of the Senate were distributed by the Republican Senators among themselves. This gave great consequence to them, and they acquired the habit of control in the body before my term began in 1863.

Then there had always been in the Senate an aristocracy of age-length of service there. This was felt by such men as Fessenden, Foster, Collamer, and others. It was my misfortune not to secure the approval of Mr. Fessenden, and unwilling to investigate our questions arising out of Spanish and Mexican origin, he was equally unwilling to take our statements in regard to them; therefore, there were frequent sharp disagreements with Mr. Fessenden, and our measures, if passed upon favorably, must be carried against him.

When he became Secretary of the Treasury his magnanimity failed him, and he carried the temper of legislative controversy into the administration of his office. At this time, or a few months after, there were two leading places in the Internal Revenue service in California to be filled. Two names had been presented by my colleague for those places, and Mr. Fessenden wished to gratify him by their appointment. No more unfit men could be chosen, and I went to the President to hinder the work of my colleague and the Secretary, saying to him that he could not afford to give commissions to the persons in question. Always considerate to me, he accepted my

statements, and by this time Mr. Fessenden had again been chosen Senator by Maine, to take office after the 4th of March next ensuing. The President, taking this into account, but not naming it, said:

Suppose we wait awhile about this matter, and then it will be all right."

In this way he saw how to avoid discourtesy to the Secretary and at the same time accomplish his purpose. After the new Secretary came in, through Mr. Fessenden he was disposed to make, or to recommend the President to make, those offensive appointments. Calling on Mr. Lincoln again one morning on this subject, he took up a card, and, addressing his new Secretary on it as follows, closed out the transaction :

"I think that Lewis C. Gunn for assessor and Frank Soulé for collector are about right." When writing Soulé, he said:

"How do you write this? S-o-u-l-e with a twichet over it. Is that it?"

And, assenting, the "twichet" was put over the "e" and the transaction ended.

He had the peculiar tact of avoiding difficulties, and yet doing nearly the right thing.

One of his consummate arts in this respect does not seem to be so well known. When opposing, strong political forces brought their cases before him,

and disturbing consequences would come out of an immediate decision by him, he would let them maul each other, and wrestle like physical champions until both were "winded," tired out with the contest, and then he would decide, the defeated party being more ready to acknowledge the other was the strongest. JOHN CONNESS.

A

XXXII.

JOHN B. Alley.

MONG the greatest, wisest and best who ever

lived in any country, was the man who was at the head of this Republic during the most trying, perplexing and desperate internal struggle that ever afflicted, destroyed, or saved a nation.

Far-seeing, sagacious, calm and modest, wherever placed-whether in humble private life or upon the highest pinnacle of fame and power-he was the same unpretending, and apparently, in his own estimation, inconsequential personage.

It was my good fortune to know him well during the whole period of his administration as President. I greatly admired him. He was a many-sided person, and for this reason, perhaps, the estimate by different individuals who had the same opportunities of knowing him, was widely different. Many of the most distinguished men of the country, who were in daily intercourse with him, thought but little of his capacity as a statesman. And while entirely true, it

is hardly to be believed, that those in both houses of Congress who knew him best had so little confidence in his judgment and ability to administer the govern