1864
1864 To Therena Bates, Washington, 2 January 1864l I have just run away a little while from the reception which is going on below (this being our New Years Day) to write you "A happy New Year," and to get a brief respite from the interminable crowd which is besieging the Presidential doors. I have not seen anything like it on New Years since I have been here.... To Joseph Holt, Washington, 8 January 18642 I do not find in my office the papers referred to in the enclosed note. Have you any memorandum ofthem on your books?3 To William Henry Seward, Washington, 8 January 18644 The President will be pleased to see the members of tlle National Academy ofSciences at one o'clock P.M. today agreeably to your appointment. To John Hay, Washington, 18 January 18645 I have this morning procured from the Interior Dept. and mailed to you at Hilton Head, the laws of the 37th Congress, 3 Vols. in paper. I suppose they will contain what you want-they cost n6thing. --- When I came to direct the cards for the dinner, I referred the question of [the] "snub" to the Tycoon who after a short conference with the powers at the other end of the hall came back and ordered Rhode 1sland6 and Ohi07 to be included in the list. Whereat there soon arose such a rampage as the House hasn't seen for a year, and I am again taboo. How the thing is to end is yet as dark a problem as the Schleswig-Holstein difficulty .s Stod[dard] fairly cowered at the violence of the storm, and I think for the first time begins to appreciate the awful sublimities ofnature. Things have subsided somewhat, but a day or two must of course bring them to a head. [ 124 J 1864 Sewards and Colfax's parties were both successes--Miss Dickinson made a telling harallguc--complimc11ted the Prcsident---and alluding to his prospective second tcrm the house came down with continued and repeated rounds of applauseY It was a gratifYing cvidence of the strcngth of the tide here.... To H. J. Alvord, Washington, 20 January 186410 The President requests me to return his thanks to Mr. Clark and yourself for the present ofWhite fish sent him this morning. To John Hay, Washington, 29 January 186411 I have been for a week trying to get time to write, and haven't yet succeeded . Between work which arises and pleasure which allures, minor duties are unceremoniously laid on the shelf. Congress sends up a hungrier swarm of gad-flies every morning to bedevil the President, and to generally retard and derange business[.] My subs are not yet well broken in and I must necessarily give everything my personal supervision.12 I came out ofwhat Uncle Jesse calls the imbroligo of the Cabinet dinner with flying colors.13 As I wrote before, after having compelled Her S[atanic] Majesty fMrs. Lincoln] to invite the Spragues I was taboo, and she made up her mind resolutely not to have me at the dinner. She fished around with Stod to try to get posted about managing the affair: but I instructed Stod to tell her, 1st that there was no way ofhis obtaining the requisite information, and 2dly that if there were, yet as it was exclusively my business he could and would not do anything in the premises. Stod I think carried out my instructions faithfully[.] She expressed her great regret but still announced her determination to run the machine without my help. Things ran on thus till the afternoon of the dinner when Edward [McManusl came up to ten me that she had backed dOWli, requested my presence and assistance-apologizing, and explaining that the affair had worried her so she hadn't slept for a night or two. I think she has felt happier since she cast out that devil of stubbornness. The dinner was got through with creditably. On Wednesday last she sent out cards for the Diplomatic Dinner. While she has not in all matters done so, she has in the main adopted my advice and direction in this. Society flollrishes-I couldn't begin to count the parties on all my fingers . They are beginning to double up. Phernandiwud {Fernando Woad] had a grand blow-out last night to which he didn't invite me. Bob [Lincoln ] has been home about a week, and Neil Dennison is staying with him. [ 125 ] [3...
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