The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-03-23
Life and Times of Hannibal
Hamlin.

Mr.. Charles +. Hamiin of Bangor
grandson of the late Hannibal Hamlin
has published a book with the above
title of which COL. Z. A. ~mith of the
Indianapolis journal, formerly a Maine
man, writes
THAT Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, was
Vice President when Abraham Lincoln
was President would of itself lend in
terest to any carefully written book
| treating of his life and his times; but
when Mr.. Hamlin became Vice Pres-
dent he had served in the House two
terms and was % the middle of his third
term as United States senator. He WAS
member of the senate while Clay,
| " ebster, calhoun, Benton and that gen
Grafton of statesmen were leaders He
was in the Senate when Seward, Sum-
ner, Douglas, sherman, Wade aud JEFF
ferson Davis became members After
he was Vice President he entered the
| Senate again to see the last of the CO.
terie of war senators, with two or three
exceptions, pass away, and the younger
men who are now old enter. Thus,
from 1843 IL ntil 1881, MIR. Hamlin may
be said To have been almost continuous.
| y in Congress, including his four years
as Vice President
This book is more than the life of
| Hannibal Hamin; ii is a picture of the
times in which he lived. 1t reads like
his own narration of the issues and the
leading events of that period, as he was
wont to relate them to personal friends
who were 80 fortunate as to meet him
in later years. That portion of the
book relating to his early life is full OF
| interest, but that interest becomes ao-
sorbing when the period before the war,
when Mr.. Hamliu served in tongress, is
reached. 1t is history, yet it is differ
ent from any other work covering the
| period. 1t is the history of conflicts
and actors told b, one of them AT that
date, 1913, the controversy over slavery
had entered congress. Mr.. Hamlin was
an anti-slavery Democrat Whenever
that topic was up Mr.. Hamlin's name is
found with those of John Quincy
Adams. Robert Dale Owen, John T.
Hale and Caleb b. Smith-anti slavery
" higs and Democrats. 1t is this per-
sonal narrative of thu early period
which gives interest to period OF our
national life of which SO little is accur-
ately known. In Maine during the
twenty five years before the formation
of the Republican party Mr., Hamlin
fought the Hunker wing of the party;
making a large part of the Democratic
party anti-sIavery men. He was Won
derful leader. When the Democratic
party opened the Territories to slavery
aud the natl onal Democratic convention
of 1856 Endorsed this demand of slavery
Mr.. Hamlin resigned his committee
Craftsmanship and in a speech severed
his connection with the Democracy and
joined the new party. This was in the
spring of 1856 He was nominated for
Governor by the Republican party in
Maine in the June following and swept
the State in September.
Mr. Hamlin knew Senator Seward of
New YorA, who was the Eastern ia
vorite for the Republican nomination in
1860 He valued him highly; yet he
believed that he did not possess the
qualities needed in President in that
great crisis. He used his influence to
obtain delegates for Mr.. Lincoln and
prevented the instruction of the dele
gates at large for Mr.. Seward. When
the vote was taken in the convention
Mr.. Hamlin had won six of Names six.
teen delegates to Mr.. Lincoln. Mr..
Hamlin was not candidate for the vice
presidency. He had not been spoken
of in that connection before the meeting
of the convention. He was simply &c.
| lected as the best man to promote the
election of the Lincoln ticket.
During Mr.. Lincoln's administration
he made Mr.. Hamin one of his trusted
advisers June Is, 1862, more than
month before President Lincoln read
his emancipation proclamation to his
1 10 = to In
all occasions Mr.. Hamlin stood between
the President and the unreasoning radi.
calls He early saw that Lincoln was
the greatest man of the period-a fact
which his letters written at the time
prove During the war there was no
more unsefish patriot than Mr., Hamlin,
and hundreds of Maine men in the SER
vice will now testify to his ready asss
lance of those in need.
1t is generally believed that MIR. Lin
coin desired that Andrew Johnson
should succeed Mr.. Hamlin in 1854.
This book proves beyond a doubt that
Lincoln had no liking for johnson and
would have preferred the nomination of
Mr. Hamln. He so expressed himself
to personal friends. There was, strange
as it may now seem, considerable oppo-
sition to the denomination of Mr.. Lin.
coin Half dozen senators were hos
tile. In 1863 the radicals in Congress
asked Mr. Hamlin to be their candidate
for President, but he would not listen
and he became the ardent champion of
Mr.. Lincoln's denomination, carrying
the Maine delegation for him. Mr..
Hamlin's friends did not make an active
canvass for his denomination, while Mr.
sumner took the Massachusetts, delega-
ton from him because he hated Senator
Fessenden of Maine, aud believed Mr..
Hamlin would succeed Fessenden in the
senate. But it made no difference with
Mr.. Hamln. He threw himself into the
campaign, carrying Maine by large
majority in September, 1864 At the
same time he encouraged enlistment by
enlsting as private in a sixty days
regiment and doing duty in Eastern
forts. He was appointed collector of
Boston, but resigned because he could
not be misunderstood as supporting
Andrew johnson. He returned to the
Senate in 1859
This book tells the story of the life
and service of Hannibal Hamin--of the
Hannibal Hamlin as those who knew
him saw him in life. He was rare
character. He loved public life because
he had political convictions to which he
was ever loyal. He was statesman,
which means that he had the capacity
to read the future and to prepare for its
demands He saw that Lincoln was a
l. 10. kIn..