2. Lincoln's friends have no actual authority-none but a moral right. 3. If Lincoln shall be President-Cameron shall have a place in his cabinet. 4. And he shall procure the indorsement of the Republican State Committee. What caused the first trouble was, the lack of "verification of the powers" of the Illinois men: they had to admit, not only that they had no authority, but even that Lincoln had sent word written on a newspaper margin that he would be bound by no bargain: but they urged that Lincoln could not repudiate the promise of Davis-and Logan-and Swett. The demand for the Treasury and nothing else was the next point of difficulty: the Illinois men had in view the wrecking of the Treasury by Buchanan's Secretary and Cameron's flagitious record and were firm in their refusal to be limited to that one department. And there was one stray bit of humor, which was thus narrated: Palmer stated impressively: "Well, gentlemen, it is all of no use unless we get Lincoln, for without him, we will lose both Illinois and Indiana." "Oh! no!" almost shrieked Davis, in counterfeited alarm. "Don't-don't say that, Palmer, that will ruin us," etc., and this bit of charlatanry had an effect as was intended. Lincoln did not really expect ever to be nominated before. the convention. In March and April, 1860, while he was trying the "Sand-bar" case with Judge Higgins, Lincoln went with James W. Somers and me to a minstrel show at Metropolitan Hall, in Chicago. Said I: "Possibly in a few weeks you will be nominated for President right here;" for it was then thought that the convention would be held in that hall; his reply was, "It is enough honor for me to be talked about, for it." And when Wm. N. Coler, Esq., now of New York, came from Springfield to Chicago on the first day of the convention, Lincoln said to him, "I've a good notion to go up with you but I am too much of a candidate to be there, I reckon; yet not enough of a candidate to stay away." The "political necessity" which Nicolay and Hay say demanded Lincoln before and during the sitting of the convention, was the necessity of Caleb B. Smith to be Secretary of the Interior; of Wm. P. Dole to be Commissioner of Indian affairs; of David Davis to be either a Supreme Judge or a Cabinet officer; of Norman B. Judd to be a Cabinet Minister; and of Simon Cameron to be Secretary of the Treasury. Had not these political necessities existed, Seward's great reputation and his acknowledged position as leader of the party would have prevailed and Lincoln would doubtless have been a member of the Cabinet, and an obscure one for Lincoln did not shine except as a leader. In a subordinate position, as junior counsel, etc., he was very feeble; as a Cabinet officer he would have been a nonentity. Apropos of our visit to Rumsey & Newcomb's Minstrels in March, 1860, as I have stated, the piece d'resistance -the star performance-was as follows: DIXIE'S LAND. Ethiopian "walk round,” by D. D. Emmett. I wish I was in de land of cotton Look away-look 'way-away-Dixie's land. Look away-look 'way-away-Dixie's land. Hooray! Hooray!! In Dixie's land we'll took our stand Ole missus marry Will-de-Weaber, Look away, etc. When he put his arms around her He look as fierce as a forty pounder Look away, etc. CHORUS-Den I wish I was in Dixie, etc. His face was sharp like a butcher's cleaber Look away, etc. Will run away-missus took a decline, oh. CHORUS-Den I wish I was in Dixie, etc. It was then entirely new; and was the most extravagant minstrel performance I ever saw. Lincoln was perfectly "taken" with it: and clapped his great hands, demanding an encore, louder than anyone. I never saw him so enthusiastic. The next extravagant enthusiasm I saw was not with but about him; it occurred about three months later at the Chicago wigwam. Singular to say, one of the last speeches he ever madeon April 10th, 1865, to the Navy Yard mechanics-just four days before he was assassinated-was about this very piece. It reads thus: "I see you have a band: I propose now closing up by requesting you to play a certain piece of music or a tune; I thought Dixie one of the best tunes I had ever heard. I bad heard that our adversaries over the way had attempted to appropriate it. I insisted yesterday we had fairly captured it. I presented the question to the Attorney General and he gave it as his opinion, that it is our lawful prize. I ask the band to give us a good turn with it." Among the minor elements of sorrow in connection with the career of this greatest of men is this, that his last public speeches should not have been of sublime dignity, of which he was so fully capable-and of which he had given so many proofs. But "Man proposes and God disposes-" and it probably is a blessing in disguise, that we do not know when our hour of Fate will be struck. V. MARY TODD LINCOLN. The woman whom thou gavest to be with me; she gave me of the tree and I did eat.-GEN. III.-12. Inasmuch as the lady of the White House, is the head of the social government, she cannot be ignored, without offence, in any extended sketch of her husband, or his administration, unless, as has happened, she be an invalid or a recluse: and the more pronounced her ambition, and the more brilliant her record the more imperious the necessity that she be not unheeded by the Muse of History. Many distinguished ladies have been thus honored: some especially in late days, have been celebrated, ad nauseum; but none in any era of our Republic have been neglected; for they all must of necessity stand in "the waves of light that beat about a throne." A great deal has been said and written, and more implied about the distinguished lady, whose name is the caption to this article; and while adulation plumed its loftiest flight when coupled with her name while she had her natural defender, calumny was equally ambitious when she was left defenceless and in a country whose habitual custom it is to honor and recognize, as well as benefit, the widows of martyrs in its service, this relict of its greatest patriot |