THE REPUBLICAN

March 23, 1883

 

A New Story of Lincoln

 

            General Dahlgren, brother of the admiral, tells the following:  “I remember well a story my brother told me of Mr. Lincoln and Secretary Stanton, which is illustrative, I think, of the different views held by them in regard to the settlement of the war.  One day, as Mr. Lincoln and my brother were about to go to dinner, and while the President was washing his hands, Secretary Stanton entered excitedly, with a telegram in his hand, and said:  ‘Mr. President, I have just received a dispatch from Portland that Jake Thompson is there waiting to take the steamer to England, and I want to arrest him.’  The President began to wipe his hands on a towel, and said in a long, drawling voice: ‘Better let him slide.’

            “’But, Mr. President,’ said Secretary Stanton, ‘this man is one of the chief traitors – was one of Buchanan’s cabinet, betrayed the country then and has fought against it ever since.  He should be punished.’  ‘W-e-l-l,’ said the President, ‘if Jake Thompson is satisfied with the issue on the war, I am.  Better let him s-l-i-d-e.’

            “’Such a man should be punished to the full extend of the law,’ said Stanton.  ‘Why, if we don’t punish the leaders of the rebellion, what shall we say to their followers?’

            “’B-e-t-t-e-r let him slide, Stanton,’ said the President, laying aside his towel.

            “Mr. Stanton went away, evidently annoyed, and Mr. Lincoln, turning to my brother, said: ‘Dahl, that is one of the things I don’t intend to allow.  When the war is over I want to stop, and let both sides go to work and heal the wounds which heaven knows are bad enough; but jogging and pulling at them is not the best way to heal a sore.’”

            And the old general, turning to his work, said with a sigh: “If that policy had been carried out, the wounds would have been healed long, long ago.”