The Irish standard., 1897-02-27
HONEST Old ADE'S YARNS.
Father Clune of Rochester Tells us
Something About the
President.
he WAS WITTY AND PHlLosoPRlc.
His Friends Always Worried Him
rluch More Than His
Enemies.
HE WAS WITTY AND PHILosOPHlc.

The Rev. Father Michael Clune OF Sy-
Aacuse, Y.lectured before the mem bers
OF the Catholic Club of New York on
Friday evening, Feb. IL, on Abraham
Lincoln. says the irish World The lee
tnre was delivered in the large assembly
room of the club which contained an
audience which completely filled it.
Archbishop Corrigan presided. Faith
er Clune was introduced by Justice Jo-
seph F. DAILY, president of the Club At
ter entertaining his hearers with a re-
view on Lincoln's birth and early life,
the lecturer told series of interesting
anecdotes Of the martyred President.
Father Clune said:
AT one time Lincoln was counsel in
case wherein his opponent was man of
many words, but little else Mr.. Lincoln
arose after his opponent had concluded
his lengthy argument and said: Your
Honor, when my colleague speaks he
does not think, and when he stops to
think he cannot speak. He reminds me
of q steamboat I saw on the Mississippi
with a five foot boiler and seven foot
snlokestack. When the captain blew
the whistle it exhausted the steam in the
boiler, and the steamboat had to stop
'On another occasion when Mr.. Lin
coin was going to attend a political con-
vention, one of his political rivals, a Ii
oS clio
horse. hoping that he would not reach
his destination in time. Mr. Lincoln
got there, however, and when he re-
turned with the horse he said: You
keep this horse for funerals, don't your
oh no. replied the liyeryman. We'll,
I'm glad of that, for if you did you'd new
er get corpse to the grave in time for
the day OF resurrection.
In speaking of the decision Of Chief
Justice fancy in the bred Scott case,
Father Clune said:
Il believe Taney's private life was
stainless, and he was led to make his
decision that there might be peace in
the land, but it only proved that no
good can follow a wrong Abraham
Lincoln was answering when he be-
leyed he was in the right, and when on
the eve Of his election, he was impor-
tuned by politicians to acknowledge that
Douglas had practically beaten him and
that he had no hope Of election, he firmly
declined. Instead he said: I will ask
Douglas one question before I retire,
and If he answers it yea, he will lose
the North, and should he reply nay, he
will lose the South This question was:
IF all the people in certain territory
were opposed to slavery except one,
could that one keep slaves?' Douglas
was finally obliged that he could not.
Another evidence Of his firmness for
the right was when he said: If the
Presidency was at my feet and in stoop-
ing to pick it up had to pay Difference
to an oligarchy that had fattened on hui
man blood, would not stoop.'
After his election to the Presidency,
I4incoln's generosity of nature asserted
itself in the soothing tone of his speech
es and the fact that he invited political
opponents TO enter his cabinet"
Father C]une said that President Lin
coin had been criticised for censuring
his generals, and he related an instance
where he was snubbed by Gen. McClel-
Ian, yet afterwards held the Generals
horse while waiting to see him. Con-
tinuing he said:
when senator Wade called on him
one day In relation to the action of Gen
eral Grant, and said: Don't you know
that Grant is drunken butcher?' the
President said:
Senator. that reminds me Of story
g Story! story! it's always story; don't
you know that you are running this
Government to hell and that you're not
more than a mile from there now?'
Well replied the President, we're
Just about that distance from the Capt.
toll Z 81
cat a cabinet meeting oncet the adyisa-
( bility of putting a legend on greenb acks
n similar to the In God we Trust legend
on the silver coins was discussed, and
the President was asked what his view.
VIA. He replied II yo,, are going to2
..s, put u III sIlf on greanbacks I would sug-
ana
mn - sxvr