San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-27
A NEW ANECDorE OF LINCOLN.
The Way He Found Relief When
Depressed.

From Harper's for October.
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
a of necessity, not of choice"
The act had been passed and APP
proved. We could issue $50, 600, 900
in currency at once; $50, 600, 900 would
pay the demanded notes, leaving
carry on the war for some months to
come.
We had also gained our first mill
tary success. Grant had captured
Forts Henry and Donelson, and was
pushing for Nashville. The clouds,
seemd to be breaking away, and the
future to look more hopeful.
L was, therefore, surprised when,
one afternoon late in February, 1862.
President Lincoln entered the Re-
gister's room with as sad a look as
/ ever saw upon his face.
He dropped YEARLY into q seat he
had previously chosen, and after a
short silence, exclaimed:
"What have you to say about this
legal tender act? Here is a commit
tee of great financlers 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" I said. 1.-The time for argu-
ment has passed. Legal tender is in
evitable. The gentlemen you men,
ton have made it q necessity. The
people would take our notes without
the legal tender clause. The banks
and the copperheads will not. We
cannot risk the country in their
hands. You have followed your own
good Judgment in signing the act.
The people will sustain you and Sec
rotary Chase and Congress-"
II do not see that / am exclusively
responsible he continued. ~ say
to these gentlemen, go to Secretary
Chase; he is managing the finance
They persist, and have argued me
almost blind. 1 am worse off than
st. Paul. He was in o strait betwixt
two. / am in a strait betwiXt twenty,
and they are bankers and finan-
Gers"
"You are right in signing the act,"
L said; THAT point has passed de-
bate.n
NOW, that is just where my mind
is troubled" he continued. "We
owe q lot of money which we cannot
pay; We have got to run in debt still
deeper. Our creditors think we are
honest and will pay in the future.
They will take u notes, but they
want small notes which they can use
among themselves. So far 1 see no
objection, but / do not like to say to q
creditor you shall accept in payment
of your debt something that was not
money when it was contracted. That
doesn't seem honest, and 1 do not
believe the constitution sanctions
dishonesty"
"No more do l." L replied. ~ do
not claim that legal tender can be up
held as al abstract right under the
constitution. But selfpreservation is
a right higher than the constitution.
We are warranted in making any
sacrifice of property or political right
to saw the union. Gold and silver
are beyond our reach; our soldiers
must be paid and fed and clothed.
We can issue treasury notes and cir
culate them as currency. 1t is right
and honest that we should give them
the qualify OF legal tender, provided
we return to specie as soon as the
necessity has passed. Ihave watched
the debates in Congress. 1 have read
the opinion OF your Attorney General.
There are those who hint and suggest
that legal tender is provided for in
the Constitution. L have read no
speech in which that right is broadly
asserted. I believe it safer to defend
U position on the ground OF neces-
sity."
II 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 dis
tricts, from the people,"
He again relapsed into silence,
which / did not interrupt. Then he
said: "When the old monks had tired
themselves out In fighting the devil,
did they not have places to which
they retired for rest, which were
called r~etreats?n
.'They did," I answered, Though
I understand they were for spiritual
rather than bodily recuperation."
~ think of making this office one OF
my ~retreats,u he said. "Its is so
quiet and restful here. Do you never
get discouraged ?"
II shall be delighted to have you,"
I said, ignoring his question. 81
only wish / could say of it as Father
Prout sang of the "Groves of Blair
ney."
There's gravel walks there for specuia-
tion,
And conversation is sweet solitude"