Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-03-01
On tha Nirht of His Eleotion


In the january CcRt0ry Is dcscribll
the secret history Of the formation of
Lincoln's cabinet. We quote the open
ing paragraphs: "Ihcre is dist nguish-
ed authority for the statement that the
work of framing the new cabinet was
mainly performed ON the evening of the
presidential election. After the poles
was closed on the 9th Of November
later. the superintendent of tho tele-
graph at Springfield invited him to
come and remain in his Office and read
the dispatches rs they should come IN.
He accepted the offer; and reporting
himself in due time ut the telegraph
Office. from VIII ch all other visitors
were excluded at 8 o'clock, awaited the
result of the eventual day. Soon the
kilograms came thick and fast, first
from the neighboring precincts and
counties; then from the great Western
cities. Chicago, st. Louis, Cincinnati,
and finally from the capitals of the
doubtful states. Indiana, Ohio, Penn
sylvania and the Empire Slate of New
York. Here in this little room, in the
company of two or three silent opera
tors moving about their mysterious
clicking Instruments, and recording
with imperturbable gravity the swift
throbbing messages from far
and near. Mr.. Lincoln read the reports
as they came in, first in Vague and
fragmentary dribblets. and latter in the
rising and swelling stream of
cheering news. There was never a
nicer or closer calculator of political
probabilities than himself. He was
emphatically ut home among election
figures. All his political life he had
scanned tables of returns with as
much care and accuracy rs he
analysed and scrutanized maxims
of government or platforms Of parties.
Now rs formerly, he was familiar with
all turnng-points in contested coun-
ties and close districts aud knew by
heart the value of each and every
local loss or gain and its relation to
the grand result. In past years, at
| the close of many a hot campaign lie
had searched out his comforts OF vic
tory from discouraging aud adverse
look ng column of figures, or correctly
read the fatal omen of defeat in some
fragmcntary announcement from
| Il
were transcribed, the operators hand
| ed him the messages. which he laid
on his knee while he adjusted his
spectacles. and then read and
re-read several times with deiberation.
He had not long to wait for mdca-
tions. From Il scattering beginning,
made up of encouraging local frag-
ments, the hopeful news rose TO al
most uninterrupted tidings of victory.
! Soon n shower of congratulatOry tele-
grams fell from the wires, and while
his partisans and friends from ali
parts of the country were thus shaking
hands with HIM by lightning over
the result he could hear the shouts and
speeches of his Springfield followers.
gathered in the great hall of the state
house across the street, and fairly
making that building shake with their
rejocings.
"Of course his first emotions were
those of kindling pleasure and pride
at the sweeping completeness of his
|
success But this was only momen-
tary blow. He was indeed president
elect; but with that consciousness there
fell upon him the appalling shadow of
his mighty task and responsibility. 1t
seemed rs if he suddenly bore the whole
world upon his shoulders, and could
not be shaken off; and sitting there in
the yet early watches of the night he
read the still-coming kilograms in
sort of absent minded mechanical rou-
tine, while his inner man took up the
crushing burden of his country s troub-
les, and traced out the laborious path of
comm NC duties. when finally babe
my friends goodnight and left the
room,' said Lincoln, 1 had substanti-
ally completed the framework of my
cabuet as it now exists.
IF the grouping and combining of
the new president intended councillors
occurred ut this time. it is no less true
that some of them were selected at an
earlier date. In tina mean time no one
was informed of his intentions in this
regard. For full month after the ell
ection he gave no intimation whatever
of his purpose.
The Last British Fad