The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-23
LINCOLN AND M'KINLEY.
The Latter Has, in Comparison, No
Troubles Worth Mentioning.

hdnSdS lily JOurfldl.
While 1t may be true that President Nc
Kinley has had real, heartaching trouble
with some of his military officials. it never
theless appears that his Spanish campaign
was unvexed with jealousy strife OF this
kind as compared with the first year of the
civil war. In her history of Abraham
Lincoln. now running in McClure's Maya
zine. Miss Tarbell refreshes our memory
in regard to the enorm us difficulties which
beset the martyred President at the begin
ming of the civil war. His first great trial
came when General Fremont issued from
st. Louis his famous proclamation declar-
ing forfeited all the slaves and other prop
erty belonging TO Southern sympathizers
This proclamation came just at the time
when Lincoln was straining every nerve to
keep Kentucky within the Union. and il
threw the whole border country into dis
may. Lincoln compelled Fremont to re-
scind his proclamation, and then a great
clamor against the President was set up by
the Abolitionists. A little later, when it be-
came necessary to remove Fremont from his
Western command, that general audacious-
ly refused to receive the Presidents mes
senger. and actually established a guard to
prevent the messenger from coming near
him. 1t was only when General McKenny
disguised himself as Southern planter.
and lied his way through Fremont's guard
line, that the recalcitrant general was
brought TO time, and even then ii was COM
mon opinion that he would refuse to obey
and lead mutiny against the Presidents
order.
With Fremont out of the way, the Presi-
dents troubles only thickened. General
Hunter. who had been placed in command
Of the department of Kansas, raised a great
row because he thought his importance had
not been fully recognized, and below we
give brief extract from a letter written
to this commander by a forgving and
patient man at the White House
Yours of the Esd is received, and / am
constrained to say it is difficult to answer 20
ugly letter I'm good temper. / am as you
intimate, losing much of the great confidence
L placed in you, not from any act or omis-
sion of your touching the public service, but
from the flood of grumbling letters and dis
patches have seen from you since. L knew
of your being ordered &c Leavenworth at the
time 1t was done. and L aver that with AS
tender regard for your honor and your
sensbilities as / had for my own, it never
occurred to me that you were being 'humli-
ated, insulted and disgraced:' nor have / up
10 this date heard an intimat ton that you
have been wronged, coming from any one
but yourself. i thought then and
think yet, that the position assigned you is
responsible and honorable, as that
assigned Buell.. = He who does some
thing at the head of one regiment will
eclipse him who does nothing at the head OF
hundred
dent infers, was the bane of all the early
army movements. With Mcclellan over on
the east shore, Lincoln pleaded, argued. i'm
plored but to no avail for that warrior not
only continued to cultivate a mastery in
activity, but heaped reproaches upon the
President himself. Indeed, 1t never seemed
to have penetrated the mind of Mcclellan
that the President was the communicating
chief.
.'McCIellan conceived the idea" says our
historian. that ii was he alone who was
called upon to save the Union. The people
call upon me to save the country he wrote
| his wife. i must save ii, and cannot respect
anything that Is In the way The Presi-
dents suggestions. when they did not agree
with his own ideas, he considered as an in
| reference. Lincoln, In his anxiety TO know
| the details of the work in the army. went
| frequently to McClellan's headquarters
| That the President had serious purpose in
| these visits Mcclellan did not see. L inclose
| a card just received from "A. Lincoln he
wrote 10 his wife one day: 1T shows too
much Difference 10 be seen outside In an
| other letter 10 Mrs. Mcclellan he spoke OF
| being interrupted by President and
| Secretary Seward, who had nothing in par
| ticular to say and again of concealing
| himself to dodge all enemies In shape OF
| browsing Presidents and secretaries' His
| plans he kept to himself. and when at the
Cabinet meetings he seemed TO feel that
questions were oncroachment upon his
| special business. L am become daily more
Disguised with this admnistration-perfect
| ly sick of it, he wrote early in October: and
a few days later. i was obliged TO attend a
Il "a n m "a
and annoyed. There are some OF the great