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LINCOLN AVOIDS HIS POLITICAL FRIENDS. 387
weakly allowed himself to be led. By giving hasty credence to absurd and
unfounded rumors touching the dangers Which awaited him on his passage
through this State, and by taking such extraordinary precautions against these
mythical perils, he convinced thousands of persons'of the truth of the slanderous reports which of late had been so freely circulated. No less a personage
than Governor Hicks had occasioned much of this unfavorable opinion, as for
a long time he kept the Washington authorities in alarm by warnings of a
plot to seize the Federal capital, of which plot, he said, he had special information. Yet when called upon by Congress, and by Marshal Kane, to produce
his evidence, to enable the latter to prevent the crime and. disgrace said to be
threatened, and bring the conspirators to punishment,1 he had nothing to
show beyond newspaper paragraphs and anonymous letters. And in reply to
the letter of Marshal Kane, dated February 2d, 1861, he said, in addition, " I
attach but little consequence to such reports," and " have never believed that
any considerable number of the people of Baltimore, were engaged in such
enterprises. That city, with comparatively few exceptions, is loyal." No
single conspirator was arrested, or even pointed out; not a particle of proof of
the existence of a plot could he, or could any one furnish.
It is evident, from all the facts in the case, that Mr. Lincoln altered his
arrangements at the suggestion of Marshal Kane, " to avoid " (as the Baltimore American of February 25th, 1861 stated) " the attention of his political
friends here whose unpopularity with the great mass of the people is so notorious." In this view the American is sustained by the Baltimore Clipper, which
says, "in the absence of any positive information as to the cause of Mr. Lincoln's
precipitate retreat from Harrisburg, it is fair to presume that he decamped to
avoid the Baltimore Committee, of whose approach he was secretly advised."
And the Baltimore correspondent of the New York Tribune, in a letter published in that journal, adds :
" As to the rumors of danger to Mr. Lincoln on the Northern Central Railroad, they
are ridiculed by its officers and exploded by the fact that he committed his family to the
care of the train that brought them safely to the city. And the rumors, too, that he would
run the risk of insult or injury in passing through the city are nothing but the coinage of
heated brains. The fair fame of our city wTas too deeply involved for any such casualty,
■even if it had been contemplated."
Finally, we have the " literally correct" statement of the Baltimore American upon the matter which Marshal Kane never denied.2 It will be seen from
1 Letter of Geo. P. Kane to Governor Hicks, called to pay a friendly visit to friends of the
'dated January 31,1861. President elect, with whom I had been for many
2 In explanation of the statement made by the years on kind and intimate relations. In con-
Washington correspondent of the Baltimore versation, the contemplated passage through
American, Marshal Kane published in that jour- our city of the public functionary referred to,
nal the following card: was incidentally mentioned, when I spoke of
'' Police Department, \ the rumors which had. reached me of an intended
"Office op the Marshal, > republican display, by certain parties here,
" Baltimore, February 27, 1861. ' which, in my opinion, would be deemed offen-
" Having been in Washington on Thursday sive to the masses of our people, and in the
last, on business of purely a private nature, I event of Mr. Lincoln associating himself with
| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000418 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | LINCOLN AVOIDS HIS POLITICAL FRIENDS. 387 weakly allowed himself to be led. By giving hasty credence to absurd and unfounded rumors touching the dangers Which awaited him on his passage through this State, and by taking such extraordinary precautions against these mythical perils, he convinced thousands of persons'of the truth of the slanderous reports which of late had been so freely circulated. No less a personage than Governor Hicks had occasioned much of this unfavorable opinion, as for a long time he kept the Washington authorities in alarm by warnings of a plot to seize the Federal capital, of which plot, he said, he had special information. Yet when called upon by Congress, and by Marshal Kane, to produce his evidence, to enable the latter to prevent the crime and. disgrace said to be threatened, and bring the conspirators to punishment,1 he had nothing to show beyond newspaper paragraphs and anonymous letters. And in reply to the letter of Marshal Kane, dated February 2d, 1861, he said, in addition, " I attach but little consequence to such reports," and " have never believed that any considerable number of the people of Baltimore, were engaged in such enterprises. That city, with comparatively few exceptions, is loyal." No single conspirator was arrested, or even pointed out; not a particle of proof of the existence of a plot could he, or could any one furnish. It is evident, from all the facts in the case, that Mr. Lincoln altered his arrangements at the suggestion of Marshal Kane, " to avoid " (as the Baltimore American of February 25th, 1861 stated) " the attention of his political friends here whose unpopularity with the great mass of the people is so notorious." In this view the American is sustained by the Baltimore Clipper, which says, "in the absence of any positive information as to the cause of Mr. Lincoln's precipitate retreat from Harrisburg, it is fair to presume that he decamped to avoid the Baltimore Committee, of whose approach he was secretly advised." And the Baltimore correspondent of the New York Tribune, in a letter published in that journal, adds : " As to the rumors of danger to Mr. Lincoln on the Northern Central Railroad, they are ridiculed by its officers and exploded by the fact that he committed his family to the care of the train that brought them safely to the city. And the rumors, too, that he would run the risk of insult or injury in passing through the city are nothing but the coinage of heated brains. The fair fame of our city wTas too deeply involved for any such casualty, ■even if it had been contemplated." Finally, we have the " literally correct" statement of the Baltimore American upon the matter which Marshal Kane never denied.2 It will be seen from 1 Letter of Geo. P. Kane to Governor Hicks, called to pay a friendly visit to friends of the 'dated January 31,1861. President elect, with whom I had been for many 2 In explanation of the statement made by the years on kind and intimate relations. In con- Washington correspondent of the Baltimore versation, the contemplated passage through American, Marshal Kane published in that jour- our city of the public functionary referred to, nal the following card: was incidentally mentioned, when I spoke of '' Police Department, \ the rumors which had. reached me of an intended "Office op the Marshal, > republican display, by certain parties here, " Baltimore, February 27, 1861. ' which, in my opinion, would be deemed offen- " Having been in Washington on Thursday sive to the masses of our people, and in the last, on business of purely a private nature, I event of Mr. Lincoln associating himself with |
