Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-02-20
Lincoln in the White House.

r1arperS Magazine.
Washington in 1861 was essentially
southern in all it's ramifcations. In
politics and social life the capital was
decidedly, even sggressively. pro-slay-
cry. Under these conditions the occu-
pancy OF the White House by a black
republican" president and his wife was
a peculiarly hateful event to a large
proportion of its society. Society was.
In fact, torn up, root and branch by the
impending civil war; everything was
chaos and had TO be r~eorganized from
the foundation.
1t was under these adverse circum-
stances that Mrs. Lincoln became mis-
tress Of the White House. Every in
genuity OF malice was resorted to TO dis
credit the new regime. Both the presi-
dent and his wife were mercilessly lam
pooned, and yet Mrs. Lincoln was the
peer OF n woman in Washington in
education and character. as well as the
barren ideality" Of birth. w. o. Stod-
dard, one of the private secretaries, and
a Keen observer, In his little book, IN
side the White House in War Times"
says that Mrs. Lincoln was prepared to
assume a leading part, AS her lieuten.
ant in the official household, he noted
that she was an authoritative mistress,
but listened patiently TO sensible rep.
reservations, and oftentimes yielded her
judgment; that her instructions were
given in a kindly and vivacious manner;
that she was a pleasant looking woman
bright, cheerful. almost merry
sometimes. The servant always spoke
of her as 1.-THE madam" Says Stoddard:
A you look at her and talk with her
the fact that she has so many enemies
strikes you as one of the moral curiosi-
ties Of this venomous time"
She dressed well, even extravagantly.
In her little book, Behind the Scenes"
Mrs, Keckley, who was Mrs. Lincoln's
dressmaker. speaks of having made Ar.
teen dresses for her in three or four
months. This authority says no queen
could have comported herself with more
dignity than Mrs. Lincoln at all public
functions.
Yet this woman was ~stlgmatlZed by a
certain class OF Washington society as
low, vulgar and even Recommendations
any qualifica tons for the high station
TO which she had been called.
The calunfny which wounded her most
deeply was her alleged sympathy with
the rebellion. which had its sole founda-
ton In the fact that her Kentucky half
brothers were confederates, although
she held no intercourse with them since
her childhood. 1t was said and believed
that she hampered her husband in every
possible way in the prosecution of the
war. In self protection she wished Mr..
Stoddard to examine all her correspond
ence. 1t Is certain hat she Loyalty de-
sired the success of her husband and
the great cause he so ably directed. In
a printed letter to Mrs. Keckley, Mrs.
Lincoln asserts positively hat her SYM
pathies were strongly with the north
during the war n always. Il have
never failed to urge my husband 10 be
an extreme republican" AS Lincoln al
ways consulted and relied upon her
judgment, 1t is hardly probable he would
have taken the advanced republican
ground against slavery in his house
divided-against-itself speech in 1858
without her approval, which strongly
co~rroborates her claim.