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


people. This success was due chiefly to one
single quality of the man-the will of the
people was his guiding star. He sprang
from the people and from close to mother
earth.
MOST sAGACIoUs OF HIS DAY.
If there are yet any intelligent Americans
who believe that Lincoln was an innocent,
rural, unsophisticated character, it is time
that they are undeeeiyed. 1 venture the
assertion, without fear of successful contra
diction, that Abraham Lincoln was the most
sagacious of all the public men of his day in
either political party. He was therefore
the master politician of his time. He was
not politician as the term is now commonly
applied and understood: he knew nothing
about the countless methods that are en-
ployed in the details of political effort; but
no man knew better, indeed l think no man
knew as well as he did, how to summon
and dispose of political ability to attain
great political results, and this work he
performed with unfailing wisdom and dis
cretion in every contest for himself and for
the country.
A pointed illustration of his sagacity and
of his cautious methods in preventing
threatened evil or gaining promised good, Is
presented by his action in 1862 when the
first army draft was made in Pennsylvania,
There was then no national conscrlptlon
law, and volunteering had ceased to fill up
our shattered armies. A draft under the
State law was necessary to fill a requisition
made upon Pennsylvania for troops. The
need for immediate reinforcements was very
pressing, and in obedience to the personal
request of both Lincoln and Governor Cur
tin, l accepted the ungracious task Of organ
izing and executing the draft under the
State laws How promptly the task was
executed may be understood when say
that within 60 days the entire State was en-
rolled; quotas adjusted; the necessary ex-
emptions made; the draft executed; the II
organized regiments sent to the front and
without a dollar of cost to either the State
or National Governments for duties per-
formed in my Office beyond the salaries of
two clerks.
THE MoLLIE MAGUTRE REBELLION.
While there were mutterings of dis
loyalty in q very few sections of Pennsyl-
vania, and they only within very limited
circle, there was one sore spot where open
rebellion was threatened That was Cass
township, Schuylkill county. The Mollie
Maguires were then just approaching the
zenith of their criminal power, and Cass
township was the center of that lawless ele-
ment. Thirteen murders had been COM
mittcd in that district within few
wears and not one murderer had been
brought to punishment. This banded
criminal organization was as disloyal to the
government as it was to law, and it was
with the utmost difficulty that ever an i'm
perfet enumeration had been made and the
quota adjusted to be supplied by draft The
draft was made, however, and on the day
fixed for the conscripts to take the cars and
report at Harrisburg, the criminal element
of the district not only refused to respondto
the call, but its leaders came to the station
and drove Other cOnscripts violently from
the depot.
1t was open, defiant rebellion. I at once
reported the facts to Secretary Stanton, who
promptly answered, directing that the draft
should be enforced at every hazard, and
placing one Philadelphia regiment and one
regiment at Harrisburg subject to the orders
of the Governor, with instructions to send
tn m at once to the scene of revolt Fear
ing that the Secretary did not fully compre-
hend the peril of q conflict between the mill
itary and the citizens, Governor Curtin di-
rected me to telegraph more fully to Secre-
tary Stanton, suggesting the further consid-
Grafton of the subject His answer was
promptly given, repeating his order for the
military to move at once to Cass township.
and enforce the law at the point of the
bayonet.
A MESSAGE FROM LINCOLN.
The regiments were given marching Or
ders, and reached Pottsville on the follow
ing dav. / felt that conflict between the |
military and citizens in any part of the |
State must be very disastrous to the loyal |
cause, and after full consultation with Gov |
ernor Curtin, in obedience to his directions, |
telegraphed to Lincoln in cipher, asking |
him to consider the subject well. This was
in the early part of the day, and 1 was sur
priSed and distressed when evening came
without any reply. When 1 came into the
breakfast room of the hotel the next morn
ing l saw seated at the table Assistant Ad-
jutant General Townsend, of the United
States army. L knew him well and when
he saw me he beckoned me to his side and
asked me to breakfast with him.
We were out of hearing of any others at
the table and he at once stated to me the
purpose of his visit. He had arrived at 8
o'clock in the morning, and was waiting to
meet me as soon as l should appear He
said: 81 have no orders to give you, but I
came solely to deliver a personal message
from President Lincoln in these words:
Say to Mcclure that l am very desirous to
have the laws fully executed, but it might
be well, in an extreme emergency, to be
content with the appearance of executing
the laws; 1 think Mcclure will under
stand. To this General Townsend added
81 have now fulfilled my mission; L do not
know to what it relates. !"
/ of course made no explanations to Gen
eral Townsend, but hurried from the break
fast table to summon BENJAMIN Bannan
from Pottsville to Harrisburg as speedily as
possible. He was the Commissioner of
Draft for that county, warm friend of the
President, ard man of unusual intelli
gence and discretion. He reached Harris
burg the same day, and Lincoln's instruc-
tions were frankly explained to him. No
one had any knowledge of them but our
selves and the Governor.
GETTING AROUND THE TROUBLE.
Commissio ner Bannan appreciated the
necessity of avoiding a collision between
the military and the citizens of Cass town.
ship, but, said he: "How can it be done?
How can the laws even appear to have been
executed" [ told him that in a number
Of cases evidence had been presented,
after the quotas had been adjusted and
the draft ordered, to prove thai the
quotas had been filled by volun-
teers who had enlisted in some town or city
outside of their townships In all such
cases, where the evidence was clear, the
order for the draft was revoked because the
of men had been filled. said
1nly by such evidence from Cass township
could the order for the draft be revoked, and
the arrest of the conscripted men tor service
be avoided. He intuitively comprehended
5he gravity of the situation and took the
first train home. BY the next evening he
vas back and laid before me number of
lfidavits in regular form. apparently exc
,uted by citizens of Cass township, which, if
proved that their quota was
entirely full. 1 asked no explanations, but
It once indorsed upon the testimony that as
Ii l. |