The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-03-11

tuition of the United States, and that it's blessings should be extended and made perpetual over all this continent. He set up the landmark which we are some day to reach by continual unity In progress and improvement.
 "The men by whom Lincoln was sur rounded were independent men, and were not always satisfied with his ac- tion, but he was always master of the house. He never put on any airs. l never heard him complain. In every thing he was most calm and equally un- complaining, and to my mind was one of the happiest men I ever knew. He saw every side of a question. He was never in a hurry, nor did he try to hur- ry others. All knew that it was his word that went at last and until he de- cided final orders were not issued. He was the most comprehensive, judicious and least faulty in conclusion of any man I have ever known. He never stopped too soon or too late. Look at | the problem before him, There was not only the slave problem, but the south | had the conviction that it could leave the union when it desired. The right of liberty and of rebellion had been | taught to it's people. They were defend- 1 ing their property as we would ours, and defended what they considered an inherent right. They were sincere, as much so in their passion as we were | in ours.
 Gideon Wells of Connecticut, the sec retary of the navy at that time, I am happy to testify, was an excellent sec retary, not pretentious, and thoroughly understood his duty He did it effi- ciently and unwaveringly. We never know what the navy is doing because it is always "at sea-" but under his control the navy was more efficient and energetic than ever before in our day. He was substantial member of the government and was creditable to the state that sent him forth.
 MT Lincoln was not what you call an educated man. His college was the one in which the young man got up in the morning to hoe corn and studied at night by the light of a pine knot The books he read he knew. His memory was tenacious and seized the essential things in books by his unfailing cer- tainty. He attended to the real ques- tion. While he was not educated in the sense in which education is recog- nized in New Haven, his education was of practical sort. He was genius and contrasted well with men of edu- cation. Secretary Stanton in speaking of the Gettysburg celebration at which MT Lincoln made his famous speech said that his speech would be read by thousands to every one who read Ed ward Everett's speech delivered on tho same occasion, and would be remem. bered as long as the English language endured.
 Another remarkable peculiarity of Lincoln was that he had no illusion. AIT his thinking and reasoning was based on actual facts. l never heard him intimate consequences unless they followed. His greatest quality was his wisdom, something better than talent or education. His personal kindness was especially remarkable. I never iheard him speak an unkind word Of any one, and I don't think he ever spoke a cross word to his wife. Naugh- ter.)
 These are all lovely personal quali- ties but the great fact is that he sue Iceeded in putting down a rebellion in which twelve million people were con- lcerned, determined people, able people, lighting to the death. How did he do lit? In the first place, he was never in haste and never too slow. When the lwhole north clamored for a proclama- ton freeing the slaves he didn't issue one. Deputations from all parts of the north came to him. He allowed Cam eron to execute his idea of treating slaves as contraband of war, but never would prematurely issue the proclama- ton so desired, Finally when the right time came he knew it and did it then This judgment and patience which knew when the right time came is a quality I don't find in any man in his- tory, exercised with such precision. He proved to be one of the greatest of rul- CTS. Where is there one matched along side of him?
 q don't know. He developed into a great military man of great military judgment. If you study the records of the war you will agree with me that the greatest general we had, greater even than Grant and Thomas, was Lincoln This was not so at first, but after two or three years practice he became an able campaigner. He was born lead CT Of men; he knew human nature; he knew what chord to strike, and was never afraid to strike it when the prop CT time had come.
 Tn order to amend the constitution it was necessary first to have it ap- proved by a majority of the states. and when I came into the government cir cles the vote of one more state was needed. The state of Nevada was created to meet this necessity We now hear people complain that Nevada is not big enough to be a state. Lincoln's answer to this was that it was easier to admit Nevada that to raise another million soldiers. When it came nearly to the time for the vote to be taker Lincoln came one day to my office or the third floor of the war department building and said that the amendment must be passed. I asked him if he could not depend on Governor English oi Connecticut He answered that Inc could, and also on Sunset Cox. He said that there were three men of whom he them. It is not necessary to repeat the names of these three men, but suf. flee it to say that one was from New Jersey and two from New York. Lin coin said to me: Here is the alterna- tive between carrying this vote or rais- tr,.