Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-18

cause of any specially selfish attribute of
his character, that he thus limited his conf
dence in all his intercourse with men.
NEVER UNBosoMED HIMSELF TO OTHERS.
In this view of Lincoln 1 am fully sus-
tained bv those who knew him best The
one man who saw more of him in all the
varied vicissitudes of his life, from early
manhood to his elevation to the presidency,
was William h. Herndon, who was his
close friend and law partner for full score
of wears. In analyzing the character of Lin
coin he thus refers to his care as to conf
dants: "Mr. Lincoln never had confdant
and, therefore, never unbosomed himself to
others. He never spoke ofshis trials to me,
or, so far as knew, to any of his friends"
David Davis, in whose sober Judgment Lin
coin had more confidence than in that of his
other friends, and who held as intimate re-
lations to him as was possible by any, saws:
'.I knew the man so well; he was the most
reticent, seeretive man ever saw or expect
to see.''
Leonard SWEET is we'll known to have
been the one whose counsels were among
the most welcome TO Lincoln, and who
doubtless did counsel him with more free
dom than anv other man. In letter given
in "Herndon's Life of Lincoln" he saws:
'From the commencement of his life to its
close I have sometimes doubted whether he
asked anvbody's advice about ANYTHING. He
would listen to everybody; he would hear
everybody; but he rarely, if ever, asked for
opinions" He adds in the same letter
Gas a politician and as President he ar
rived at all his conclusions from his own re-
fections and when his conclusions were
once formed, he never doubted but what
they were right"
MISTAKE AROTTT HIS FRASENrSS
Speaking of his generally assumed frank
ness of character SWEET says-"One great
public mistake of his (Lincoln's) character
as generally received and acquiesced in, is
that he is considered by the people of this
country as a frank, guileless and un-
sophisticated man. There never was a
greater mistake. Beneath smooth sur
face of candOr and apparent declara-
tion of all his thoughts and feelings, he
exercised the most exalted tact and wisest
discrimination. He handled and moved
men remotely as we do pieces npon a chess
board He retained through life all the
friends he ever had, and he made the wrath
of his enemies to praise him. This was not
hv cunning or intrigue in the low accepta-
tion of the term, but by far-seeing reason
and discernment. He always told only
enough of his plans and purposes to induce
the belief that he had communicated all; vet
he reserved enough 10 have communicated
nothing"
Mr. Herndon, in lecture delivered on
Lincoln 10 a Springfield audience in 1866,
said: "IIe (Lincoln) never revealed himself
entirely to any one man, and therefore he
will ALWAYS TO a certain extent remain
veloped in doubt. I always believed l
could read him as thoroughly as anv
man, vet he was so different in many re-
spects from any other one l ever met before
or since his time that cannot say COM
pretended him.
Mr.. Lamon, who completes the circlue of
the men who were closest TO Lincoln, the
man who was chosen by Lincoln TO accom-
Tany him on his midnight journey from
Harrisburg 70 Washington and whom he
appointed Marshal of the District of Co
lumbia to have him in the closest touch
with himself, thus describes Lincoln in his
biography: "AIr. Lincoln was a man apart
from the rest of his kind-unsocial, cold,
impassive; neither a good hater or fond
friend" And he adds that Lincoln "made
simplicity and candor a mask of deep feel
ings carefully concealed, and subtle plans
studiously veiled from all eyes but one"
NOT GUILTY OF DECEIT
I have seer Lincoln many times when he
seemed to speak with the utmost candor;
have seen him many times when he spoke
with mingled candor and caution, and l
have seen him many times when he spoke
but little and with extreme caution. 1t
must not be inferred, because of the testi-
monv borne to Lincoln's reticence gener-
allv and to his singular methods in speak
ing on subjects OF a confidential nature that
be was ever guilty of deceit. He was GER
tainlv one of the most sincere men have
ever met, and he was always one of the
most sagacious men that this, or anv other
country has ever produced. He was not a
man Of cunning, in the ordinary acceptation
OF the word; not man who would mislead |
in any way, unless by silence; and when |
occasion demanded, he would speak with |
entire freedom as far as it was possible for |
him 10 speak at all regard him as one |
who believed that the truth was not always |
70 be spoken, but who fimlv believed, also, |
that only the truth should be spoken when |
It was necessary to speak at all.
Lincoln's want of trust in those closest to |
him was often great source of regret, and |
al times of modification. i have many |
shines heard Mr.. SWEET and Mr.. Lamon, |
and occasionally Mr.. Davis, speak of his |
persistent retlcene on questions of the |
gravest public moment which seemed to |
demand prompt action by the President. |
They would confer with him, as 1 did N.Y.
self at times, earnestly advising and urging |
action on his part, only to find him utterly |
by word nor expression could anyone form |
the remoteSt idea of his purpose, and |
when he did act, in many cases he surprised |
both friends and foes.
OFTEN SURPRISED HIS CABINET.
When he nominated Mr.. Stanton as Sec
retarv of War there was not a single men, /
Der OF his Cabinet who had knowledge of |
his purpose to do so until it was done, and |
when he appointed Mr.. Chase Chief JUS
tice, there was not a man living, !
OF the hundreds who had advised
him and pressed their friends upon
him, who had any intimatior as TO even the
leaning of his mind on the subject. 1 re-
in the Executive chamber, he discussed the
question of the Chief Justiceship for fully
nalf an hour; named the men who had been
prominently discussed in connection with
the appointment; spoke of all of them with
apparent freedom; sought and obtained nv
own Tiews as 10 the wisdom of appointing
eIthsr OF them, and when the conversation
ended, l had no more idea as to the bent of
his mind than if l had been conversing with
tie Sphinx. l suggested to him, in closing
the conversation. that his views on the sub
ject were very much more important than
mine and that / would be very glad TO have
them, to which he gave this characteristic
answer, "Well, Mcclure, the fact is I'm
shut pan on that question.
Lincoln's intellectual organization has
been portrayed by so many writers, but so
widely at variance as to greatly confuse the
general reader. Indeed he was the most
difficult of all men to analyze He did not
rise above the average man by escaping
common mingling of greatness and infirm-
1fIpg bplIpya he very we'll 1aScri ha1 |