The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-16
SOME n o
Ehuin NJ. stanton.

great war Minister IL before us in two large
octave volumes. collectively termed LIE an'
Public Services Of Ed,cin W. Stanton. by GEoRGI
c. GoRHAM tHoughton. MiNnin x Col Thi'
book contains q sketch OF MIR. Stanton's earlJ
life, his professional career and his genera
characteristics, but. as his claims upon the ro'
spect and gratitude OF his courtrymen rest
chiefly upon the part which he took in the
preservation of the Union. his biographer'f
main purpose ia to present the record oil
his relation to tho civil war and to mark
the place in history to which his services
TO tho country entitle him. IL will be re-
membered that his public life was BRIEF, en-
bracing as II did only the secession winter
OF lS,b0-UI. three years OF the civil war 1882
65)and three years OF the reconstruction struR-
gle which followed 1t. Whom he died In 1863
the passions provoked by the wal OF the rebel
lion were at the highest. and the hour had not
yet come for a fair estimate OF Stanton. Tho
lapse c; thirty years. however. and a revival OF
national pride and patriotic feeling have ex-
tinguished the violent animositics OF that
period. and the wounds thus healed are In no
danger OF being reopened by such n narrative
as is needed to illustrate Stanton's work aud
the motives that inspired II. Wethink that the
biographeris justified In his belief hat now the
judgment Of all Americans who rejoice In the
possession Of n reunited country will recognize
the patriotic services Of the great Secretary OF
War by whom the outcome OF the struggle
which involved the Acknowledgement OF the
country was. to 30 large an extent.
II Is an interesting fact that Edwi Nj. Stan
ton began his adult life as q Jackson Demo-
crat: hat he became a "Freesoiler" when he
thought that Mr.. Van Buren, had been unfairly
defeated by the South In the National Conven-
ton OF 1874; that he remained. nevertheless.
In the Democratic party and adhered to the
extreme pro-slavery wing thereof when the
bred Scot decision marked a new departure In
the discussion OF the slavery question. We are
reminded by the biographer that In the Cab
met OF Mr.. Buchanan during the secession
winter OF 1880-81 Stanton was faithful at once
10 his country and to his chief and mover
served the latter better than when. with the
aid OF his colleagues. Black and Holt. he saved
the President from the ruin In which treason
at the council board sought to enHulf him. 1t
was his patriotic zeal at that time which
led to his subsequent appointment as sec-
Rotary OF War. He was slow to overcome
his antipathy to the BLACK Republicans"
as he, In common with other Democrats.
called them as late as the summer of 1851 and
90 intense was his dislike for Mr.. Lincoln that
we have his own authority for saying that.
when the Republican President called upon him
to receive his commission as Secretary OF War
on Jan. Is. 1862. II was the first time he had
seen Mr.. Lincoln since the ~lattcr's Inauguration
more than ten months before. 1t was In the war
Department that Mr.. Stanton developed and
displayed his greatest qualities. These were
intellectual power. self-reliance. an iron will.
unbending integrity. devoted patriotism. i'm
mense capacity for long-sustained work. adap-
liability to new duties and an intense enthu-
siasm for whatever cause he espoused. In the
biographer's opinion his faults were chiefly
those Of temperament. Rapidly OF discussion
and action. made necessary by the vastness OF
the work before him.. sometimes led him to in
justice. which was the harder to bear because
OF the abruptness OF manner with which 1t was
often accompanied. He was too busy to be
ceremonious when many would have construed
civllity into an invitation to occupy the time
which he could not give them. He was the
man who said NJ" for the Government when
It had to be said. no matter how distasteful or
offensive tho negative might be 10 those to
whom It was addressed.
1t is admitted by Mr.. Gorham that the ma
terials for a just and full narrative Of Mr.. Stan
tons public life do not exist. In the very ma
ture OF the case. his most important daily work
during the war left no record behind him. Mr..
Stanton kept no diary. nor did no In any man.
ner concern himself as to what should be said
OF him. either by his contemporaries or pos
terlty. The great mass OF papers left behind
him contain no suggestion Of any contribution
to a biography. 1t lie. therefore. a task Of
much more than ordinary difficulty which the
author OF this work has undertaken. and he
deserves the highest credit for the skill. indus
try and efficiency with which it has beon per-
formed.