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AS CITY TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1950.
LINCOLN'S PATIENCE SAVED SECRETARY
OF STATE IN WARTIME CABINET CRISIS
Senatorial Effort to Drive William Henry Seward Out of Office Had Some Resemblances
to the Present Fight on Dean Acheson-President Listened to the Senators, Then Got
the Paper He Needed to Win Final Victory.
By NEWBOLD NOYES, JR.
Wednesday that the Republican
(North American Newspaper Alliance.)
that he had in private conver-
ASHINGTON - Eighty-
senators had decided to present
sations with them.)
W
eight years ago this
their views to Lincoln the next
The President made some lit-
month, the nation was
day, he chomped a cigar and
tle speeches, told some jokes,
in the midst of a cabi-
quickly made up his mind.
and earnestly solicited the sen-
net crisis. A committee of Re-
"They may do as they please
ators' advice. Again nothing
publican senators went to the
about me," he said, "but they
was decided, but by 1 o'clock
White House to tell the President
shall not put the President in a
in the morning the opposition
the conclusions that had been
false position."
had let off a lot of steam, and
reached at their secret caucus,
the pressure seemed to have
which had been in progress for
A Resignation Is Offered.
diminished.
two days on Capitol Hill.
He thereupon sat down and
The denouement came the
They said that they and just
penned his resignation, asking
next day, December 23. Chase
about everybody else had com-
that it be accepted immediately.
went to see the President. He
pletely "lost confidence" in the
Sandburg says Lincoln was hard
said he had been "painfully af-
secretary of state. The country
hit by news of that development.
fected" by the meeting the night
was at war, and there was doubt
Senator Browning, a friend of the before. He told the
President
that the secretary's heart was in
the war. The senators had no
intention of dictating to the
President what he should do-
but the idea was that the Presi-
dent must get himself a new
secretary of state.
The President, of course, was
Abraham Lincoln, as Mr. Tru-
man recalled the other day, and
the target of the senatorial fire
was William Henry Seward.
Aside from obvious differences
in the personalities involved,
there are several differences be-
tween the situation pertaining in
this incident of Civil war history
and the situation in which Presi-
dent Truman and his secretary of
state, Dean Acheson, find them-
selves today. The biggest of
these is the fact that the attack
on Seward came from within the
President's own party.
Sharp Fight by Chase.
Nevertheless, the things they
were saying about Seward in
those days have a ring familiar
to newspaper readers of today.
The attack on Seward had been
brewing for some time before
the Republican senators held
their first secret session on De-
cember 15, 1862. In his monu-
mental work on Lincoln, Carl
Sandburg makes it pretty plain
where most of the trouble was
coming from. There was a se-
rious clash of personalities be-
tween Seward and Lincoln's sec-
retary of the Treasury, Salmon
P. Chase. Chase had a habit of
buttonholing influential legisla-
tors with a variety of back-stab-
bing doubletalk which is not un-
familiar to students of modern
politics, and which did his en-
emies no good.
Chase's line was that
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"ocrText": "AS CITY TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1950.\nLINCOLN'S PATIENCE SAVED SECRETARY\nOF STATE IN WARTIME CABINET CRISIS\nSenatorial Effort to Drive William Henry Seward Out of Office Had Some Resemblances\nto the Present Fight on Dean Acheson-President Listened to the Senators, Then Got\nthe Paper He Needed to Win Final Victory.\nBy NEWBOLD NOYES, JR.\nWednesday that the Republican\n(North American Newspaper Alliance.)\nthat he had in private conver-\nASHINGTON - Eighty-\nsenators had decided to present\nsations with them.)\nW\neight years ago this\ntheir views to Lincoln the next\nThe President made some lit-\nmonth, the nation was\nday, he chomped a cigar and\ntle speeches, told some jokes,\nin the midst of a cabi-\nquickly made up his mind.\nand earnestly solicited the sen-\nnet crisis. A committee of Re-\n\"They may do as they please\nators' advice. Again nothing\npublican senators went to the\nabout me,\" he said, \"but they\nwas decided, but by 1 o'clock\nWhite House to tell the President\nshall not put the President in a\nin the morning the opposition\nthe conclusions that had been\nfalse position.\"\nhad let off a lot of steam, and\nreached at their secret caucus,\nthe pressure seemed to have\nwhich had been in progress for\nA Resignation Is Offered.\ndiminished.\ntwo days on Capitol Hill.\nHe thereupon sat down and\nThe denouement came the\nThey said that they and just\npenned his resignation, asking\nnext day, December 23. Chase\nabout everybody else had com-\nthat it be accepted immediately.\nwent to see the President. He\npletely \"lost confidence\" in the\nSandburg says Lincoln was hard\nsaid he had been \"painfully af-\nsecretary of state. The country\nhit by news of that development.\nfected\" by the meeting the night\nwas at war, and there was doubt\nSenator Browning, a friend of the before. He told the\nPresident\nthat the secretary's heart was in\nthe war. The senators had no\nintention of dictating to the\nPresident what he should do-\nbut the idea was that the Presi-\ndent must get himself a new\nsecretary of state.\nThe President, of course, was\nAbraham Lincoln, as Mr. Tru-\nman recalled the other day, and\nthe target of the senatorial fire\nwas William Henry Seward.\nAside from obvious differences\nin the personalities involved,\nthere are several differences be-\ntween the situation pertaining in\nthis incident of Civil war history\nand the situation in which Presi-\ndent Truman and his secretary of\nstate, Dean Acheson, find them-\nselves today. The biggest of\nthese is the fact that the attack\non Seward came from within the\nPresident's own party.\nSharp Fight by Chase.\nNevertheless, the things they\nwere saying about Seward in\nthose days have a ring familiar\nto newspaper readers of today.\nThe attack on Seward had been\nbrewing for some time before\nthe Republican senators held\ntheir first secret session on De-\ncember 15, 1862. In his monu-\nmental work on Lincoln, Carl\nSandburg makes it pretty plain\nwhere most of the trouble was\ncoming from. There was a se-\nrious clash of personalities be-\ntween Seward and Lincoln's sec-\nretary of the Treasury, Salmon\nP. Chase. Chase had a habit of\nbuttonholing influential legisla-\ntors with a variety of back-stab-\nbing doubletalk which is not un-\nfamiliar to students of modern\npolitics, and which did his en-\nemies no good.\nChase's line was that"
}