abraham lincoln and the union-第18节

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he　egoistic　geniuses　such　as　Alexander　or　Napoleon；　we　become　aware　of　some　dim　but　profound　dividing　line　separating　the　two　groups。　　The　theory　that　genius；　at　bottom；　is　pure　energy　seems　to　fit　Napoleon；　but　does　it　fit　these　other　minds　who　appear　to　meet　life　with　a　certain　indifference；　with　a　carelessness　of　their　own　fate；　a　willingness　to　leave　much　to　chance？　　That　irresistible　passion　for　authority　which　Napoleon　had　is　lacking　in　these　others。　　Their　basal　inspiration　seems　to　resemble　the　impulse　of　the　artist　to　express；　rather　than　the　impulse　of　the　man　of　action　to　possess。　　Had　it　not　been　for　secession；　Lee　would　probably　have　ended　his　days　as　an　exemplary　superintendent　of　West　Point。　　And　what　of　Lincoln？　　He　dabbled　in　politics；　early　and　without　success；　he　left　politics　for　the　law；　and　to　the　law　he　gave　during　many　years　his　chief　devotion。　　But　the　fortuitous　break…up　of　parties；　with　the　revival　of　the　slavery　issue；　touched　some　hidden　spring；　the　able　provincial　lawyer　felt　again　the　political　impulse；　he　became　a　famous　maker　of　political　phrases；　and　on　this　literary　basis　he　became　the　leader　of　a　party。

Too　little　attention　has　been　paid　to　this　progression　of　Lincoln　through　literature　into　politics。　　The　ease　with　which　he　drifted　from　one　to　the　other　is　also　still　to　be　evaluated。　　Did　it　show　a　certain　slackness；　a　certain　aimlessness；　at　the　bottom　of　his　nature？　　Had　it；　in　a　way；　some　sort　of　analogyto　compare　homespun　with　things　Olympianto　the　vein　of　frivolity　in　the　great　Caesar？　　One　is　tempted　to　think　so。　　Surely；　here　was　one　of　those　natures　which　need　circumstance　to　compel　them　to　greatness　and　which　are　not　foredoomed；　Napoleon…like；　to　seize　greatness。　　Without　encroaching　upon　the　biographical　task；　one　may　borrow　from　biography　this　insistent　echo：　the　anecdotes　of　Lincoln　sound　over　and　over　the　note　of　easy…going　good　nature；　but　there　is　to　be　found　in　many　of　the　Lincoln　anecdotes　an　overtone　of　melancholy　which　lingers　after　one's　impression　of　his　good　nature。　　Quite　naturally；　in　such　a　biographical　atmosphere；　we　find　ourselves　thinking　of　him　at　first　as　a　little　too　good…humored；　a　little　too　easy…going；　a　little　prone　to　fall　into　reverie。　　We　are　not　surprised　when　we　find　his　favorite　poem　beginning　〃Oh；　why　should　the　spirit　of　mortal　be　proud。〃

This　enigmatical　man　became　President　in　his　fifty…second　year。　We　have　already　seen　that　his　next　period；　the　winter　of　1860…61；　has　its　biographical　problems。　　The　impression　which　he　made　on　the　country　as　President…elect　was　distinctly　unfavorable。　　Good　humor；　or　opportunism；　or　what　you　will；　brought　together　in　Lincoln's　Cabinet　at　least　three　men　more　conspicuous　in　the　ordinary　sense　than　he　was　himself。　　We　forget；　today；　how　insignificant　he　must　have　seemed　in　a　Cabinet　that　embraced　Seward；　Cameron；　and　Chaseall　large　national　figures。　　What　would　not　history　give　for　a　page　of　self…revelation　showing　us　how　he　felt　in　the　early　days　of　that　company！　　Was　he　troubled？　Did　he　doubt　his　ability　to　hold　his　own？　　Was　he　fatalistic？　　Was　his　sad　smile　his　refuge？　　Did　he　merely　put　things　by；　ignoring　tomorrow　until　tomorrow　should　arrive？

However　we　may　guess　at　the　answers　to　such　questions；　one　thing　now　becomes　certain。　　His　quality　of　good　humor　began　to　be　his　salvation。　　It　is　doubtful　if　any　President　except　Washington　had　to　manage　so　difficult　a　Cabinet。　　Washington　had　seen　no　solution　to　the　problem　but　to　let　Jefferson　go。　　Lincoln　found　his　Cabinet　often　on　the　verge　of　a　split；　with　two　powerful　factions　struggling　to　control　it　and　neither　ever　gaining　full　control。　Though　there　were　numerous　withdrawals；　no　resigning　secretary　really　split　Lincoln's　Cabinet。　　By　what　turns　and　twists　and　skillful　maneuvers　Lincoln　prevented　such　a　division　and　kept　such　inveterate　enemies　as　Chase　and　Seward　steadily　at　their　jobsChase　during　three　years；　Seward　to　the　endwill　partly　appear　in　the　following　pages；　but　the　whole　delicate　achievement　cannot　be　properly　appreciated　except　in　detailed　biography。

All　criticism　of　Lincoln　turns　eventually　on　one　question：　Was　he　an　opportunist？　　Not　only　his　enemies　in　his　own　time　but　many　politicians　of　a　later　day　were　eager　to　prove　that　he　was　the　latterindeed；　seeking　to　shelter　their　own　opportunism　behind　the　majesty　of　his　example。　　A　modern　instance　will　perhaps　make　vivid　this　long　standing　debate　upon　Lincoln　and　his　motives。

