St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-05-25
-LlNcoLN,s REELECTION.
De Was Grateful But Rot Eiatsd at
the RssuIs.

dent L1ncOlny anu TO my surprise 1oHHu
him entirely alone, as If By common
consent everybody had avoided the |
white house. It was cabinet day,
and at the meeting which had been
held earlier only two members OF the /
cabinet were present Stanton was at I
his his home, sick with chills and /
fever; Seward, Usher and DeEnlson |
had returned to their own states to |
vote; and Fessanden was c1oseted with I
New York fnaneiers 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: II anu just
enough of q politician TO know that
there was not much doubt about the
result Of the Baltimore convention;
but about this thing / am very far
from being certain" spent nearly
ali 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 to
stay with him.
Later in the evening returned 10
the white house, and found that the
only returns then received were from
Indiana, which showed that a 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 rainstorn had
interfered with the transmission OF
news over the telegraph wires. There
was long luH 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 gain OF one
congressman for the union. but with
fair prospect of the state going for Nc
| CIellan, Lincoln had an amusing story
TO tell about that particular congress
man. DR.. 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-
rraphed that the state would probably
give four thousand majority for Lin
/ coin, he said that that was much more
reasonaDIess q he alsassrS sta telnssaat
Il Of d big ger ma jority
By midnight Pennsylvania, the New
England states, Maryland, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Michigan and Wisconsin We're
tolerably certain for Lincoln; but the
president was greatly disappointed
that neither Illinois nor Iowa was
| heard from. The wires continued to
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.
i About midnight OF the day OF the
election it was certain that Lincoln
had been reelected, and the lew gen
] tlemen left in the Office congratulated
him very warmly on the result Lin
coin took the matter very calmly
4 showing not the least elation or ex
element but said that he would ad
NIT that he was glad TO be relieved g.
all suspense, and that he was gratefu
that the verdict Of the people wa
likely to be so full, clear and unnIs
i taxable that there could be no dispute
About two o'clock in the morning
messenger came over from the white
house with the news that crowd 9
Pennsylvanians were sercnadlng a
empty chamber, whereupon he Wen
home; and. in answer TO repeated calls
made happy little speech full OF GOO
feeling and cheerfulness. He woun'
up his remarks by saying Il 1 lSnos
NV heart, my gratitude is free fron
! any faint of personal triumph. ] d
not irnpugn the mo tives of anyone or
I posed to me. It is no pleasure to M
to triumph over anyone, but ! CIV
J. thanks to the Almighty Tor thi
g evidence of the peoples resolution {
3 stand by free government and th
l rights of humanity.
}, Next day IN private conversation 3
said: ssBeing only mortal, after all
g should have been little mortified II
s had been beaten in this canvass befor
the people, but the sting would hay
been more than compensated by th
2 thought thata the people had not
fed me that my official responsible
q ties were soon TO be lifted off my back.
g DR.. A. q. Henry, of Washington te
ls ritory, whose name has been frequen
ly me ntioned in these papers as an ol
Y friend of the president, had been prof
g ised that he should receive q dispate
u from Mr.. Lincoln when the result
g the presidential election of that yei
g should be definitely ascertained. q
II cordinely on this day, which was n
le vernber 8, President Lincoln dictated
dispatch, the terms of which were
= follows: with returns and states
3 which we are confident the reelectit
4 Of the president Is considered certai
4 while It is not certain that McClells
,ef has carried any state, though Il
- chances are that he has carried Ne
Ii Jersey and Kentucky.
When had written the dispatch att
al presidents dictation passed it to b
veI for his signature, but he declined
Il blow his own horn, z ashe expressed
8 and said: You sign the message, ane
S will send it. A day or two lat
a when Delaware, whose vote had be
: uncertain, declared for Mcclellan, q
: coin sent a second dispatch IN order
Il give his friend ON the far-of Paci