Was Lincoln a Failure at Fifty? by R. D. Packard LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER WAS LINCOLN A FAILURE AT FIFTY? by R . D . Pack a k u A reply to "He Could Take It," an article which appeared in the Jan- uary, 1939, issue of the Header's Digest, and to similar interpretations of Lin- coln 's pre-presidential years. THE TOWER PRESS CLEVELAND, OHIO Copyright 1939 By R. D. Packard PUBLISHED MAY, 1939 W AS LINCOLN A FAILURE AT FIFTY? "He Could Take It," an essay said to have been writ- ten for the inspiration of the public, recently appeared in a popular national magazine. It follows a fashion, not yet outmoded, of repeating fallacious statements concerning Abraham Lincoln under the guise of a hopeful message to the discouraged; something we are told is a pressing need in these days of prolonged depression. The pattern is a familiar one; there is the usual recounting of disappointments, heartaches, and failures allegedly experienced by Lincoln during his p re-presi- dential years. "He Could Take It" again sets forth many of the erroneous statements which have misled a credulous public. This particular composition, how- ever, has the distinction of adding new and strange incidents, fables unknown even to that mass of pious fiction which has masqueraded as authentic Lincoln information and which has been generally accepted as such. My own interest in Lincolniana was quickened some years ago when I was given a card on which there was an impressive list of "failures" charged to Lincoln during the period of his comparative obscurity. Seven calamitous "defeats" were included, some of which, considering the steady improvement he made intel- lectually and materially for many years, seemed to exceed the bounds of probability. A casual inquiry revealed that four of the seven statements were utterly false and that the others were misleading. This curious history of humiliation concluded, as does "He Could Take It," with the story of Lincoln's dramatic success late in life, with a strong implication that continuous frustrations were an essential prelude to his triumph. Similar cards have had a wide circula- tion and the same false message has heen etched in metals for the "inspiration" of all who may read. Those who would not think of sponsoring unsubstan- tiated material on other subjects continue to write about Lincoln incidents which not only cannot be authenticated but which are contrary to common sense. The thousands of books and articles comprising Lin- coln literature contain the painstaking research of Lincoln scholars but this source of information has often been ignored. It may also be that preposterous accounts of Lin- coln's early and middle life continue to be told because only the contrast they make with his dramatic Presi- dency has popular appeal, — that the story of his lesser successes is not sensational enough to be of interest to modern readers. These unwarranted liberties have led to a regrettable situation; the public has been given an erroneous impression of Lincoln, and it has been deluded with the notion that chance is a more important factor than ability and preparation in the building of a great career. It is indeed a sad commentary that it should be thought necessary to draw upon the imagination to produce an inspirational message from the life of Abraham Lincoln. Political "Ups and Downs" Lincoln's defeat in his first attempt to obtain public office is usually given much prominence in the various recitals of his "failures". The fact is that this political setback, which was the only one he ever received in a direct vote, was not an overwhelming defeat at all. He was much pleased with the showing he made and was easily influenced to try again at the next canvass. He was then elected to the State Legis- lature and served four consecutive two-year terms, his re-election each time being by increased majorities. Lincoln's one term in Congress has been cited time and again as typical of his failures. We are told by "He Could Take It" that his friends granted him this place but that, having failed miserably as a public representative, he was defeated for renomination. The facts are quite different! Lincoln was one of three influential Whigs in Springfield who desired to go to Congress. They agreed among themselves that each would be given one term. This was not difficult to manage as nominees were named under the party convention system. It is true that his conduct in Congress did not strengthen Lincoln with his constituency, for he op- posed the popular Mexican War, not a prudent thing to do from a political standpoint. Had he attempted to succeed himself it is quite likely he would have been defeated. However, his record, which was better than the average performance of a new Congressman, had nothing to do with his serving but one term. Judge Stephen T. Logan, Lincoln's former law partner, was given the next nomination, a fulfilment of the pledge made to him before Lincoln went to Washington. Sonic have made much of Lincoln's "defeat" for the Vice-Presidency in 1850. He did not attend the National Republican Convention held in Philadelphia that year and knew nothing about the 110 votes given him for Vice-President until afterward. He must have been favorably impressed, rather than depressed, with this vote, for surely he sensed its bright promise of future recognition. This encouraging incident, though, has been called a defeat and is frequently mentioned as evidence that Lincoln was the victim of one failure after another. Lincoln's two attempts to be elected to the United States Senate, although important political frustrations, bave usually been presented to the public in a false light. The first such attempt was in February, 1855, when the State Legislature met to elect a Senator. In the preceding year Lincoln had made a timely political address, one which had given him the leadership of the "free" forces of the State. There was good reason to believe that, although the opposing party had a marjority in the Legislature, enough Democrats might vote with the anti-slavery members to elect a man pledged against the extension of slavery. Lincoln's hope was based on this. On the first few ballots he came within five votes of being chosen; later, realizing that he probably could not win, be threw his support to Lyman Trumbull, an anti- slavery Democrat, who was elected. This was a disappointment, to be sure, but Lincoln had already grown to such a mental and moral stature that he was more concerned in the success of w r hat he believed to be a just cause than he was in his own preferment. 