Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1903 — Lincoin’s Idea of Polley. [ARTICLE]

Lincoin’s Idea of Polley.

During the civil war, one of the loudest and most frequent complaints against Lincoln was that hs had no policy, and simply drifted. It seems that this was precisely what he intended to do. "The first time I met Mr. Lincoln," said Senator Palmer of Illinois, "was in 1839, when I went to Springfield to be admitted to the bar. He was already recognized an a Whig lender. He wore. 1 remember, a suit of linsey-woolsey that could not hav* been worth moreathau eight dollars, even in those days. The last time I saw him was in February, 18(55. I had com* to Washington, at the request of the Governor, to complain that Dlinois had been credited with 18,WO too few troops. I saw Mr. Lincoln 1 one afternoon, and be asked me to c*me again In the morning. The next morning I sat In the ante-room while several officers w*r* received. At length I was

told to enter the President's room. Mr. Lincoln was in the hands of a barber. “ ‘Come in. Palmer.' he called out, ‘come in. You’re home folks. I can shave before you. I couldn't before those others, and I have to do it some time.’ “We chatted about various matters, and at length I said, ‘Well, Mr. Lincoln, if anybody had told me that in a great crisis like this the people were going out to a little one-horse town to pick out a one-horse lawyer for President, I wouldn’t have believed it.’ "Mr. Lincoln turned about In his chair, his face white with lather, and a towel under his chin. At first I thought he was angry. Sweping the barber away, he leaned forward, and placing one hand on my knee, said: “ 'Neither would I; but it was a time when a man with a policy would have been fatal to the country. I have never had a policy. I have simply tried to do what seemed best each day, as each day came.’ ”