“I should have been Recreant to my Convictions of Duty”
Mr. Lincoln was always just and magnanimous. His conduct toward Chief-Justice Chase was an exhibition of magnanimity and freedom from all revengeful and petty feelings, seldom animating a human bosom. When Mr. Chase was dismissed — as he regarded it — from the Cabinet, he visited some of his old friends in New England — among others, myself. He was exceedingly bitter and denunciatory of Mr. Lincoln, and so open in his opposition that some of his friends rebuked him. They warned him that it would injure his chance for the Chief-Justiceship. They reminded him that the Republican party generally looked to him as the most fitting successor of Chief-Justice Roger B. Taney, whose health was greatly impaired, and who. It was clearly seen, could not long survive.
In a few weeks Mr. Taney died, and Mr. Chase became a prominent candidate. He expressed an ardent desire to obtain the appointment. Senator Sumner and myself, who were great friends and admirers of Mr. Chase, went to Washington to plead with the President in his behalf. We found, to our dismay, that the President had heard of these bitter criticisms of Mr. Chase upon himself and his administration. Mr. Lincoln urged many of Mr. Chase’s defects, to discover, as we afterwards learned, how his objections could be answered. We were both discouraged and made up our minds that the President did not mean to appoint Mr. Chase. It really seemed too much to expect of poor human nature.
But early one morning I went to the White House, found the President in his library, and was cordially received. As I entered he made to me this declaration: “I have something to tell you that will make you happy. I have just sent Mr. Chase word that he is to be appointed Chief-Justice, and you are the first man I have told of it.” I said: “Mr. President, this is an exhibition of magnanimity and patriotism that could hardly be expected of any one. After what he has said against your administration, which has undoubtedly been reported to you, it was hardly to be expected that you would bestow the most important office within your gift on such a man.” His quaint reply was: “Although I may have appeared to you and to Mr. Sumner to have been opposed to Chase’s appointment, there never has been a moment since the breath left old Taney’s body that I did not conceive it to be the best thing to do to appoint Mr. Chase to that high office; and to have done otherwise I should have been recreant to my convictions of duty to the Republican party and to the country.” I repeated again my sense of his magnanimity and his patriotism in making the appointment. He repled: “As to his talk about me, I do not mind that. Chase is, on the whole, a pretty good fellow and a very able man. His only trouble is that he has ‘the White House fever’ a little too bad, but I hope this may cure him and that he will be satisfied.”
Quoted in John B. Alley, in Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Rice (1886 edn.), pp. 581-82.