New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-27

ana he was ready to stand aside ana axe room ior
a War Democrat who would bring the party mp 10
its duty. Horatio Seymour was elected Go'crn'r
of New York that year, and if his party carries
and holds many of the Northern States" said Mr..
Lincoln we shall have TO give up the fight, for we
can never conquer three-qrarters o. our country
men. scattered in front. flank and rear" MI Weed
was called to Washington. and the President
charged him with a remarkable mission, first to MIR.
Seymour and afterward to General Mcclellan. the
story of which is thus given in Mr.. Weeds own
words:
al have sent for you, Mr.. Weed, to ask yon TO go
to Governor Seymour and tell HIM wat ! say
Tell hun. is his time. Tell him. 90 not wlsh
to be President again. and that the leader OF the
OF her party provided il is IN favor OF vigorous war
against the rebellion; should nave my p,acsi
| ..ntrcat him to give the true ring to his annual
message; and il he will, as he easily can pace
himself at the head of great Union parry ! w hs
| gladly stand aside and help to Int HIM IN the
Executive Chair All we want is to have the
rebellion put down.. , ,f
! Twas not greatly surprised. for / knew before
that su,h was the Presidents view. had before
| heard him say: If there is n man VINO can phsh
| our armies forward one mile further or one hOnr
faster than car he is the man that ought 10 DC III
/ visited Governor Seymour at Albany, and
| delivered my commission from Lincoln. III WAS
received most favorably. Seymours ieennR was
| always right but his head was generally wrong.
| When | left him it WAS understood that MS
message to the Legislature would breathe an
! carr est Union spirit, praislng the soldiers ana
caiiing for more and omitting the Usual criticisms
of the President. forwarded this expectation TO
| Lincoln.
Judge of my disappointment and chagrin when
| Seylnours message cane out-a document cal
culated to aid the enemy. IL demanded ,nat ,n9
war should be prosecuted "on conslitutlonai
grounds "-as if any war ever was or ever could he
and denounced the Administration for the
arbitrary arrest OF Valiandigham and the enforce
Tins attempt to enlist the leader of the Demo
cratic party having tailed, Lincoln authorized NE
| IN Nf('1
q" Tell the General" he said, that we nave no
| wish to injure humIiiatc him: that we wish
only for the success OF our armies that II nc VII
come forward and put himself AT We heau ol Il
Union Democratic party, and. through tat means,
| rush forward the Union cause. VIII gladly step
aside and 40 all can TO secure MS eiect'oh Ill
! l~64."
opened negotiations through s. L. NJ Barlow:
| McCiellan's next friend. Mr. Barlow called.
! told him the scheme 10 bring Mcclellan forward
He shortly aite:ward told me he had seen hun and
secured his acqnlcsccnce, ioi he auueu MIG %
eager to do all lie Can DO TO put down tne
! rebellion" ] suggested great unon-Democratlc
meeting in Union square, at which Mcclellan
should preside and set forth his policy. aud this
| was agreed to by both Mr.. Barlow ana Mcclellan.
| Al the suggestion of Mr.. Barlow, drew mp some
| memoranda OF principles which il see med 10 me
desirable to set forth on that Occasion, and tn st
! Mr.. Barlow agreel to deliver TO Mcclellan. Inc
| time set Tor the maSsnreting was Monday, June
| Is. Once more there see med promise on pIe.hihg
! the Northern hostility ana chMlhg the war. Nv
| 81 ganizing great independent Union party under
! Mcclellan. But this hope failed us too. For, on
the Of the meeting. received torinal icilci
| from Mcclellan declining to preside. wit ont
| giving reasons If be had presided ut that war
! meeting and had pcrsistcnty followed 1t mp
| NOTHING but death cOnld have kept him from beng
! elected President OF the United States in 1864.
Tho restoration of the Union was from first to
! last Lncolns great object and the key to all
! his actions He wished TO recognize only two
| partics-one for the Union. the other against It,
| But in time he became convinced that tie Idea OF
converting the Democracy into a war party was
| fallacious. The result of the experiments with
! seymour and Mcclellan must have destroyed any
/ bores lie entertained on that score SO he learned
| that the preservation Of the country depended
absolutely upon the continued asccndcncy of the
! Republican party Tins 10 affair Of the spollS
1t was vital to the OF the war; to The exist
| ence of the Nation. The battle at the polls was
often more important than the clash of hostile
ranks on the bloody field. The first essential to
| military success was to maintain III power the only
party which was heartily in favor OF fighting.
| Thus il was sometimes in Mr Lincolu's view the
most pressing duty OF the Administration to carry
| tie Northern elections. and occasionally even
military considerations had to be subordinated to
this necessity. Tiers can be little question that it
was q uerccption of the military and still mole of
! the constitutional bearing of Republican party
success which made Mr.. Lincoln, as his first term
/
the rebellioL became Formidable" says Mr.
Boutwell,. " the Republican party became the party
of the Union ana the party of the Union, With
Mr. Lincoln at its head. it from first 10 last he
! ONLY political organization that consistently
persstently and without qualification of purpose,
met, ANA in the end success fully met every demand
| of the enemies of the Government. whether
/ proiiered III diplomatic notes or on the lie OF
battle. He strugc ed first tor the Union. and then
for the overthrow OF slavery the only formidable
enemy of the Union. hese were his tests OF
political fellowship, and lie careful excluded iro Al
| place cvcrl man who could not bear Them" Any
one can the difference between his high prln-
cIplc of action and the practice OF distributing the
sl1rIs Of Office rewards Tor personal services or
| offensive craftsmanship" ii lie had not used Dis
/ p.tionage to strengthen and unite his party. his
party and the country would have been wrecked
together. -
/ There has been question whether Mr.
| Lincoln was ruled by his CABINET, especially by
stanton. seward and Chase / he testimony Of
| these "reminiscences IS emphatic that the Prcsi
dents always the master-mlnd I" They con-
stantly had to yield to his Will" Says Mr.. &. A..
| Dana land if be ever yielded TO theirs it was
! because they con WINGED bin that the conr>e they
| advised was jndicons and appropriate fancicd
during the whole time OF my intimate intercourse
! with hun and with them that lie always
| prepared to receive the resignation oil any one oil
them; and at the same time do not recollect "A
single occasion when either OF the members OF the
! Cabinet had 20. his mind ready to quit his post
from any feeling of dissatisfaction with the orders
or the condnct OF the President" Mr.. Julian gives
the following Illustration OF the peculiar inter
co1rse sometimes observed between the President
ana the Secretary of War;
1t is related that a committee of Western men.
headed by Mr. Loveioy, procured from the Presi-
den an important order looking To the exchange Of
Eastern and Western soldiers, with a view to more
effective work; Repairing to tho office OF the
had done before to the President but was met by "a
flat refusal
"But we have the Presidents Order sir" said
ibid Lincoln give You an order of that kind ?"
said stanton.