The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-02-10
Laaoola % the Night of ass Blso.

In q recent number OF zAe CeMt3yy
10 described tho. secret history Of the
formation Of Lincoln's Cabinet. We
quote the opening paragraphs: ssThere
Is distinguished authority for tho state
ment that the work Of framing the
new Cabinet was mainly performed
on the evening OF the Presidential
election. After che polls were closed
Of, the 9th Of November (so Mr.. Lin.
coin related a year or two later,) the
superintendent Of the telegraph at
Springfield invited him to come aud re.
main Ia his Office and read the dis
patches as they should como In. He
accepted tho offer; and. reporting him.
self In due time at tho telegraph Office.
from which all other visitors were exc
cludcd at 0 o'clock, awaited the result
Of the evcntful day. Soon the tele.
grams came thick aud fast, first from
tho neighboring precincts and coun.
ties; then from the great Western
cities, Chicago. st. Louis. Cincinnati,
and finally from tho capitals OF the
doubtful States, Indiana, Ohio, Penn.
sylvania, and the Empire State of New
York. Hero In this little room, in the
company of two or three silent opera.
tors moving about their mysteriously
clicking Instruments. and recording
with impcrturbablc gravity the swift
thrObbiMg messages from near and'far,
Mr.. Lincoln read the reports as they
came in, first in vague and fragment
airy driblcts, and later in tho rising
and swelling stream Of cheering news.
There was never q nicer or closer cal
calator Of political probabilities than
himself. He vas emphatically at
home among election figures. All his
political life lie had scanned tables of
returns with as much are aud accur-
acy as he analysed and scrutinized
maxims of government OF platforms
of parties. Now. as formerly, he was
familiar with all the turning-points in
contested counties and close districts,
and knew by heart the value of each
and every local loss or gain and its re-
lation to tho grand result. In past
years, at the close Of many a hot CAM
paign lc had searched out the COM
forts of victory from n ~discouraging
and advcrsc-looking column of figures,
or correctly read the fatal omen Of dc.
feat in somo fragmcntary announce
mcnt from a precinct or county. ST.
lcntly, as they werc transcribed, the
operators handed him the messages,
which he laid on his knee while he ad-
justed his s~pcctaclcs, and then read
and rc-rcud several times with delibcr.
alton. He had not long to wait for
indications. From q Scattering be-
ginning. made up of encouraging 10.
cal fragments. tho hopeful ncws rosc
to almost uninterrupted tidings of vic.
tory. Soon a shower of congratu.
latory kilograms fell from tho wires,
and while his partisans and friends
from all parts of the country were
thus shaking hands with HIM by light
ming over the result, he could hcartlle
shouts and speeches OF his Springfield
followers, gathered in tho great hall Of
the State-liousc across tho street, and
fairly making that building shake with
their rejoicings.
"Of course his first emotions were
those of a kindling pleasure and pride
ut the sweeping completeness of his
success. But this was only a mo.
mentary glow. He was indeed Presi-
dcnt-clect; but with that conscious
ness there fell upon him the appalling
shadow of his mighty task and rcspon.
sibility. 1t seemed as If he suddenly
bore the whole world upon his should.
ers, and could not shake 1t of; and
sitting there in the yet carly watches
of tho night, he read the still-coming
kilograms in a sort of absent-minded
mechanical routine. while his inner
man took up the crushing burden Of
his country's troubles, and traced out
the laboriOus path Of coming duties.
When l finally babe my friends good
night and left that roOm,' said Lin.
coin, Il had substantially completed
tho framework of my Cabinet as it now
eYiafa.s