The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-10

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of this great man.
After Mr.. Hamlin had lighted his cigar
he sat for some moments looking out OF
the window and asked some questions
about the country We had just passed
Hartford, and some points of interest were
shown to him, and then he said: Hartford
is the home of Gen. Hawley, and it ought
to be proud of it. have watched Gen.
| Hawlev's career, both in the field and in
congress. and know him personally very
well, and regard him as one of the ablest
| men of the generation. He is not only an
| able man. but he is most charming and
delightful one"
asked Mr. Hamlin if he was present at
| the national convention which nominated
| Gen. Grant, Of which HaWley was presI-
! dent. He said that he was not. The last
| convention he attended was that of 1860;
| and then for several moments the cid gen.
| tleman puffed somewhat vigorously at his
| cigar. and though he gazed out of the win
| dow. vet his gaze was the vacant look of
| one who is absorbed in recollections. No
doubt he was thinking of the stirring
scenes at Chicago, perhaps of the magnifi-
| cent manner in which William IL. Erarts,
! who appeared at that convention as the
| friend of William Il. Seward, arose after Mr..
| Lincoln had received votes enough to nomi-
| nate him, and with impressive oratory
| moved tomake the nomination unanimous,
| although he knew that the hearts of the
| friends of Seward were heavy with disap-
pointment Something that Mr. Hamlin
| said later indicated that this recollection
| was in his mind.
There had been some controversy in one
or two publications some years ago about
the committee which informed Mr.. Ham,
lin of his nomination for vice president,
and asked him about it, He seemed to
be at first not entirely clear in his own
mind, but he at last said: Eyes, l remem-
! Der now; the committee brought me my
formal notification at my boarding house
in Washington. Judge Kelly was of that
committee, but l do not at this moment
remember who the others were. The COM
mittee did not come to me in Bangor. /
recollect the incident now very well"
asked the eX-vice president if he bad
ever heard the story of what happened
when the same committee notified Mr..
Lincoln of his nomination, and he seemed
anxious to know what the anecdote was. |
said that Judge Kelly had told me that
after the formahties between the commit
tee and Mr.. Lincoln had ended. in Mr.. Lin
coins parlor in Springfield, Lincoln stood
for some moments looking at Judge Kelly,
who was very tall man. This embarrass-
ed the judge a little. the more especially as
he had only once before met Mr. Lincoln.
He did not know what was in Lincoln's
mind but at last the tall rail splitter said:
Judge, have been looking at you be-
cause you are about the tallest man
that ever saw from the east, and I have
been wondering who is the taller, you or l.
Let's measure" And so Lincoln made
Kelly stand up back to back with him,
while the other members of the committee
stood aghast at this remarkable perform
ance.
Mr. Hamlin was greatly interested in
this anecdote, and he said, 'Why, Ishould
say that Kelly was not quite SO tall as Lin
coin, although he was one of the taliest
men I ever met in my public experience"
1 told him that Mr. Kelly said he was
about an inch shorter than Lincoln Mr.
Hamlin unused for some moments over
this auecdote His eyes twinkled and
there was just a suggestion of smile
upon his lips, and he said at last that he
had no doubt the anecdote was true, as it
was quite characteristic of Mr.. Lincoln's
The conversation here became quite spir-
tied, and turned upon mel of ability whom
MI HamEn had known. 1t was-of course
rather disjointed and disconnected con-
versation, such as would occur informally
between gentlemen in smoking compart-
ment of an express train, but will try to
gather into some regularity of statement
the more important and interesting things
yrh irn Mr.. To- in It cd
to him that Mr.. Charles A Dana, who was
assistant secretary of war, had declared
that William Pitt Fessenden was in some
respects the ablest man of his generation
who served in congress, and that that was
also the opinion of Mr.. Lincoln.
Mr. Harnlin removed his cigar and
seemed for an instant to be trying to frame
in his mind brief characterization of Mr.
Fessenden. He at last said: THAT opinion
is about correct, think Fessenden's abil
ity was extraordinary; his purity of char
acter was very great. and he is sure
to be remembered. Yet I think in the
state of Maine there is, or used to be-
an impression that as statesman on
financial questions, profound thinker and
brilliant executive when the subject is that
of finances, which is after all the great
subject for governmental consideration,
George Evans is regarded as an ADLER |
man even than Fessenden. Evans was of |
an earlier day, however, and his service in |
public life was briefer. Yet Mr.. Evans |
framed and carried through congress the |
great tariff of 1S42-one which was in its |
day as important as any later tariff, and |
was regarded by men of all parties as an |
extraordinarily able financial determine !
ton. Evans was one of the greatest men
1kis country has ever produced"
Mr.. Hamlin said that he himself entered |
Congress at the time when Mr.. Evans was
in the zenith of his fame, within a year
of half century ago. He afterward en-
tered the senate. asked him il there were
any survivors of that senate, which was the
first one of Folks administration, besides
himself. He replied instantly, Eyes, there
are three besides myself still living-Sena-
tor Bradbury. of Maine; Senator Fish, of |
New York, who was afterward secretary
of state under Grant and Senator Jones,
of Indiana" Webster with whom Mr..
Hamlin had a most pleasant acquaintance,
was secretary of state when Mr.. Hamlin
first went to Washington. He afterward |
served in the senate with Mr.. Hamlin as a
colleague, and then resigned again to be-
come secretary of state in Ffllmore's ad-
ministration. Mr.. Clay" said Mr. Ham
lin, was not in the senate when I first
went there, but he came back to the cham
Der and was a senatorial associate of mine
for some years; but Mr. Calhoun was a
senator when l became one, and I served
with him continuously until his death"
asked Mr.. Hamlin what his impressions
we're at that time of these three men whose
names have come down to Us as perhaps