I never had occasion to complain of him on
my own account. So far as I know and believe, he had the
kindliest feeling for me until his death, and esteemed my
public service much more highly than it deserved. But he
bitterly and unjustly attacked men whom I loved and honored
under circumstances which make it impossible for me to believe
that his conduct was consistent with common honesty. He seemed
never to care for the soundness of his opinion before he uttered
it, or for the truth of the fact before he said it, if only
he could produce a rhetorical effect. He seemed to like to
defame men whom the people loved and honored. Toward the
latter part of his life, he seemed to get desperate. If he
failed to make an impression by argument, he took to invective.
If vinegar would not answer he resorted to cayenne pepper.
If that failed, he tried to throw vitriol in the eyes of the
men whom he hated. His remedy for slavery was to destroy
the country, and to leave the slave to the unchecked will
of the South. During Lincoln's great trial, he attacked and
vilified him.
Pages:
1353
1354
1355
1356
1357
1358
1359
1360
1361
1362
1363
1364
1365
1366
1367
1368
1369
1370
1371
1372
1373
1374
1375
1376
1377