horse and went into a log-cabin,
standing near the road. The proprie.
tor-a lean, lanky, leathery-lookng
man-was casting bullets, preparatory
to a hunt.
81 am lookingup some lands which
belong to my father, said Lewis, by
way of introducing himself. What is
the number of this section?'
without waiting for the settler to
answer, Lewis exhibited his ttle-pa.
pers and then said:
J." That is my title. What is yoursp
"The pioneer pointed his long finger
to the rifle. which was suspended on
two buck horns above the fireplace
and said:
"'Young man, do you see that gum
Well, that is my title, and if you don't
get out of here quick you will feel the
force of it.
Lewis put his title-papers in his
saddle-bags, mounted his horse anc
galloped down the road.
Now, my friend" said the Presi-
dent, "the military authorities have
the same title against the civil authori
ties. You must Judge what may be