The morning call., 1890-10-26
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
A New Anecd0te of Him and the
Legal Tender Act.

The fight of legal tender had been won,
and won on the ground stated by Thaddeus
Stevens in the opening sentence of his
speech: 'This bill is measure of necessity,
not of choice" The act had been passed
and approved. We could issue S150,0O0, 600
in currency at once, S50,000,O00 would pay
the demand notes. leaving S100,000,000 to
pay our soldiers and carry ON the war for
some months to come.
We had also gained our first military
success. Grant had captured Forts Henry
and Donels0n and was pushing for Nash
vile. The clouds seemed to be breaking
away and the future to look more hopeful.
l was therefore surprised when one after
noon late in February, 1862, President Lin
coin entered the Registers room with as sad
a look as | ever saw on his careworn face,
writes L. E. Chittenden in an article on
New Moneys of Lincoln's Administra-
ton," in Harper's Magazine for October.
He dropped YEARLY into a seat he had pre-
viously chosen, and after short silence eX-
claimed:
w hat have You to say about this legal
tender act? Here is a committee of great
financers from the great cities who say that,
by approving this act, | have wrecked the
country. They know all about it-or they
are mistaken"
you have done nothing of the kind"
said. THE time for argument has passed.
Legal tender is inevitable. The gentlemen
you mention have made it necessity. The
legal-tender clause The banks and the cop
perheads will not. We cannot risk the conn
try in their hands. You have followed your
own good judgment in signing the act. The
people will sustain you and Secretary Chase
and Congress-"
81 do not see that 1 am exclusively re-
sponsible," he continued. Il say to these
gentlemen, Go to Secretary Chase; he is
managing the finances They persist, and
have argued me almost blind. L am worse
off than Saint Paul. He was in straight
betwixt two. l am in a straight betwixt
twenty, and they are bankers and finan-
cers."
You are right in signing the act, | said;
''that point has passed debate"
Now that is Just where my mind is
troubled" he continued. ''We owe lot of
money which we cannot pay; we have got
think we are honest and will pay in the
future. They will take our notes, but they
want small notes which they can use among
themselves. So far l see no objection, but
| do not like to say to creditor you shall
accept in payment OF your debt something
that was not money when it was contracted.
That doesn't seem honest, and / do not be-
lieve the Constitution sanctions dishonesty"
NO more do l." replied. 81 do not
claim that legal tender can be upheld as an
abstract right under the Constitution. But
MISREPRESENTATION is right higher than the
Constitution We are warranted in making
any sacrifice of property or political right
to save the Union. Gold and silver are be-
You'd our reach; our soldiers must be paid
and fed and clothed. We can issue
Treasury notes and circulate them as cur
rency. 1t is right and honest that we
CHI uiy 70 hap, puo lity of 1agoI tau6ar
provided we return to specie as soon as the
necessity has passed. l have watched the
debates in Congress. have read the opin-
ion of your Att0rney-General. There are
those who hint and suggest that legal tender
is provided tor in the Constitution. | have
read no speech in which that right is broadly
asserted. | believe it safer to defend our
position on the ground of necessity"
81 understand that is Chase's ground,
though he does not put it so strongly. We
shall see. We will wait to hear from the
country Dissatisfaction the people"
He again relapsed into silence, which I
did not interrupt. Then he said. when
the old monks had tired themselves ont in
fighting the devil, did they not have places
to which they retired for rest, which were
called retreatsg
"They did" answered. Though IN
derstand they were for spiritual rather than
bodily recuperati0n."
II think OF making this office one of my
retreats" he said. 1t is so quiet and restful
here. Do you never get discouraged"
Il shall be delighted to have you" | said,
ignoring his question. II only wish l could
say of it, as Father Prout sang of the Groves
of Blarney,
There's gravel walks there for speculation,
And conversation in sweet solitude.
"Tell me more of that ballad" he ex-
claimed cheerily Il like its jingle. What
an Irish eonccit that is-'conversation in
sweet solitude "
81 fear | cannot l must send you the
book. l only remember,
There's statues gracng this noble place in,
All heather goddesses so fair.
Bold Neptune, Piutarch and Nicodaymus,
A-Standlng naked in the open air.
81 must have that book tonight" he
said. ga good Irish bull is medicine for the
blues"
He left the Office actually to the sound of
his own musical laugh. He sent for the
6ook-a copy of Croiton Crocker's Popular
Songs of Ireland" 1t is before me now;
priceless almost, when | remember that it
once gave Abraham Lincoln some pleasure,
some respite from his cares.
This story may possibly be regarded as
trivial, but it tends to show with what in
tense earnestneSs the President bore his
grave responsibilities, and that he seized
upon an amusing story or volume because it
diverted him for the moment and strength
ened rather than weakened his capacity for
his graver duties. | think it tends also to
Illustrate the simple honesty of his mind.
Had Mr.. Lincoln been preserved to the re-
public l do not believe that the question of
legal tender would have been carried into
the Supreme Court of the United States.
The weight Of his influence. never so pow
erlul as on the day of his death, would have
been thrown in favor of commencing the
retirement Of The legal-tender notes at the
close of the war, and the return to specie