Evening star., 1948-02-01
By jacob S. Poyton

February, 1848. was month OF
stirring and dramatic scenes in
Washington. In congressional and
Army circles there was a strife OF
tongues over the report just received
that a general court-martial had
found 1t. Col. John G. Fremont
guilty of characterization on three
charges and had sentenced him to
dismissal from the service. Flags
had been lowered to half mast over
the city on February % when John
@. Adams, former President and II
years a member of the House, died
The most notable incident of the
month down at the White House
was the arrival of the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo on the evening
of the 10th. Its delivery brought
the good news that the War with
Mexico was over, and praise for
John P. Freaner, a correspondent
of New Orleans paper, for having
covered the distance with the i'm
portant document from Mexico City
to Washington in the breath taking
space of II days.
Campaign Was Listless
During this period there walked
across the Capitol Grounds to the
daily sessions of the Thirtieth
Congress the member of the 7th
District of Illinois, Abraham Lin
coin. On February II, 1848, his seth
birthday, he must have reflected on
his arrival at this place of distinc-
ton along pathway originating in
obscurity and beset with obstacles
such as few others had ever en-
countered.
Mr.. Lincoln had received his NOM
ination as the Whig candidate for
Congress through agreement among
local aspirants that each would con-
fine his tenure to a single term.
In 1846 he announced that it was
his turn at Congress much as boy
claims his turn at bat on the sand
lots. The ensuing campaign had
been a listless one for the reason
that his Democratic opponent, Peter
Cartwright, the noted old circuit
rider, preferred to spend more time
beating the devil at camp-meetings
than his political rival out on the
hustings.
On December 2, 1847, Mr.. and
Mrs. Lincoln and their son Robert,
aged 4, arrived in Washington.
They took up their residence in the
boarding house of Mrs. Spriggs.
One of Nine Wings
Here Lincoln found himself one
of nine Whig congressman OF whom
five we're from Pennsylvania. Among
them was Joshua r. Giddings, a
muscular and noisy member from
Ohio, who added to his already we'll
established reputation as an aboli-
zionist by defending Negro servant
whose brutal removal from the
boarding house had given the place
some passing publicity. Aside from
Giddings and Lincoln the only other
boarder to command later public
attention was James Pollock, who
became Governor of Pennsylvania
and director of the Mint at Phila-
delphia.
A glimpse OF how life passed in
Mrs. spriggs' boarding house is fur
nished by DR.. Samuel C. Busey, who
sat opposite Mr.. Lincoln at table.
When among the diners political
tempers f1ared, as they were sure
to do with ~Giddings present, Lin
coin, according to Dr.. Busey, would
lay down his knife and fork, place
his elbows upon the table, rest his
face between his hands and, be-
ginning with the words, That re-
minds me- would proceed" And
when he had concluded some hui
morous anecdote, gales of laughter
restored good feeling.
Several letters exchanged between
the Lincolns have been preserved
which throw some light upbn this
period. Lincoln wrote his wifi about