Again，theironicalsituationofthepreviousDecember；thewrathfulJacobins，themostdangerousbecausethemostsincereenemiesofthepresidentialdictatorship，silent，trapped，bidingtheirtime。Butthesituationhadforthemadistinctconsolation。AhundredtooneithadkilledthehopeofaLincoln-Democraticalliance。
However，thePresidentwouldnotgiveuptheDemocratswithoutonelastattempttogetroundtheLittleMen。Again，hecouldthinkofnomodeofnegotiationexcepttheonehehadvainlyattemptedwithSeymour。Asearnestofhisowngoodfaith，hewouldoncemorerenouncehisownprospectofasecondterm。
ButsinceSeymourhadfailedhim，whowastherethatcouldservehispurpose？ThepopularityofMcClellanamongthoseDemocratswhowerenotCopperheadshadgrownwithhismisfortunes。TherehadbeenawidedemandforhisrestorationafterFredericksburg，andagainafterChancellorsville。
LincolnjustifiedhisreputationforpoliticalinsightbyconcludingthatMcClellan，amongtheDemocrats，wasthecomingman。AgainWeedwascalledin。Againhebecameanambassadorofrenunciation。ApparentlyhecarriedamessagetotheeffectthatifMcClellanwouldjoinforceswiththeAdministration，Lincolnwouldsupporthimforpresidentayearlater。ButMcClellanwastooinveterateapartisan。Perhapshethoughtthatthefuturewashisanyway。[19]
AndsoLincoln’spersistentattempttowinovertheDemocratscametoanend。ThefinalsealingoftheirantagonismwaseffectedatagreatDemocraticrallyinNewYorkontheFourthofJuly。Thedayprevious，amanifestohadbeencirculatedthroughthecitybeginning，“Freemen，awake!Ineverything，andinmoststupendousproportion，isthisAdministrationabominable!“[20]Seymourreaffirmedhispositionofout-and-outpartisanhostilitytotheAdministration。Vallandigham’scolleague，PendletonofOhio，formulatedtheDemocraticdoctrine：thattheConstitutionwasbeingviolatedbythePresident’sassumptionofwarpowers。Hiscrywas，“TheConstitutionasitisandtheUnionasitwas。“Hethunderedthat“Congresscannot，andnooneelseshall，interferewithfreespeech。“Thequestionwasnotwhetherweweretohavepeaceorwar，butwhetherornotweweretohavefreegovernment；“ifitbenecessarytoviolatetheConstitutioninordertocarryonthewar，thewaroughtinstantlytobestopped。“[21]
Lincoln’spoliticalprogramhadendedapparentlyinawreck。
ButFortunehadnotentirelydesertedhim。Hookerinafitofirritationhadofferedhisresignation。Lincolnhadacceptedit。Underanewcommander，thearmyofthePotomachadmovedagainstLee。TheoratorsattheFourthofJulymeetinghadreadinthepapersthatsamedayLincoln’sannouncementofthevictoryatGettysburg。[22]AlmostcoincidentwiththatannouncementwasthesurrenderofVicksburg。Difficultaswasthepoliticalproblemaheadofhim，theproblemoffindingsomeotherplanforunifyinghissupportwithoutparticipatinginaVindictiveCoalition，Lincoln’smoodwascheerful。OntheseventhofJulyhewasserenaded。SerenadesforthePresidentwereafeatureofwar-timeinWashington，andLincolnutilizedtheoccasionstotalkinformallytothecountry。Hisremarksontheseventhwerenotdistinctive，exceptfortheirtone，quietly，joyfullyconfident。HisserenemooddisplayeditselfaweeklaterinanotetoGrantwhichisoddlycharacteristic。
Whoelsewouldhavehadtheimpulsetomakethisquaintlittleconfession？Butwhat，forageneralwhocouldreadbetweenthelines，couldhavebeenmoredelightful？[23]
“MydearGeneral：IdonotrememberthatyouandIevermetpersonally。Iwritethisnowasagratefulacknowledgmentforthealmostinestimableserviceyouhavedonethecountry。I
wishtosayawordfurther。WhenyoufirstreachedthevicinityofVicksburg，Ithoughtyoushoulddowhatyoufinallydid-marchthetroopsacrosstheneck，runthebatterieswiththetransports，andthusgobelow；andIneverhadanyfaithexceptageneralhopethatyouknewbetterthanI，thattheYazooPassexpeditionandthelikecouldsucceed。WhenyougotbelowandtookPortGibson，GrandGulfandthevicinity，I
thoughtyoushouldgodowntheriverandjoinGeneralBanks，andwhenyouturnedNorthward，eastoftheBigBlack，Ifeareditwasamistake。InowwishtomakethepersonalacknowledgmentthatyouwererightandIwaswrong。
“Verytruly，“A。LINCOLN。“
BetweenMarchandDecember，1863，Congresswasnotinsession。
Itsmemberswerebusy“takingthesenseofthecountry“astheywouldhavesaid：“pottingtheirearstotheground，“asotherpeoplewouldsay。Astartlingtalethegroundtoldthem。itwasnothinglessthanthatLincolnwasthepopularhero；thatthepeoplebelievedinhim；thatthepoliticianswoulddowelltoshapetheirwaysaccordingly。Whentheyreassembled，theywereinasullen，disappointedframeofmind。Theywouldhavelikedtoignoretheground’smandate；butbeingpoliticians，theydarednot。
