Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31

upon before Lamon left, and SCOTS hat
went up to the ceiling a s he burst out in
grateful acknowledgment Of Lincoln's
safety. shouting that president Lincoln
is in Washington
When Lincoln was inaugurated as Pres
ident Of the United States there was not a
single member of his cabinet, nor any one
of the republican leaders of Congress. who
believed that he was qualified for his pO-
sition. There were Seward. Chase. Sum-
ner. Wilson and many others In Congress
who believed him to be an unsophisti-
Gated countryman, without the knowledge
of craftsmanship and entirely untitled to
cope with the exceptionally embarrassing
these men had a distinct and declared
policy as to the duty of the adminiStra-
ton in meeting the secession of the south
ern states. Lincoln had none. He was
the only man of all of them who under
stood that the policy to be pursued for
the safety of the republic depended en-
tirely upon future developments.
Seward his premier was first to give
Lincoln formal notice of his incapacity
by a formal proposition to the President
to inaugurate a war against either Spain
or France to avert the country from Sc
cession. and in this formal proposition
he proposed that the matter should be
submitted entirely to one person for eX-
ecution. whose authority should be abso-
lutte. He stated that he did not seek it,
but. Of course he could not decline it.
This was simply a proposition to make
Seward practically President with author
ity to provoke a war with Spain or
France and conduct it entirely without
the President. Lincoln, while fully appre-
ciating the reflection upon his qualitca-
tions for his position. answered the prorO-
cluded with the declaration that the re-
spOnsibility should be upon the President
of the United States.
Cameron. Secretary OF War. in his first
official report, declared In favor Of eman-
cipation without consulting the President.
but Lincoln instead of dismissing his
cabinet officer, as he should have done,
contented himself with simply disavow-
ing all responsibility for the expression
of the Secretary. They all underesti-
cealed from Lincoln himself. who patient
ly bided his time and in the end was the
acknowledged master of them all
Most of the leading republican sena-
tors and other leaders had a distinctive
policy of their own for the restoration
of the Union, but Lincoln. knowing that
the government must decide it's policy
upon future developments. was without
declared policy. In his inaugural he
stated that war would not be made upon
the south. He had found the cotton
states practically united in secession.
Most of the leading forts and arsenals
were captured and he was utterly power
less to attempt an aggressive war. The
north was not only divided upon the
question OF war, but Il Large majority
of the northern people were averse to it.
and If Lincoln had attempted to pre-
cipitate war by attempting the recap
ture of forts or arsenals, the north.
would have been powerless TO support
him and the south solid against him.
The little regular army of that day was
practically divided by nearly onc-half
of it's strength going to the SOUTH and
he was entirely without an army to I'M
dertake any aggressive movement
against the south. Thug. Lincoln stood
silent and patient against the various