Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-11
STANTON'S COURAGE
How he Faced Jake Thompson in the
White House.
BUCHANAN'S PIfEOUS APPEAL
That Remarkable Cabinet Meeting
in February, 1861.
\ STRONG, BRAVE MAN

s'eubcnville Ohio. Letter in st. Louis Globe
Democrat
The circumstances under which Mr..
Stanton became a me ber OF the Buch-
anan cabinet and the work he did there
| for the Union are Tot told fully i'm the
| biographies. A brother-in-law OF MIR. STAN
| ton. Mr. Wolcott. is the authority given
| for the story about TO be told. every word
of which Is believed In Steubenviile At
the time Mr.. Stanton. then a lifelong dem
ocrat, was asked to become a member OF
| IL. the Buchanan cabinet was composed OF
Cas-. in the State Department: robn. in
the Treasury: Black, as Attorney General:
| thompson. In the Interior Department.:
| Floyd, Secretary of War: Touccy as
Secretary of the Navy. and Holt as Post
master General
I'm this cabinet" to use the words OF
ore who was the friend OF Stanton from
| bcyhood. there were traitors both active
and passive. Buchanan was not a traitor
himself. but a weak. irresolute old man.
bound hand and foot by those in his cab
| met who were. Floyd had dispersed the
/ army to different and distant points.
| to make il unavailable at the capital. Tou-
cey had scattered the navy to different ard
distant parts Of the world, so that Il could
| not he collected for months. Thompson
| had stoleI, more than slooa.0sD in Indian
bonds Cobb had the treasury empty and
| the rebels were in arms. The signs of the
| times We're appalling. Cass saw nothing
before him but political ruin. lie resigned
his office. and Black was appointed IN his
place. leaving the law department of the
government vacant. In addition 20 other
causes of alarm Floyd had attempted TO
ship all OF the heavy ordnance at Pitts
burg to the south. and was only checked
by the uprising of the people. who sent a
deputation to Washington to inform The
President and to enter their protest against
| the movement.
I'm this extremity President Buchanan
sent for Mr.. Stanton. and asked him what
he thought about the signs Of the times.
The answer was characteristic:
You are sleeping on a volcano. The
ground is mined all around and under you
ana ready to explode. and without prompt
and energetic action. you will be the last
President of the United States
Mr. Stanton said the feeble old man,
for Gods sake. come in and help me. The
Attorney Generals office is vacant. VIII
you accept it?
IF you desire my help I WILL was the
reply"
This is the story of Mr.. Stanton's invita-
ton to enter the cabinet as II comes from
an immediate relative. There is no reason
TO doubt that IL is told practically it was
given I'm family confidence by Mr.. Stanton
himself. The same applies to the account
of what took place after he entered the
cabiret:
THE first day of Mr.. Stanton's incum-
bency of the Office of Attorney General he
passed in ferreting out the grand larceny
of Thompson on the Indian fund. When the
cabinet met in the evening. Mr.. Stanton
was late in arriving. AS the new Attorney
General entered hi saw Floyd pacing the
room. and gesticulatng furiously in a tenn
pest and whirlwind of speech against some
body who had cut down his flagstaff. brok
en- off the trunntons of his guns and cut
and burned his wheels. and so on. Mr..
Stanton sat down without uttering a word
and without pretending to understand what
was up. When Floyd stopped somebody
asked:
What do you think about it, Mr. At
torney GeneralT
About whatr said Mr.. Stanton.
o" About Major Anderson's breaking up
camp at Fort Moultrie and going into Fort
Sumter
:" The most glorious event since the sth
Of January. 1875 answered the new MEM
Der of the cabinet. 1t has stirred the
heart of every loyal man in the nation.
What" demanded Floyd, AN officer OF
the army violating his orders?'
What orders" retorted Stanton. Did
you. Mr.. President, give orders to Major
Anderson to remain in that old dlia pidated
fort, surrounded by enemies when a strong
er one was available@
" No. said Mr.. Buchanan, L gave no
such orders
Ibid you know of any such orders be-
ing given? Mr. Stanton asked.
No. sir | never heard of it before
said the President.
a. Then said Mr.. Stanton, the man who
gave such orders ought to be hanged on a
gallows higher than Haman's.'
rebuke the insolence of SO new a man in
the cabinet.
MI. Thompson said Mr.. Stanton. i'm
reply. Il have been here long enough TO find
out that you have stolen nearly a million OF
Indian bonds. and expect to stay here TIL
l see You punished for it,
Then the tempest rose and ragged till
midnight, when the meeting broke up. The
next morning Cobb, Floyd and Thompson
resigned. In a single night Stanton broke
the conspiracy in the cabinet which was
killing his feeble old friend. There were
now two honest men I'm the cabinet-Stan-
ton and Holt. Through their influence
Gen. John A. Dix put at the head OF
the treasury.
There is reason to believe. and / for one
do believe" said the friend here quoted
that but for the bold stand taken by Mr.
Stanton on that memorable evening Mr.
Lincoln never would have been inaugurated
in Washington. The knives of the assassins
were already whetted, and he would inevi-
tabiy have been murdered. But the active
traitors being driven from the cabinet
General Scott collected few soldiers and
marines to the number of about LOO and
secured the peaceful Inauguration of the
new President
When the Buchanan cabinet dissolved
Stanton went back to his law pra ctice
Nine months later Mr.. Lincoln sent for
him ard asked him to be his Secretary OF
War. He defended his action the ground
that he wanted Stanton not for his politics,
but for his patriotism and power.