The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-04-25
LINCOLN'S REELECTION.
he Was Grateful But Not Elated at
the Result.

dent Lincoln, and to my surprise found
him entirely alone, as if by common
consent everybody had avoided the
white house. 1t was cabinet day."
and at the meeting which had been
held earlier only two members of the
cabinet were present. Stanton was at
his his home, sick with chills and
fever; Seward, Usher and Dcunison
had returned to their own states to
vote; and Fessenden was closeted with
New York fnanciers in conference
over ways and means to place the new
loan. So Secretary Welles and Attorney
General Bates were left to run the ma
chine " and very little time had been
occupied by them at their session with
the president. Lincoln took no pains
to conceal his anxious interest in the
result of the election then going on all
over the country, and said: Il am Just
enough of politician to know that
there was not much doubt about the
result of the Baltimore conventions;
but about this thing | am very far
from being certain" l spent nearly
all the afternoon with the president,
who apparently found it difficult to
put his mind on any Of the routine
work of his Office, and entreated me 20
stay with him.
Later in the evening l returned to
the white house, and found that the
only returns then received were from
Indiana, which showed that gain of
fifteen hundred had been made in In
dianapolis for the republican ticket.
Later on we went over to the war de-
partment, and there heard good news
from Baltimore that city having sent
in majority of more than ten thou
sand. Other reports soon came in, but
not very rapidly, as rainstorm had
interfered with the transmission of
news over the telegraph wires. There
was a long lull about ten o'clock in the
evening, during which the president
amused the little company in the war
office with entertaining "reminiscences
and anecdotes naturally suggested by
the political intelligence that dropped
in from time to time.
For instance, when New Jersey broke
the calm by announcing a gain Of one
congressman for the union, but with a
fair prospect of the state going for Nc
Clellan, Lincoln had an amusing story
to tell about that particular congress-
man, DIR. Newell, who had long been
a family friend of the Lincolns. A dis
patch from New York city. claiming
the state by ten thousand, was received
by the chief magistrate with much in
crednlity; and when Greeley tele-
fr1.n TlonH that tho OF 20 ,x-n11ll 1,al hi
give four thousand majority for Lin
coin, he said that that was much more
reasonable than the absurd statement
Of bigger majority.
By midnight Pennsylvania, the New
England states, Maryland, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Michigan and Wisconsin were
tolerably certain for Lincoln; but the
president was greatly disappointed
that neither Illinois nor Iowa was
work badly on account of the long
storm, and it was not until two days
later that satisfactory returns were
had from Illinois or any of the states
beyond the Mississippi.
About midnight of the day of the
election it was certain that Lincoln
had been reelected and the few gen
tlemcn left in the Office congratulated
him very warmly ON the result. Lin
coin took the matter very calmly,
showing not the least citation or ex-
element, bat said that he would sd-
NIT that he was glad to be relieved of
all suspense, and that he was grateful
that the verdict of the people was
likely to be SO full, clear and un1nis-
taxable that there could be no dispute.
About two o'clock in the morning a
messenger came over from the white
house with the news that a crowd of
Pennsylvanians were serenading his
empty chamber, whereupon he went
home; and, in answer to repeated calls,
made q happy little speech full of good
feeling and cheerfulness. He wound
up his remarks by saying: III know
my heart, my gratitude is free from
any faint of personal triumph. / do
not impugn the motives of anyone OPP
posed to me. 1t is no pleasure to me
to triumph over anyone, but l give
thanks to the Almighty for this
evidence of the peoples resolution to
stand by free government and the
rights of humanity"
Next day in private conversation he
said: Being only mortal, after all, l
should have been little mortified if
had been beaten in this canvass before
the people, but the sting would have
been more than compensated by the
thought thatu the people had noti-
fed me that my official responsible
ties were soon to be lifted off my back. "
DIR. A. e. Henry, of Washington ter
ritory, whose name has been frequent
ly me ntioncd in these papers as an old
friend of thepresident, had been prom
Used that he should receive dispatch
from Mr.. Lincoln when the result of
the presidential election of that year
should be definitely asccrtained. Ac-
cordingly on this day, which was No
vember 0, President Lincoln dictated a
dispatch, the terms of which were as
follows: with returns and states of
which we are confident the reelection
OF the president is considered certain,
while it is not certain that Mcclellan
has carried any state, though the
chances arc that he has carried New
Jersey and Kentucky"
| When had written the disontch Mt the