The National tribune., 1909-05-27
Danger at Baltimore.

Danger at Baltimore.
| While at Harrisburg the warnings Of
his probable assassination at Baltimore
| became too strong to be disregarded.
| AT that time Baltimore had a most un-
| enviable reputation for the turbulence
OF its mobs and their readiness to COM
INIT murder. Much the greatest part
| OF Baltimore's trade was with ths
South. and the aristocratic and presume
ably controlling element had been Sc.
duced into an alliance with the South
ern Confederacy by the promise that
the boundary line would be Mason and
Dixon's line. and that Baltimore should
have the place in the new Confederacy
that New York had in the old. There
fore. the great mercantile and shipping
interests were behind the blatant tur-
bulent and murderous Secession mob
ties. -
There can be little doubt that there
was well-organized plot to assassinate
Lincoln in the course of a fictitious riot
gotten up for the purpose of covering
the assassination. Reluctant as Lincoln
was to take any precautions as to his
safety, he at last yielded to the anxious
solicitations of his friends. II was ar
ranged that he should take an earlier
train, and leave Harrisburg without the
usual announcement of his departure.
The telegraph lines were therefore cut
in all directions, and, accompanied by
two or three devoted friends. among
them Capt. John Pope. Lincoln drove
to the railroad station, finding there a
special train, and passed thru BaIti-
more several hours before il was ex-
pected he would arrive. The Seces-
sionists circulated all sorts of disparag-
ing stories about his being disguised in
Scotch cap and plaid and hidden in :
a private car, all Of which were grossly
untrue. -f.
Washington was surprised by the an
nouncement, when it walked up on Feb.
%, that the President-elect had already
arrived in the city, and was -quartered
at Willards Hotel. This was about the
hour that it had been expected he
would leave Harrisburg. 2e- rssel-s.'
Many of Lincoln's friends felt deeply
hurt that he should enter the Capital
clandestinely, but 1t was undoubtedly
the part of prudence and wisdom. While
they would have been ready to form an
escort of 100000 men to take him thru
Baltimore with proper safety and dig
nifty, yet the time was far from ripe for
such demonstration.
In the Camp of the Enemy.
At this day it seems an act of high
courage that Lincoln should have taken
this step. Washington was almost like
a camp of the enemy. In spite of the
stiffened loyalty in Buehanan's Cabinet,
the tone of Washington was unmistak.
ably Southern and Secession. The men
who were in control of the War De-
partment were those who were soon to
take their departure for places in the
army. All official life was
distinctly Secession in its sympathies. =
The complete control which the Pros
Slavery men had had Of the Administrac
tion and its offices had excluded, fre-
quently actually driven out all Of the
Democrats favorable to Douglas and
filed their places with men true to the
South" Among the higher Army men
only Gen. Scott could be relied upon.
and 1t was due to his wise provisions
that the official count of the votes for
President and Vice President proceeded
without mob interruption. = -sr- - 800
Society was openly and extensively Se-
cession. Those women claiming social
position paraded Secession colors,
played Secession music on their pianos
before open windows. and In multi r
tude OF ways in which women can make
their influence felt exerted II, all against
the Abolition President and his horde
of followers. There was no telling what
moment raid of Virginia militia, toin-,s,
Ing with the Baltimore "roughs," would
lake actual POSSESSION Of the city. Any
uItoward event might precipitafe this.
The only men that Lincoln could really
-ely upon were the sturdy, Unien-lovin9
and Democrats in Congresa
and small body of faithful, loyal OH
:ers OF the Army and Navy. Where he
'Ound one reliable man in the city tho
probability was that there would be
our or five active enemies, with 10 to
70 ready to go which ever way the tida
urned .--
(To be continued.)