The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-04-09
Showing Close Friendship Of
Archbishop Hughes to
Thurlow Weed.
Prelate Refused to Go AS
Envoy to Europe Without
the Journalist.
Letter Kept French Emperor
From Recognizing the
Confederacy.

This is the hitherto unpublished
story of the Archbishop of the Cath
olic Church, who, because he would
not permit close personal friend to
be put in the way of being humiliat-
ed unwittingly performed great
service for the Union at a most crit
ical period of the Civil war. This
church dignitary was John Hughes,
from 1850 to 1864, the year of his
death, the head of his Church in New
York city.
Shortly after the outbreak of tho
war, President Lincoln, as history
states, determined. to send abroad to
Great Britain and France a special
embassy to work for the cause Of the
Union and against the foreign COM
missioners of the Confederacy. One
of the men he appointed on this COM
mission was the late Charles P. Nc
1lvaine, Protestant Episcopal Bishop
of Ohio, and another was Archbishop
John Hughes, an ardent friend both
of the Union and Lincoln, and also
a very energetic and earnest worker
and 4 most eloquent speaker.
These. two dignitaries, when they
met in Washington shortly after they
had been formally notified of their
selection by the president, were un-
der the impression that the third
member of the commission was to be
Thurlow Weed. But the Archbishop
had been in the capital only q day
or SO when he began to suspect that
it was not the purpose of the secre-
tary of state, William H. Seward, to
clothe Mr.. Weed with full plenipoten-
tiary powers, Notwithstanding the in
formal report that had been printed
that the three special ambassadors
would be the two ecclesiastics and
Mr.. Weed.
Now, Archbishop Hughes and Mr..
Weed were close personal friends, and
the more the Archbishop thought
about the matter the more excited and
perturbed he became. At last he de-
termined to beard the secretary of
state in his Office and have it out with
him as regards his friends position
upon the commission.
The Archbishop lost no time in
coming to the point once he gained
Mr.. Stewards presence.
"Gov. Seward" he said, II under
stand that the commissions of Bishop
Mc1lvaine and myself as special am
bassadors of President Lincoln and
France are about to be made out. But
I have also heard that Mr.. Weed is
not to be appointed as fellow COM
missioner"
"Yes," said Secretary Seward, 1--WE
have decided that we will appoint Mr..
Weed as secretary of the commits
sion"
Secretary Of the commission!" ex-
claimed the Archbishop. 1--WE don't
need any secretary. Why is not Mr..
Weed appointed full commissioner ?"
WELL" replied Secretary Seward,
;" "he has no official character, repre-
Ssents nothing but himself, and it
seemed to me that for this reason it
would be the better part not to name
him as one of the commissioners"
Instantly the Bishop fared up; he
was large man physically as well
as intellectually, and of impetuous
temper.
"Mr. Secretary" he cried-he aft
erward admitted that he spoke lit
tie excitedly-"Mr. Secretary, 1 want
to say just one thing to you-either
Thurlow Weed goes as an equal men,
ber of this commission, in authority
and representative capacity with
Bishop McIlvaine and myself, or
don't go. Now, you can decide that
for yourself. shan't make any 9TH
er argument There will be three
commissioners, of whom Thurlow
Weed is one. or will not be a mem
ber of the commission"
For an appreciable space of time
the two men sat facing each other, in