6 His second attempt for a place in the Senate is bet- ter known because of the debates which featured the campaign. "He Could Take It" states that Douglas, "a suave, experienced politician and gifted orator gave no quarter to this misfit and failure." Those who have read any of the carefully written histories of the de- bates, or the speeches of the participants, will know how mistaken such an interpretation is. Lincoln had been challenging Douglas to a discussion of the issues for four years and Douglas had avoided meeting him for that length of time. From the second contest Lincoln may conservatively be said to have had a distinct "edge" on his opponent. He emerged from the debates, not the failure he has been pictured, but a man who was confident of the strength and justice of his own logic and exceedingly well pleased with the embarrassing position into which he had maneuvered Douglas with the Democratic Party. Lincoln's leadership of the Republicans in this cam- paign resulted in a popular majority for that party in the election which followed. This proves that he had been able to convince more than half the voters that he was right and that the entrenched and popular Douglas was wrong. Douglas' seat in the Senate was saved only by a gerrymander. We are asked to believe that the debates were the final adversity in a long trail of defeat. Actually the national reputation Lincoln gained as a result of them prepared the way for his elevation; they were J he sign which pointed unerringly to the White House. "Crushing Failures and Disappointments" "He Could Take It" makes much of the "poignant grief and disappointment" suffered by Lincoln because of the failure of the store in New Salem where he was employed as a clerk, his first regular employment in Illinois. The closing of this store simply meant that he was out of a job, a predicament taken lightly by Lincoln. Losing this place did not cause him any grief and probably very little disappointment. There is no record which would induce a belief that he was jolted by the experience. The $1100 indebtedness which he assumed as a result of his own and his partner's storekeeping manipula- tions was more serious. But even this event lacked the tragic quality with which it has been invested. It is difficult to believe that Lincoln was crushed by the overwhelming nature of the obligation for he laugh- ingly referred to it as the "national debt" and took sixteen years to repay. Had he felt a keen necessity to retire the debt sooner he might have done so for he married and purchased a home long before the indebtedness was liquidated. He could not have considered the obligation unduly burdensome; for what are we to think of his borrowing $200 more within a few months in order that he might appear in the Legislature in proper attire? The most grossly overstated of Lincoln's "disappoint- ments" is the effect on him of the death of Ann Rut- ledge. So little is actually known about Miss Rutledge that almost everything we read concerning her is pure conjecture. We are informed by "He Could Take It" that within a year after Ann's death he was so com- 8 pletely broken up that he "had to be removed to his parents' home, three hundred miles away, and nursed back to mental health." Lincoln's parents' home was only about one hundred miles away (this is but one of several technical errors in "He Could Take It") and, although it is unimpor- tant, it might be said he did not go there; there is a reliable account that he spent a few days, shortly after Miss Rutledge's passing, at the nearby home of a friend. A year after her death, however, he was courting an- other woman. Few have ever heard of Mary Owens, but a great deal is known about her. Lincoln was proposing marriage to Miss Owens at the time we are informed he was inconsolable because of his ill-fated romance; this is convincing evidence that the Rutledge story has been exaggerated far beyond its importance. As an incident in Lincoln's life it has received many times the attention it deserves. The public has been told time and again that Lin- coln's twenty-two years of married life was a constant source of discouragement and despair to him. A limited amount of truth has been made the basis for an unlimited amount of innuendo, claims, and positive statements, all highly injurious to Mrs. Lincoln — as they were intended to be. Trustworthy observers have left us a much more favorable impression; we may be sure that the marital woes of the Lincolns have been overdrawn. And we know that Lincoln was not as distressed by his wife's eccentricities as many others have been. There is not the slightest reason for us to think that he ever desired a separation. Mrs. Lincoln had many shortcomings hut she was the very type of woman he needed; lie benefited immeasurably through his marriage alliance with spunky Mary Todd. There has been a general disposition to involve Lin- coln's habitual moodiness with his so-called discour- agements. His first political speech would indicate that his peculiar mental reactions actually had little connection with particular events. His last words in this speech were: "If the good people in their wisdom shall see fit to keep me in the background, I have been too familiar with disappointments to be very much chagrined." Here we have a mere boy mentioning his "familiarity with disappointments," even before he had entered life's competitive struggle. This statement does not prove his widely publicized sensitiveness to political adversity because up to this time he had had none. The explanation is that Lincoln's moodiness was an inheritance, a disability from which he was never to be wholly free. The recurrence of his periods of mel- ancholy often had no relation to any experience, fa- vorable or unfavorable. His despondency has been used to help create the unfair impression that failure was his constant lot. The wonder of Lincoln is that he overcame such a persistent tendency to become a marked success in his profession, and finally to rank as the greatest man who has been produced on this continent. Lincoln did not have to "take it" in the sense that his preparatory years were more than ordinarily full of reversals. No one knew better than he that dis- appointments are a part of every life. Some of his 10 