Lincoln, in the days of his youth, was often unfaithful to his Quaker
traditions. On the day of election in 1840, word came to him that one
Radford, a Democratic contractor, had taken possession of one of the
polling places with his workmen, and was preventing the Whigs from
voting. Lincoln started off at a gait which showed his interest in the
matter in hand.
He went up to Radford and persuaded him to leave the polls, remarking
at the same time: “Radford, you’ll spoil and blow, if you live much
longer.”
Radford’s prudence prevented an actual collision, which, it is said,
Lincoln regretted. He told his friend Speed he wanted Radford to show
fight so that he might “knock him down and leave him kicking.”
“WHO COMMENCED THIS FUSS?”
President Lincoln was at all times an advocate of peace, provided it
could be obtained honorably and with credit to the United States. As
to the cause of the Civil War, which side of Mason and Dixon’s line was
responsible for it, who fired the first shots, who were the aggressors,
etc., Lincoln did not seem to bother about; he wanted to preserve the
Union, above all things. Slavery, he was assured, was dead, but he
thought the former slaveholders should be recompensed.
To illustrate his feelings in the matter he told this story:
“Some of the supporters of the Union cause are opposed to accommodate or
yield to the South in any manner or way because the Confederates began
the war; were determined to take their States out of the Union, and,
consequently, should be held responsible to the last stage for whatever
may come in the future. Now this reminds me of a good story I heard
once, when I lived in Illinois.
“A vicious bull in a pasture took after everybody who tried to cross the
lot, and one day a neighbor of the owner was the victim. This man was a
speedy fellow and got to a friendly tree ahead of the bull, but not in
time to climb the tree. So he led the enraged animal a merry race around
the tree, finally succeeding in seizing the bull by the tail.
“The bull, being at a disadvantage, not able to either catch the man or
release his tail, was mad enough to eat nails; he dug up the earth with
his feet, scattered gravel all around, bellowed until you could hear
him for two miles or more, and at length broke into a dead run, the man
hanging onto his tail all the time.
“While the bull, much out of temper, was legging it to the best of his
ability, his tormentor, still clinging to the tail, asked, ‘Darn you,
who commenced this fuss?’
“It’s our duty to settle this fuss at the earliest possible moment, no
matter who commenced it. That’s my idea of it.”
“ABE’S” LITTLE JOKE.
When General W. T. Sherman, November 12th, 1864, severed all
communication with the North and started for Savannah with his
magnificent army of sixty thousand men, there was much anxiety for
a month as to his whereabouts. President Lincoln, in response to an
inquiry, said: “I know what hole Sherman went in at, but I don’t know
what hole he’ll come out at.”
Colonel McClure had been in consultation with the President one day,
about two weeks after Sherman’s disappearance, and in this connection
related this incident:
“I was leaving the room, and just as I reached the door the President
turned around, and, with a merry twinkling of the eye, inquired,
‘McClure, wouldn’t you like to hear something from Sherman?’
“The inquiry electrified me at the instant, as it seemed to imply that
Lincoln had some information on the subject. I immediately answered,
‘Yes, most of all, I should like to hear from Sherman.’
“To this President Lincoln answered, with a hearty laugh: ‘Well, I’ll be
hanged if I wouldn’t myself.’”