Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-15

that II was your ambition that made your
father most desire 70 enter the white
housef'
ii do not think that /, So replied Mrs.
Chase. 'If you viii reason a little you will
$50 how unfOunded II is. ! was anxious that
my father might be president in order that
he might carry out his ideas. AS to social
ambition ! had been In society all Of my life.
| was forced into 1t very young. At the age
OF II | was the social head OF my fathers
establishment at Columbus, whore he was
the governor of the state, and had at this
time three children that | had TO care for
When | came 10 Washington my father was
secretary Of the treasury, and as the wife of
Governor Sprague my social duties were
equally great. The mere name of being mis-
tress OF the white house had never been a
great attraction to me, and my fathers
health was such that | did not want to see
him become president and undergo all OF the
worries and cares which are associated with
the chief executive OF the country. He
nearly broke himself down while he was
secretary of the treasury and he had Just
begun to recover. From his earliest youth
the supreme bench had been the goal of his
ambition, and he felt, rs / did, that to be
chtef Justice of the supreme court was an
honor fully equal to that of the presidency.
He liked his life and work as chief Justice,
and he was especially fitted for the posi-
ton"
Why Mrs. Lincoln Hated Kate Chase.
wv NObl lubllO 40 VI
the treasury You speak of the wear and
tear OF the ofice."
ut was terrible; he did not want the posi-.
ton and ii was against his inclination that
he accented 1t. President Lincoln offered
u to him while he was still at Columbus
lie sent for father to come to Springfield. |
think. | do not remember whether he went
or not, but Lincoln afterward came to visit
MN at Columbus, II was just at the time of
the celebration of the anniversary of the
Perry victory 81 (lpyaInnI and had pOnp
to Cleveland to be present at this. 1t was
AT this time that | met Governor Sprague for
the first time, my fate. Mrs. Lincoln came
with the president to Columbus and they
were entertained by Governor Denison.
Mrs. Lincoln was piqued that | did not re-
main at Columbus to see her, and | have al
ways felt that this was the chief reason
why she did not like me at Washington.
How Chase Refused the Treasury.
well, President Lincoln offered father
the secretaryship of the treasury, but my
father refused it. He had just been elected
TO the United States senate and he felt that
he could do more there than in the treasury.
lie felt the same when he came down to
Washington and was sworn in as United
States senator. Pressure, however. from
all parts of the country and among his
friends at Washington led him to finally
resolve to take the place. He realized the
enormity of the undertaking when he
accepted the portfolio. The raising of
money to carry on the war was as great an
undertaking as the raising and equipment of
men for the field. We had no foreign credit
and the making of greenbacks without inter-
est a legal tender when the country had
never been on anything but a gold basis was
a success as great as the surrender of the
confederate army four years later. The
world will never know the strain that the
secretary of the treasury had to undergo at
that time. My father lived at the depart
ment and he slept with his ear at the tele-
graph. An order would come that millions
must be had at once, and it was his business
to raise the money. How he did it. how he
organized the national banking system, how
he placed hundreds of millions abroad,
these are matters of history"
FRANK G. CARPESTER II.