associates aspired to offices which they failed to get. He probably never thought that his discouragements were greater than those meted out to others. As he went along he enjoyed a generous portion of the good things of life. No man in Illinois had more friends, or more loyal ones, than he did. And he was blessed throughout his entire career with a sense of humor possessed by few men. Why then should commonplace incidents be mag- nified into stories of "humiliation" and "failure"? A remark he once made following a disappointment fur- ther shows that he did not regard his reversals as seriously as others have for he said : "I feel like the hoy who stubbed his toe; I am too big to cry, and it hurts too much to laugh." A Successful Lawyer and a Leader "He Could Take It" goes beyond all previous appraisals of Lincoln to say that "He had been unable to achieve one single personal victory in thirty years of constant effort." From the time the twenty-three-year-old Railsplitter was chosen Captain of his company in the Black Hawk War, a choice which gave him a great deal of satisfac- tion, up to his last day in Springfield, Lincoln was a prominent citizen of his community. During all of the years when we are told he sank lower and lower by reason of incessant failures his leadership was receiving more and more recognition. Dr. Harlan Hoyt Horner, in his excellent volume, "The Growth of Lincoln's Faith," gives us the following 11 interesting account of the progress made by Lincoln during his eight years in the Legislature: "He emerged from the last session of the legislature he attended as a member on March 1, 1841 * * having been floor leader of the Whigs in the House and twice their candidate for Speaker. In this period he had located in Springfield, where he was welcomed and honored for his services in removing the Capital from Vandalia to that city. He had been admitted to the bar and had entered into a partnership with one of the leading lawyers of the State. In seven years his fortunes had vastly changed. From a comparatively unknown roustabout opportunist in a small river hamlet he had in these years become a well known resident of the Capital city of his State, with a con- siderable reputation in state politics, with promise of wider recognition." John Hay once said that Lincoln's most remarkable attribute was his capacity for growth. The Springfield lawyer who became President of the United States in 1861 represented a fantastic improvement over the storekeeper of the early thirties. His development as a speaker is a case in point. At twenty-three be was an obscure member of a back- woods Debating Society. His presentation improved each year, and although he has been called a failure at fifty he was the most effective political speaker in America at that age. If three decades of training were necessary for him to attain the Gettysburg standard, the result justified the long apprenticeship and his eventful years in the school of experience do not call for our sympathy. Lincoln's progress in his profession was steady and substantial. Upon bis return from Congress he applied himself diligently to the law and within a decade he bad risen to the top. The late John M. Zane, who was 12 an outstanding member of the Chicago Bar, in his "Lincoln the Constitutional Lawyer," says of Lincoln's legal ability: "Before he was elected President he had, of all Illinois lawyers, the best claim to be considered the head of the Illinois Bar." Certainly not more than two or three of his fellow lawyers could have been rated Lincoln's equal in State Supreme Court practice. Every case in which he was engaged has been carefully studied. Competent authorities have expressed the opinion that he had a legal mind comparable to the greatest of history. Some of his most important and successful cases occurred at the time we are told he was languishing on the brink of utter failure. Financially, Lincoln was much better off than the popular report of his "failures" would indicate. His legal fees, modest as most of them were, early gave his family a comfortable living. Larger fees, one of $5,000 and others of sizable amounts, made him moderately prosperous for several years preceding his election to the Presidency. Considering that the original cost of his home was only f 1,500 and that other living costs were in proportion, Lincoln was a good provider, notwithstanding his disinclination to emphasize financial objectives. He did not share the enthusiasm of others for buying town lots in Chicago, an investment which made some of his friends rich, but his earnings were even sufficient to enable him to make small loans. At the time we are told that his lack of success was most abject he was financing the education of his son at Harvard Univer- sity and had purchased a controlling interest in a Ger- man newspaper, a move he believed would advance his political ambitions in his own state. When nomi- 13 iiated for President he was worth in excess of $10,000, not an inconsiderable amount in view of the time and his simple mode of living. Hf was Prepared for the Nation's Crisis It is a most fallacious premise that Lincoln was somehow catapulted, through luck or accident, to his triumph and fame. Those wishing to examine the record will find that he was the best prepared man who ever stood upon the threshold of large political respon- sibilities. This was, of course, the logical result of thirty years' growth and achievement. It was neither the pity of the people for a likeable failure nor the workings of chance which awarded Lincoln his big opportunity. His splendid mind, not- withstanding its handicap of periodic melancholy, had been applied to his day's most pressing problem, a dedication of ability not fully appreciated even by some of his closest friends. When he addressed the powerful leaders of the East at New 7 York City just following his fifty-first birthday lie astonished all with his profound understanding of the Constitution and its relation to slavery. His knowl- edge of the subject far surpassed that of his distin- guished audience. Such a mastery of fundamentals could be repaid only with the highest honors. No failure had accom- plished this, rather a trained man of rare intellectual powers. Add to this the many other imposing quali- fications Lincoln displayed, both before and during his Presidency, and we have the figure who has become the idol of more millions than any other man in history. 14