Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-10
Abraham Lincoln
RecOllections
: ,. 3. Nadal IN The outlOot.

II AM Indebted 20 a friend, who not Of LIN
i coins admirers. for the following:
When the last call for troops made and a
conscrpton ordered, the proportion assigned TO the
city OF New York some thousands In OF
what some people believed to be legal liability,
and our committee volunteering certain they
could prove this n they could have TO the
books OF the War department The committee-ori-
son Blunt, John Fox Smith Ely and william M.
Stantons permission TO examine the records. which
was brusquey refused the pretext that the books
were in constant The committee then went 70
the White House and Lincoln in his private
office. After asking them be seated. he resumed
his chair. in which he sat partly his back. with
his heels literally the mantelplece His linen
bosom unbuttoned. exposing his flannel shirt
He was told that we had furnished. in excess OF
vious calls, more than enough to exempt from
the present call. which we would prove 80 we could
have access 10 the records for hours during
the night when they not in use. He also
assured that in event would CONSUMPTION lie
needed in New York, getting fifty voun.
teers daily, q short postponement OF the draft
would enable us to supply all the demands. Just
unjust. lie listened with expression OF profound
sadness. and said he thought the request
able one. but he feared II the order for draft
postponed volunteering would RE said that
similar COMMITTEES from Cincinnati had applied TO him
for postponement of the draft they getting
twenty volunteers day II done, and the day
following not a single volunteer appeared That
said Lincoln fs human nature When you think death
is after you you run; but death stops,
you stop At this he from his chair throwing
his arms about. and laughed loudly at his dismal
Joke Lincoln gave the New York committee a note
TO Stanton, substantially follows:
Dear Secretary; These gentlemen from New York
shs s on YIN TO s Tor EO hour. At
have double that Time ..
They took the note to Stanton who handed It 20
Frye. The latter glanced at r. and saying Take
seats left the office. In a minutes he returned
and said CURLY; The order is annulled can't
see the books The committee withdrew and re-
turned TO New York the next forenoon The clerk OF
the committee. Eugene DurbIn said that late in the
evening army officer with two orderlies called at
the committees rooms and presented the chairman
with note, which read follows: The secretary
of expects to be informed that the committee on
volunteering from the County OF New York have loft
Washington prior to noon tomorrow The committee
after their return. said it Stanton and not Lin
coin, who was president of the United States"
The gentleman to whom am indebted for this
Mr.. Smith Ely, former mayor OF New York and
member OF congress-was a democratic political leader
of war times. and, although of the most amabie
and kind-hearted OF men, had OF to some de.
gree the feelings regarding Lincoln shared by the
men who in those days frequented the Manhattan
ciub He does not see much point In LAncolns
about death and the draft To me the point seems
clear enough. when tie devil was sick the devil
saint would be-" etc. Nor will the reader conclude
with the committee that Stanton president and
not Lincoln. stanton man OF great admins
trative ability. kind OF human dynamo such as you
could hardly duplicate In the country a patriot and
honest man besides AS long as the issue was one of
no great importance (which to have been the
case here) Lincoln let him have his way.
stanton probably the greatest man in civii life
produced by the war. of course, after Lincoln My
earliest recollection of him is seeing at the trial
OF slcSles for the murder OF Key which took place
when was boy at school in Washington He was
one of Sic1xles' counsel. The acquaintance which
sickes formed at that time with Stanton part
the cause Of sickIes success in the cvu
war stanton advanced and supported him L
remember at the trial thick-set man with a heavy
beard who sat behind the other lawyers and who
would occasionally interpolate a remark in a gruff
voice He had that physical build which is said to
be OF the best for strength-very broad shoulders
and deep chest. large body short stout legs
He had herculean powers Of labor. suppose he was
honest, but do not suppose that he was an over
scrupulous man. He would have been or place as
war ministers IL he had been When someone COM
planned to him OF General Megs who was one OF his
subordinates. he said: Now don't say anything
against Meigs; he's the best man have ne is a sol.
der, and do things which / as lawyer find AZ
hard to do" One wonders what the things were that
Stanton would not do.
! able TO make only one original contribution
TO the history OF Stanton young girl once told me
this incident about him The reader OF course knows
coeridse's poem beginning
All thoughts, all passions. all delights,
Are but the ministers OF love
And feed his sacred flame.
This girls father was a client and a great fr,snd
OF Stantons, and she used to make long visits TO
stanton's family during the war She was a pretty
girl and belle OF those days She said that stanton
worked all the time and that the only relaxation he
allowed himself that on Sunday afternoon for an
hour or so he would read poetry 20 her ana she told
me that the poem he read oftenest and with the
greatest piessue was IAN thoughts all passions al
delights"