The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-12

PHILADELPHIA. july lL-IRe IlMeS
publishes the following under the head OF
Spanked and Dismissed"
ITO John G. Nicolay.
1.-The public will be surprised that such
an undignified letter as yours addressed TO
me should be received from one who
claims to be the biographer of Lincoln.
| Had you known anything of the inside po-
! htical movements Of the White House In
1864 you would know that my letter TO
Lincoln, quoted in your defense, was writ
| ten because OF a suddenly developed effort
in this state to define the line drawn by
the then bitter Cameron and Curtin fac
| tional war as for and against Lincoln. The
| Cameron followers claimed to be the spe-
cial supporters of Lincoln and attempted
TO drive Curtin and the state administra-
| tion into hostility to the president NV
| justly assumed devotion TO Curtin wasithe
pretext for declaring me as either restrain
| ed in my support of Lincoln or likely to be
| in the opposition. The moment ! saw the
| letter in print ] wrote the letter you refer
| to- to dismiss from MIR. Lincoln's mind all
apprehension about either open or passive
| opposition from Curtin's friends. Had
| you so stated these facts you would have
| been truthful; not knowing of them you
! may be excused for not stating them.
! But your ignorance can be no excuse Tor
| your false construction.
Equally false is your statement in re-
| gard TO the action of the Pennsylvania
| delegation in the Baltimore convention in
1864 You say that Gen. Cameron cast the
| solid vote OF the state for Hamlin. Had
| you desired TO be truthful you would have
| added that the solid vote of the state was
| cast for johnson before the end of the
| first ballot Were you ignorant Of this
| fact? Or haze YOU deliberately attempted
to suppress the truth? The Pennsylvania
delegation was personally harmonious
| although divided on a president. 1u a
! caucus Of the delegation an informal vote
! put johnson in the lead, with Hamlin
second and Dickinson third. Cameron
] knew that Johnson would be nominated
and urged a solid vote for Hamlin as a
! Just compliment TO him, and it was given,
with the understanding that If it did not
| help Hamlin the vote was TO be changed TO
Johnson.
"What did or did not or how simple or
unimportant | was as a member OF the
convention, is an issue that | have not
raised or invited. ] state the simple fact
that Lincoln had sent for me and had
urged me to support johnson, and that |
had done So Had Lincoln chosen 70 con
fide his wishes to another / would not
have initiated his secretary and charged 1
him with deceit and falsehOod because be
did not tell all his purposes. He did not
trust you with what you probably could
not have understood had he told you. But
that is no reason why you should accuse
him of deception intrigue and writing a
deliberate lie He wrote you the exact
truth in the only paper you have as a
basis for your ineXcusable misconception
of his language. In it he says that Sweet
is unquestionably all right, and the only
thing he could have been right about was
his active opposition to Hamlin's nomina-
tion. Your history is quite right in quot
ing Lincoln, but he cannot he held respon
slbie for the common understanding OF
l. L..
quarter of century after his death. /
For answer TO your undiguifed at
tempt to belittle the relations between
Lincoln and myself refer you to your
photographer, Mr.. Hay who refused 10
sustain your Interpretation OF LincOln's
note. He added that the dispute is "A
question OF yeracity between you and me- (
and speaks of me as one armed with his /
enviable record of close intimacy with our /
illustrious Lincoln One Of yOu is living |
on this point Is it Mr.. Hay or your Had /.
you sought the truth as an honest 7
biographer, you could have obtained IL
not only from me, but from such living 4
witnesses as Charles A. Dana and Murst [
Halstead, and from the recorded testi- /
mony OF Gen. Cameron, Col Forpey and /
others, who knew much Of Lincoln and 4
little of you. Instead Of seeking the truth, /
you flung your ignorance and egousm !
with ostentatiOus iudecency upon the !
lin, aud when brought to bay by those /
better informed than yourself you resent 4
in the tone and terms Of the ward heeler /
in a wharf rat district battling for con-
stabulary honors / think IL is safe 70 say
that the public judgment will be that IL
would have been we'll for both Lincoln's
memory and the country had such
biographer been drowned when a pup
Dismissed.
[SignedI "A. X. II"
NICoLAT's REPLY.
WAsHISGToN, July 1I--Johu 6. Nicolay
today printed a response % tho open letter
by Col. Mcclure. editor of the Ph ladel-
phia Times, in which be says that he does
not propose to allow Mcclure 70 retrea. in
2 cloud Of vl-uperstion from full couvlc-
tion Of having made q misstateueut of
history. Mcclure statement. be says.
that Lincoln instructed him iNcCi1re) 70
oppose Hsnliu's nomination ls proven 20
be a IHisstatement by L5Dc0ln's = own writ-
ten words, which be quotes a. follows.
Wish not 20 interfere about vice prssi-
dencT, cannot interfere about platform,
convention must judge for ITSELF"
i j. proven 10 be n IHisstafernent. says
Eicolay. by the testimony q Urn- = q.
Cook, chairman of the Illinois delegation,
who says be went 70 see Lincoln about ms
choice for vice president. 10 having been ,
binted that Lincoln favored johnson
AttfE a+t4A .-41 -h4lSisag Aassa A4Atsa.ftAA
expressed no preference a. 20 vice presi- .
dent.sl candidate, bet. after the interview I
WITH him. bs was as POS tive TIA. hauni-
bal Hamhu was bis iayosits rs Tat Ls was
alive
7, IS further proven % - a rnissta;e- ,
rnent, says SicolaY. ~ Coz. Hsy. who ssys; :
I have nothing 20 say about Slcolay' 3 a. ,
zertlon or about a5s telegram, bot CO cor !
soboTate the statement taAt Lincoln with .
he'd az opinion calculated 70 tnhGenoe tie !
b l-i11ore convention II f5ff .
7. is proven - BE- 2 z.Isststsz1sct, con
inue> The letter bT ClL McC.urss = ouu ,
action in TIE Baltimore convention. when. =
s.: iae Grs: yCge t1r vice.. .le1i. ae voted
fcr Hauliu. II Col HcCIurs d.d rhis wtIi-
uZ.F. SAYS Nlno.sy, Ee betrayed Ia1colBs
alleged CCuG5sEcs and snstruct sols. Il Re .
"a sl uau-.-l1giy. be DrJred himself :
political cfp1s---a pretended sg@at 3 .
zuAus p ale = national couTeatsCu y DO had :
cot t1GBeCce sCoEgn ia he oeFa ce3esa-
Son 80 clCtrl. rs owa vote Ias EFst roll .
-4l! was decisive iu E74ow3uz .To4asIrs's = =
1a..4. Aszi 10 showed taSg Nectar -5a-
-53aze1 aufE.ng for b1t sTzTgtl4ag
,gs.Zst. q result l. saTs he was con nils
.4ols1 - bring abo1- =
sHE-EF's CODY. q
Nav ToasE. gaIy Is-Cor1aer I<vy !
!. zs-s4 traEzv tfse - rrrIg haze IT,. F-~yf- -