Evening star., 1950-12-20
By NewboId Noyes, Jr.

- the Nation was In the midst Of a
cabinet crisis. A committee Of Republican.
Senators went to the White House to
tell the President the conclusions that
had been reached at their secret caucus,
which had been in progress for two days
on Capitol Hill.
They said that they and just about
everybody else had completely "lost con-
fidence'' in the Secretary Of State. The
country was at war, and there was doubt
that the Secretarys heart was in the
war. The Senators had no intention Of
debating to the President what he should
do--but the idea was that the President
must get himself new Secretary Of
State.
The President, Of course, was Abraham
Lincoln. as Mr.. Truman recalled yester-
day, and the target Of the senatorial
fire was William Henry Seward. Aside
from obvious differences In the personali-
ties involved, there are number of diff
ferences between the situation pertaining
in this incident Of Civil War history and
the situation in which President Truman
and Secretary Of State Acheson flnd
themselves today. The biggest Of these
is the fact that the attack on Seward
came from within the Presidents own
party
Nevertheless the things they were say
ing about Seward In those days have
familiar ring to newspaper readers Of
today.
The attack on Seward had been brew
ing for some time before the Republican
Senators held their first secret session
hfc
tai work on Lincoln, Carl Sandburg
makes 1t pretty plain where most Of the
trouble was coming from. There was
serious clash of personalities between
Seward and Lincoln's Secretary Of the
Treasury, Salmon p. Chase. Chase had
q habit of buttonholing influential legis-
lators with variety Of back-stabbing
doubletalk which is not unfamiliar to
students of modern politics. and which
did his enemies no good.
Chase's line was that there was
'backstairs influence" controlling the
President-the influence being Seward.
and the result being that thu rest Of the
cabinet was not being fully consulted
about the war decisions. Speaking. for
instance, to q New York Republican
leader, Chase said Of course he had no
doubt about Seward's faithfulness. But
confidentially, he added. Stewards Mfiu-
ence had encouraged the irresolution
and inaction Of the President In respect
to men and measures"
Then rs now, the Chicago Tribune had
marked views on the subject of the
Secretary of States fitness. Seward
must be got out Of the cabinet" Joseph
Medill wrote. HE Is Lncoln's evil genius.
He has :. kept q sponge saturated
with chloroform to Uncle Abe's nose :.
There must be q reorganization OF
the cabinet"
The war was not going well when the
Republican Senators held their caucus,
and Mr.. Sandburg reports that disasters
one after another were laid to Seward"
The views Of Senator wilkinson OF
Minnesota were set forth In q memoran-
dunn Of the first meeting: TN his judg-
n1ent, the source Of all our difhculticS
and disasters was apparent. The Secre-
tary Of State, Mr.. Seward. had never
believed in the war, and so long as he
remained in the cabinet nothing but
defeat and disaster could be expected"
This about summed up the attitude
of the Senators who were pressing for
Stewards custer. There were, to be sure.
voices urging caution. Some Senators
pointed out that the charges against
Seward were mere assertions, unsup-
ported by proof But such expressions
were exceptional.
On the second day Of the caucus, at
least one Senator doubted that changes
In the cabinet would help much In his
view, the basic trouble was the Presi-
dent. himself. Lincoln, he said, had
neither dignity, order nor f1rmness."
When Seward learned, late that We'd
nesday, that the Republican Senators
had decided TO- present their views to
Lincoln the next day, he chomped
cigar and quickly made up his mind.
"They may do as they please about me"
he said. "but they shall not put the
President in false position" He there
upon sat down and penned his resigna-
ton, asking that it be accepted i'm.
mediately.
Sandburg says Lincoln was hard hit
by news Of that development. Senator
Browning, friend Of the administra-
ton, dropped in that night and filled in
the President on the attitude of the
Republican legislators. Deeply depressed,
Lincoln spoke Of his impression that the
country was ION the brink Of destruc-
tion," that he could hardly see ray OF
hope.
mfr, Seward appears to be the especial
object of their tthe Senators') hostility"
Browning told Lincoln. "Still, believe
he has managed our foreign affairs as
well as any one could have done. Yet
they are very bitter upon him. and some
of them very bitter upon you."
According to Browning, Lincoln re-
acted in these words: why will men
believe a lie. an absurd lie. that could
not impose upon child, and cling to
it and repeat 1t In defiance Of all evi-
dence to the contrary"
Lincoln's handling of the affair was q
masterful study in the art Of political
maneuver. When the senatorial COM
mittee called on him the first time, ON
Thursday, he received them cordially,
listened for three hours TO what they
had to say and let them go without any
commitment as to what he would do.
The next day, Friday, he called . cab
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