John M. Palmer, Major-General in the Volunteer Army, Governor of the
State of Illinois, and United States Senator from the Sucker State,
became acquainted with Lincoln in 1839, and the last time he saw the
President was at the White House in February, 1865. Senator Palmer told
the story of his interview as follows:
“I had come to Washington at the request of the Governor, to complain
that Illinois had been credited with 18,000 too few troops. I saw Mr.
Lincoln one afternoon, and he asked me to come again in the morning.
“Next morning I sat in the ante-room while several officers were
relieved. At length I was told to enter the President’s room. Mr.
Lincoln was in the hands of the barber.
“‘Come in, Palmer,’ he called out, ‘come in. You’re home folks. I can
shave before you. I couldn’t before those others, and I have to do it
some time.’
“We chatted about various matters, and at length I said:
“‘Well, Mr. Lincoln, if anybody had told me that in a great crisis like
this the people were going out to a little one-horse town and pick out a
one-horse lawyer for President I wouldn’t have believed it.’
“Mr. Lincoln whirled about in his chair, his face white with lather,
a towel under his chin. At first I thought he was angry. Sweeping the
barber away he leaned forward, and, placing one hand on my knee, said:
“‘Neither would I. But it was time when a man with a policy would have
been fatal to the country. I have never had a policy. I have simply
tried to do what seemed best each day, as each day came.’”
“HOLDING A CANDLE TO THE CZAR.”
England was anything but pleased when the Czar Alexander, of Russia,
showed his friendship for the United States by sending a strong fleet
to this country with the accompanying suggestion that Uncle Sam, through
his representative, President Lincoln, could do whatever he saw fit with
the ironclads and the munitions of war they had stowed away in their
holds.
London “Punch,” on November 7th, 1863, printed the cartoon shown on this
page, the text under the picture reading in this way: “Holding a candle
to the * * * * *.” (Much the same thing.)
Of course, this was a covert sneer, intended to convey the impression
that President Lincoln, in order to secure the support and friendship
of the Emperor of Russia as long as the War of the Rebellion lasted, was
willing to do all sorts of menial offices, even to the extent of holding
the candle and lighting His Most Gracious Majesty, the White Czar, to
his imperial bed-chamber.
It is a somewhat remarkable fact that the Emperor Alexander, who
tendered inestimable aid to the President of the United States, was
the Lincoln of Russia, having given freedom to millions of serfs in
his empire; and, further than that, he was, like Lincoln, the victim of
assassination. He was literally blown to pieces by a bomb thrown under
his carriage while riding through the streets near the Winter Palace at
St. Petersburg.