Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-29
LINCOLN INl1864.
What Pc Meant to Do in the Event of McClel-
lan's Election to the Presidency.


The eLife of Lincoln" will reach in
the forthcoming Midsummer holiday
number of the Century by the political
campaign of 1864, when he was second
time the nominee of his party for the
Presidency. Ii seems that Lincoln felt
that the campaign was going against him,
and had made up his mind deliberately as
to the course he should pursue, which, as
stated by the authors, was as follows:
Unwilling to leave his resolution to
the chances of the changed mood which
might follow ia the natural evaporation
of defeat, he had resolved TO lay down
for himself the course of action demand
ed by his present conviction of duty. He
wrote On the 23rd of August the follow
ing memorandum:
"sThis morning, as for several days
past, it seems exceedingly probable that
this Administration will not be reelected.
Then it will be my duty to SO cooperate
with the President elect as to save the
Union between the election and the in
auguration: as he will have secured his
election on such ground that he can not
possibly save it afterward.'
'He then folded and pasted the sheet in
such manner that it's contents could not
be read, and as the Cabinet came together
he handed this paper to each member
successfully. requesting them to write
their names across the back of it. In
this peculiar fashion he pledged himself
and the Administration to accept yally
the anticipated verdict of the people
against him, and to do the utmost to save
the Union in the brief remain der of his
term OF office. He gave no iutimation to
any member of the CabineG of the nature
of the paper they had signed until after
his triumphant re election.
eve copy from the M. s. diary of ope
of the Presidents Secretaries under date
OF November IL, 1864, the following par
sage relating to this incident: At the
meeting of the Cabinet to day the
President took out a paper from his desk
and said Gentlemen, do yod remember
last Summer I asked you all to sign your
names to the back of paper of which
did not show you the ins1def This is it.
Now, Mr.. Hay, see If you can open this
without tearing it, He had pasted it up
in SO singular a style that it eqaired
some cutting TO get it open. He then read
this memorandum: Given in the text
above. The President said: you will re-
member that this was written at the time
six days before the Chicago nomination
conventions, when as yet we had no ad-
versary and seemed TO have no friends.
1 then solomnly resolved On the course Of
action indicated in this paper. Iresolved
in case of election of General Mcclellan,
being certain that he would be the candi-
date, that l would see and talk matters
over with him. I would say: General,
the election has demonstrated that you
are stronger, have more influence with
the American people, than 1. Now let US
together, you with your influence and I
with all the executive power of the Gov
eminent, try to save the country. You
raise as many troops as you possibly can
for this final trial, AID / will devote
all my energies to assist and finish the
war.
'Stewart said, And the General would
have answered you, yes, yes;' and the
next day when you saw him again and
pressed these views upon him he would
have said, Yes, yes and SO on forever,
and would have nothing done at ALL
"'At least said Lincoln 1 should have
done my duty and have stood clear be-
fore my own conscience"