Merely　for　historic　illumination　and　without　becoming　invidious；　we　may　recall　the　instance　of　President　Wilson　and　the　resignation　of　his　Secretary　of　War　in　1916　because　Congress　would　not　meet　the　issue　of　preparedness。　　The　President　accepted　the　resignation　without　forcing　the　issue；　and　Congress　went　on　fiddling　while　Rome　burned。　　Now；　was　the　President　an　opportunist；　merely　waiting　to　see　what　course　events　would　take；　or　was　he　a　political　strategist；　astutely　biding　his　time？　　Similar　in　character　is　this　old　debate　upon　Lincoln；　which　is　perhaps　best　focussed　in　the　removal　of　Secretary　Blair　which　we　shall　have　to　note　in　connection　with　the　election　of　1864。

It　is　difficult　for　the　most　objective　historian　to　deal　with　such　questions　without　obtruding　his　personal　views；　but　there　is　nothing　merely　individual　in　recording　the　fact　that　the　steady　drift　of　opinion　has　been　away　from　the　conception　of　Lincoln　as　an　opportunist。　　What　once　caused　him　to　be　thus　conceived　appears　now　to　have　been　a　failure　to　comprehend　intelligently　the　nature　of　his　undertaking。　　More　and　more；　the　tendency　nowadays　is　to　conceive　his　career　as　one　of　those　few　instances　in　which　the　precise　faculties　needed　to　solve　a　particular　problem　were　called　into　play　at　exactly　the　critical　moment。　　Our　confusions　with　regard　to　Lincoln　have　grown　out　of　our　failure　to　appreciate　the　singularity　of　the　American　people；　and　their　ultra…singularity　during　the　years　in　which　he　lived。　　It　remains　to　be　seen　hereafter　what　strange　elements　of　sensibility；　of　waywardness；　of　lack　of　imagination；　of　undisciplined　ardor；　of　selfishness；　of　deceitfulness；　of　treachery；　combined　with　heroic　ideality；　made　up　the　character　of　that　complex　populace　which　it　was　Lincoln's　task　to　control。　　But　he　did　more　than　control　it：　he　somehow　compounded　much　of　it　into　something　like　a　unit。　To　measure　Lincoln's　achievement　in　this　respect；　two　things　must　be　remembered：　on　the　one　hand；　his　task　was　not　as　arduous　as　it　might　have　been；　because　the　most　intellectual　part　of　the　North　had　definitely　committed　itself　either　irretrievably　for；　or　irreconcilably　against；　his　policy。　　Lincoln；　therefore；　did　not　have　to　trouble　himself　with　this　portion　of　the　population。　　On　the　other　hand；　that　part　which　he　had　to　master　included　such　emotional　rhetoricians　as　Horace　Greeley；　such　fierce　zealots　as　Henry　Winter　Davis　of　Maryland；　who　made　him　trouble　indeed；　and　Benjamin　Wade；　whom　we　have　met　already；　such　military　egoists　as　McClellan　and　Pope；　such　crafty　double…dealers　as　his　own　Secretary　of　the　Treasury；　such　astute　grafters　as　Cameron；　such　miserable　creatures　as　certain　powerful　capitalists　who　sacrificed　his　army　to　their　own　lust　for　profits　filched　from　army　contracts。

The　wonder　of　Lincoln's　achievement　is　that　he　contrived　at　last　to　extend　his　hold　over　all　these　diverse　elements；　that　he　persuaded　some；　outwitted　others；　and　overcame　them　all。　　The　subtlety　of　this　task　would　have　ruined　any　statesman　of　the　driving　sort。　　Explain　Lincoln　by　any　theory　you　will；　his　personality　was　the　keystone　of　the　Northern　arch；　subtract　it；　and　the　arch　falls。　　The　popular　element　being　as　complex　and　powerful　as　it　was；　how　could　the　presiding　statesman　have　mastered　the　situation　if　he　had　not　been　of　so　peculiar　a　sort　that　he　could　influence　all　these　diverse　and　powerful　interests；　slowly；　by　degrees；　without　heat；　without　the　imperative　note；　almost　in　silence；　with　the　universal；　enfolding　irresistibility　of　the　gradual　things　in　nature；　of　the　sun　and　the　rain。　　Such　was　the　genius　of　Lincolnall　but　passionless；　yet　so　quiet　that　one　cannot　but　believe　in　the　great　depth　of　his　nature。

We　are；　even　today；　far　from　a　definitive　understanding　of　Lincoln's　statecraft；　but　there　is　perhaps　justification　for　venturing　upon　one　prophecy。　　The　farther　from　him　we　get　and　the　more　clearly　we　see　him　in　perspective；　the　more　we　shall　realize　his　creative　influence　upon　his　party。　　A　Lincoln　who　is　the　moulder　of　events　and　the　great　creator　of　public　opinion　will　emerge　at　last　into　clear　view。　　In　the　Lincoln　of　his　ultimate　biographer　there　will　be　more　of　iron　than　of　a　less　enduring　metal　in　the　figure　of　the　Lincoln　of　present　tradition。　　Though　none　of　his　gentleness　will　disappear；　there　will　be　more　emphasis　placed　upon　his　firmness；　and　upon　such　episodes　as　that　of　December；　1860；　when　his　single　will　turned　the　scale　against　compromise；　upon　his　steadiness　in　the　defeat　of　his　party　at　the　polls　in　1862；　or　his　overruling　of　the　will　of　Congress　in　the　summer　of　1864　on　the　question　of　reconstruction；　or　his　attitude　in　the　autumn　of　that　year　when　he　believed　that　he　was　losing　his　second　election。　　Behind　all　his　gentleness；　his　slownes