The sun., 1891-07-11
COL. M'CLURE'S REJOINDER.
ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE LINCOLN
H1MLIN CONTROpERST


Tho Philadelphia Editor Explains why
He Wrote tbs Letter Quoted by John
g. Nicoiny, and why the Pennsylvania
Delegation First Voted for Hsnaiin In
the Bsitimoro Convention -Nicoiay Ae.
cused OF Suppressine the Truth.
PHILADELPHIA. July 1O.-Under the hshd OF
Spanked and Dismissed" the Times to-
m orrow will print In it's editorial columns this
| open letter.
| "lo John @. Nicoidy'
The public will be greatly surprised that
such an unidentified and quibblinc letter ns you
addressed to mo could come from one
| who claims to be the chosen biographer
| OF Abraham Lincoln. 1t must 80 generally
| offend the dispassonate opinion OF decent
men that answer TO it 10 excusable onlv to
| oppose several severely strained now false
| hoods you present. either directly or by the
suppression OF the vital parts of tho truth
Had yon known ANYTHING about the
inside political movements in the Whito
House in 1864 you would have known
thnt my letter to Lincoln. quoted In your
defence. was written because Of suddenly
developed effort In this State 10 divide the
lines drawn Ivy the then bitter Cameron and
Curtin factional war for and against
Lincoln. The Cameron followers claimed
to be the specia, supporters OF
Lincoln. md ATTEMPTED 10 drive Curin aud the
State Administration Into hostility to the
President. My Justly assufpad, devotion to
Curtin was tho pretext for declaring me as
oitho- restrained In my support OF Lincoln or
likely to bo In the opposition.
Tho moment saw the statement IN print
wrote the letter you quote TO dismiss from
Lincoln's mind all aaprehensions about either
.y,n frAp, Stv'c
friends Had YOU stated these facts. you would
have been truthful. As you probably did not
know OF them. you may be oxcusel for no.
stating them: hut your ignorance can bo no
excuse for the entlre falsely construction you
IVY "EaGaly ai indeed oven more aavtan.ly. false
is yonr, statement o1 only minor part 81 the
.rGn ast so HssmoTe Of IL the s sny Sa
Gen s,ao os Hamn as HAD sdG You s4a oa he sbce
iorcn, OF Important political facts, you would
have known that your assumption ,has John
added that Gen Cameron cast, the soiid vote OF
the rst ballot G Mere s 0e Of
this fact, or hayo you deliberately ,atten ptep
to sH snnprsss tie truth as to proclaim pa
dslesatSn Sn va. op pe5sSn Voa
YIN Hamlln second l a2a Diekipson third
%sioaat aRd ' pi fs sod
and and # was give given with the, Enowiedse
that It could not help HamIin, and that solid
for johnson was the only vital vote cast for
ice-President. and that record. accessible to
sehGEsGy you studiously suppress to
II was double elected delegate to the Bal
timore Convention having been first lnani.
trict delegate. was one Of two delees:es
elected At large on the first ballot by the state
What / die, or did not. or how important or
eno1 IS a that @ nt rssed Or
sbnsss P SS ssns HsS
n4ssn myse Wod ns not Sas m
%sS assst % T.
DID @ not %e wh s wst ypu pqeS
You but that Is no reason why yo% should ac
deliberate iie. '' he ' wrote YOU % the exact
truth in the on have as the
suaSe n he SAYS that nns"es-
he could have been right about IL =, the matter
Your history is quite right, in quoting
sible for the want of common understanding
Of one Of his bloRraphers more than q quarter
of century after his death.
For answer to your undiRniiled and un-
manly efforts to belittle my relations with
Lincoln. ! refer you to- your more dis
Greet co-bioCrapher. Mr.. Hay. He refused
to sustain your Interpretation Of Lincoln's
note on the Vice-Presidency. He addei
that the dispute was a aquestion of yerecity
between You and me-; and he speaks OF me as
evidently armed with his ,enviable record of
close intimacy with our illustrious Lincoln
Ono Of you Is lying on this point. Is 1t MIR. H..
or is it you?
Had you sought the truth az an honest
bogtapher you could have obtained 1t without
offensive disputation not only from me- SO far
as l knew it. but from such living
Halstead, and from the recorded testimony Of
Instead Of seeking the truth. yon flung
your ignorance and egotsm vii ostentatiOus
indedency upon the bereaved household OF
the vet untombed Hamlin. and when
brought to bay by those better informed
than yourself. you resent In the tone and
terms of the ward heeler in wharf-rat district
battling for constabuary honors.
i" think it SIfe to say that the public judg- |
ment will be tina; 1t would have heeD we'll for |
both Linroln's memory and for the country
had such bioGrapher been drowned when q |
DUP. Dismissed. A. K. NJ"