The President was often in opposition to the general public sentiment of
the North upon certain questions of policy, but he bided his time, and
things usually came out as he wanted them. It was Lincoln’s opinion,
from the first, that apology and reparation to England must be made
by the United States because of the arrest, upon the high seas, of the
Confederate Commissioners, Mason and Slidell. The country, however (the
Northern States), was wild for a conflict with England.
“One war at a time,” quietly remarked the President at a Cabinet
meeting, where he found the majority of his advisers unfavorably
disposed to “backing down.” But one member of the Cabinet was a really
strong supporter of the President in his attitude.
“I am reminded,” the President said after the various arguments had been
put forward by the members of the Cabinet, “of a fellow out in my State
of Illinois who happened to stray into a church while a revival meeting
was in progress. To be truthful, this individual was not entirely sober,
and with that instinct which seems to impel all men in his condition to
assume a prominent part in proceedings, he walked up the aisle to the
very front pew.
“All noticed him, but he did not care; for awhile he joined audibly in
the singing, said ‘Amen’ at the close of the prayers, but, drowsiness
overcoming him, he went to sleep. Before the meeting closed, the
pastor asked the usual question--‘Who are on the Lord’s side?’--and the
congregation arose en masse. When he asked, ‘Who are on the side of
the Devil?’ the sleeper was about waking up. He heard a portion of the
interrogatory, and, seeing the minister on his feet, arose.
“‘I don’t exactly understand the question,’ he said, ‘but I’ll stand by
you, parson, to the last. But it seems to me,’ he added, ‘that we’re in
a hopeless minority.’
“I’m in a hopeless minority now,” said the President, “and I’ll have to
admit it.”
“DID YE ASK MORRISSEY YET?”
John Morrissey, the noted prize fighter, was the “Boss” of Tammany Hall
during the Civil War period. It pleased his fancy to go to Congress, and
his obedient constituents sent him there. Morrissey was such an absolute
despot that the New York City democracy could not make a move without
his consent, and many of the Tammanyites were so afraid of him that
they would not even enter into business ventures without consulting the
autocrat.
President Lincoln had been seriously annoyed by some of his generals,
who were afraid to make the slightest move before asking advice from
Washington. One commander, in particular, was so cautious that he
telegraphed the War Department upon the slightest pretext, the result
being that his troops were lying in camp doing nothing, when they should
have been in the field.
“This general reminds me,” the President said one day while talking to
Secretary Stanton, at the War Department, “of a story I once heard about
a Tammany man. He happened to meet a friend, also a member of Tammany,
on the street, and in the course of the talk the friend, who was beaming
with smiles and good nature, told the other Tammanyite that he was going
to be married.
“This first Tammany man looked more serious than men usually do upon
hearing of the impending happiness of a friend. In fact, his face seemed
to take on a look of anxiety and worry.
“‘Ain’t you glad to know that I’m to get married?’ demanded the second
Tammanyite, somewhat in a huff.
“‘Of course I am,’ was the reply; ‘but,’ putting his mouth close to the
ear of the other, ‘have ye asked Morrissey yet?’
“Now, this general of whom we are speaking, wouldn’t dare order out the
guard without asking Morrissey,” concluded the President.