The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-05-07
LINCOLN AND HIS CABINET
Lecture Delivered on Tuesday,
March 10th, by G. A. Dana
of New York.
Concluded from Last Week.

But this appointment in the
New York Custom House was
to wait a few weeks until the
term of the actual incumbent
had run out. My friend, the
Democratic Congressman, was
quite willing. He said: That's
all right; l am in no hurry
Well, before the time had ex-
pired, Mr.. Lincoln was muir
dered, and Andrew Johnson
became President. I-had gone
away, and was in the West,
when one day l got a telegram
from Roscoe Conkling: Come
to Washington" So / went.
He said:
81 want you to go and see
President Johnson and tell him
that this is a sacred promise of
Mr.. Lincoln's and that it must
be kept"
Then l went to the White
House and saw President
Johnson.
This is Mr.. Lincoln's pro-
mise" l urged. "He regarded
it as saving the necessity of an
other call for troops, and rails
ing perhaps a million men to
continue the war. l trust, Mr..
President, that you will see
your way clear to execute this
promise
We'll, Mr.. DANA" he replied,
II don't say that l won't, but I
have observed in the course of
my experience, that such bar
gains tend to immortality"
The appointment was not
made. l am happy to say, how
ever, that the gentleman to
whom the promise was given
never found any fault either
with President Lincoln or with
the Assistant Secretary, who
had been the means of making
the promise to him. Applause.
There is perceptible, l think,
a very decided disposition to
convert this great element in
our history, the savior of the
nation, the man who brought
us through that terrible civil
war with our liberties undi-
minished, to convert him into
a kind of hero Of Romance, a
legendary figure. He is some
times thought to be queer and
eccentric, and there are a good
many stories that seem to favor
that idea. l never found any
thing eccentric in him. found
only wisdom and hunor, humor
that never failed and that al
ways was fresh, delightful, and
relieving to the awful serious
ness Of the duties that we were
engaged in every day.
l remember one evening, just
before the Presidential election
of '64.. The decision, ii was
plain, would turn on the vote
of Pennsylvania; and the State
election of Pennsylvania, which
then took place in October, a
month before the Presidential
election, was pretty sure to show
how the Presidential election
would go in that State. So on
the evening of the day when
that election had been held, we
were all gathered in the War
Department, the President, Mr..
Stanton, Chief Justice Chase,
Mr.. Wells, and the principal
Generals that were then in
Washington. Perhaps there
were twenty gentlemen there.
When I came in at about 10 o.
clock, the President said to me:
"Come here, Dana; sit down
here" So 1 sat down beside
him. The others were all sit
ting around as solemn as a
camp meeting. Laughter
Indeed, it was a pretty SOL
emn occasion, because on the
decision of this election hung
the question whether we were
there, or were not there. The
President looked over to me
and said: odd you ever read
anything of Petroleum V. Mas
by?' l answered yes. "Well,"
he said, II want to read you
something" So he began to
read just loud enough for me
to hear. Mr.. Stanton couldn't
stand this. He got up and
went off into the telegraph
room that was just alongside.
Presently he opened the door
and called me: II have got
something for you" So 1 went
into the telegraph office. 1
found that he hadn't any work
for me. He simply wanted to