The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-02-13
MR.. LINCOLN IN A CRISIS.
HOW'RE MANAGED SEWARD
Amateur Cabinet Makers Working on n
New Deal and How the Willy Presi-
dent Blocked the Game-A REM
iniscence of the Sixties.
fAdvanoe Sheets Of the February century.l

The resignation of Seward was regarded
as irrevocable, and all the amateur cabi-
net-makers were busy in the preparation
of a new administration. The hopes of all
the enemies of the government were
greatly stimulated by this indication OF
divided counsels and the partisans of Gen.
Mcclellan in particular, thought they saw
in this conjuncture the occasion for his re-
turn to power. In fnct, they felt so sure
of his speedy restoration to command that
they began to s6pulate as the price of
their adhesion to him that he should die
tate his own terms on his return; that he
must insist upon the disposal OF all the
important commands in the army. They
| imagined that the president would be so
helpless that the friends of Mcclellan
might demand any terms they thought
good.
The president, though deeply distressed
at the turn which affairs had taken, pre-
served his GOODNESS and kept his own coun-
sci. On the morning of the goth, in the
presence OF several other members of the
cabinet who had called for further discus
sion of the crisis, the secretary of the
treasury rendered his resignation. He
| held the written paper in his hand, but
| did not advance to deliver it. The presi-
| dent stepped forward and took it with an
| alacrity that surprised and, it must be
said, disappointed Mr.. Chase. He then at
! once dismissed the meeting. From the
moment when he saw Mr.. Chase holding
| his resignation in his hand his way was
clear before him. He Mt once sent an
identical note to the secretary of the treas
ury and the secretary OF state, saying:
You have respectively rendered me your res
| ignatlOns as secretary OF state and secretary OF
| the treasury of the United States. | am APP
! prised OF the circumstances which may render
/ this course personally desirable 30 each of you;
and after most anxious consideration my delib-
| crate judgment Is that the public interest does
/ not admit OF it. l therefore have to request
| that you will resume the duties of your depart
ments respectively. Your obedient servant
A. LINCOLN.
The next morning Mr.. Seward addressed
a brief note to the president, dated at the
! department of state, and saying: 81 have
! cheerfully resumed the functions of this
! department, in obedience to your COM
mand," and inclosed a copy OF this note to
! the secretary of the treasury. Mr.. Chase
found his position not quite so simple as
that of the secretary of state. He did not
| T.
| to the cabinet as promptly as he did In
leaving it. He wrote him brief letter,
! saying:
have received your note and also call from
| Mr.. Nieolay, TO whom ! have promised an ans
wer TO the president tomorrow morning. My
] reflections strengthen my conviction that, be-
/ ing once honOrably out of the cabinet, no i'm
| pOrtant public interest now requires my return
TO it. If | yield this Judgment it will be in
Difference TO apprehensiOns which really seem
TO me unfounded | will sleep on it,
He had seen in the face of the president
| the qualification which the tender of his
resignation had impaired, and returning
to his house, while not entirely compre-
hending what had happened, he seemed
conscious that he had made misstep. He
wrote a letter to the president, from which
we take lew paragraphs;
viii you allow me to say that something you
said or looked when handed you my resigna-
| ton this morning made on my mind the i'm
| preston that, having received the designations
| both of Gov. Seward and myself, you felt that
| you could relieve yourself from trouble by de-
clining to accept either, and that this feeling
was one of Qualifications
He then went on to say that he was glad
OF any opportunity to promote the comfort
of the president, but that he did not de-
sire him to decline accepting his resigna-
! ton. He concluded by saving
he thought both himself and Mr. Seward
could better serve the country at that time
as private citizens than in the cabinet. He
did not Immediately transmit this letter to
the president, and after hearing from Mr..
Seward that he had gone back to the cab
met his suggestion that both would better
retire was no longer practicable. After q
Sunday passed in very serious considera-
ton he resolved to withdraw his reSigna-
ton. He was unable, even then, to imi-
tate the brevity of Mr. Stewards note He
sent to the president his note of the GOTH
| inciOSed in another, in which he said that
reflection had not much If at ALL changed
his original impression, but that it had led
him to the conclusion that he had in this
matter to conform his action to the presi-
dents judgment. He would, therefore,
resume his post as secretary of the treas
ury, ready, however, to retire at any mo-
ment if, in the presidents judgment, the
| success OF the administration might be in
the slightest degree promoted thereby.
The unframed diplomatist of Illinois
had thus met and conjured away, with IN
surpassed courage and skill, one of the
severest crises that ever threatened the in
| tegrity of his administration. He had to
meet it absolutely unaided. From the ma
ture of the case he could take no advice
| from those who were nearest him in the
| government. By placing Mr..
Chase in such an attitude that his resigna-
ton became necessary to his own sense of
dignity he made himself absolute master
of the situation; by treating the resigna-
! tions and the return to the cabinet of both
ministers as one and the same transaction
he saved for the nation the invaluable
services of both and preserved his own
position of entire importantly between the
two wings OF the Union party.
When the cabinet had retired and left the
| president with the resignation of Mr..
Chase in his hands he said to a friend who
entered soon after, in one of those graphic
metaphors so often suggested to him by
the memories of his pioneer childhood,
and which revealed his careless greatness
perhaps more clearly than his most la
bored official utterances, Nov can ride;
l have got pumpkin in each end of my
bag"
Nearly year later he said in a CONVEX
sation relating to this matter: 81 do not
see how it could have been done better |
am sure it was right If had yielded to
that storm and dismissed Seward the
thing would all have slumped over one
way, and we should have been left with a
scanty handful OF supporters. When
| Chase gave in his resignation | saw that