Whatanironicalturnofevents!Lincoln’swell-laidplanforacoalitionofModeratesandDemocratshadcometonothing。
Logically，heoughtnowtobeatthemercyoftheRepublicanleaders。Butinstead，thoseleaderswerebeginningtobeafraidofhim，wereperceivingthathehadpowerwhereoftheyhadnotdreamed。LikeSaulthesonofKish，whohadsetouttofindhisfather’sasses，hehadfoundinsteadakingdom。Howhadhedoneit？
Onagrandscale，itwasthesamesortofvictorythathadmadehimapower，solongbefore，onthelittlestageatSpringfield。Itwaspersonalpolitics。Hischaracterhadsavedhim。Amultitudewhosawnothinginthefinedrawnconstitutionalissueofthewarpowers，whosensedthewarinthemostsimpleandelementaryway，hadformed，somehow，acompellingandstimulatingideaofthePresident。Theyweresatisfiedthat“OldAbe，“or“FatherAbraham，“wasthemanforthem。When，afteroneofhisnumerouscallsforfreshtroops，theirheartswentouttohim，anewsongsprangtolife，aringing，vigorous，andyetatouchingsongwiththerefrain，“We’recoming，FatherAbraham，threehundredthousandmore。“
Buthowhashedoneit，askedthebewilderedpoliticians，oneofanother。Howhadhecreatedthispersonalconfidence？
They，Wade，Chandler，Stevens，Davis，couldnotdoit；whycouldhe？
Well，foronething，hewasagrandreality。They，relatively，wereshadows。Thewindofdestinyforhimwastheconvictionsarisingoutofhisownsoul；forthemitwasvoxpopuli。ThegenuinenessofLincoln，hisspiritualreality，hadbeenperceivedearlybyaclassofmenwhomyourtruepoliticianseldomunderstands。TheIntellectuals——“themliteraryfellers，“inthefamouswordsofanAmericanSenator——werequicktoseethatthePresidentwasanextraordinaryman；theywerenotlonginconcludingthathewasagenius。Thesubtlestintellectofthetime，Hawthorne，allofwhoseprejudiceswereenlistedagainsthim，saidintheAtlanticofJuly，1863：“Heisevidentlyamanofkeenfaculties，andwhatisstillmoretothepurpose，ofpowerfulcharacter。Astohisintegrity，thepeoplehavethatintuitionofitwhichisneverdeceivedhehasaflexiblemindcapableofmuchexpansion。“AndthiswhenTrumbullchafedinspiritbecausethePresidentwastoo“weak“
forhispartandWaderailedathimasadespot。Asfarbackas1860，Lowell，destinedtobecomeoneofhisablestdefenders，hadsaidthatLincolnhad“provedbothhisabilityandhisintegrity；he……hadexperienceenoughinpublicaffairstomakehimastatesman，andnotenoughtomakehimapolitician。“Tobesure，thereweresomeIntellectualswhocouldnotseestraightnorthinkclear。TheworldwouldhavemoreconfidenceinthecaliberofBryanthadhebeenabletorankhimselfintheLincolnfollowing。ButthegreaterpartofthebestintelligenceoftheNorthcouldhavesubscribedtoMotley’swords，“MyrespectforthecharacterofthePresidentincreaseseveryday。“[1]TheimpressionhemadeonmenoforiginalmindisshadowedinthewordsofWaltWhitman，whosawhimofteninthestreetsofWashington：“Noneoftheartistsorpictureshavecaughtthesubtleandindirectexpressionofthisman’sface。One-ofthegreatportraitpaintersoftwoorthreecenturiesagoisneeded。“[2]
Lincoln’spopularstrengthlayinacombinationoftheIntellectualsandtheplainpeopleagainstthepoliticians。
Hereachedthemassesinthreeways：throughhisgeneralreceptionswhichanyonemightattend；throughtheopen-doorpolicyofhisoffice，towhichalltheworldwaspermittedaccess；throughhisvisitstothearmy。Manythousandmenandwomen，inoneoranotheroftheseways，metthePresidentfacetoface，ofteninthehighsusceptibilityofintensewoe，andcarriedawayanimpressionwhichwasimmediatelycirculatedamongalltheiracquaintances。
ItwouldbeimpossibletoexaggeratethegrotesquemiscellanyofthestreamofpeopleflowingeverinandoutofthePresident’sopendoors。PatriotseagertoservetheircountrybutwhocouldfindnoplaceintheconventionalrequirementsoftheWarOffice；sharperswhowantedtoinveiglehimintothetrapsofprofiteers；widowswithaltheirsonsinservice，pleadingforonetobeexempted；otherparentsstrugglingwiththeredtapethatkeptthemfromsonsinhospitals；luxuriousfraudspratingoftheirloyaltyforthesakeofpropertyexemptions；inventorswitheveryimaginablestrangedevice；
politiciansseekingtocajolehim；politiciansbluntlythreateninghim；cashieredofficersdemandingjustice；menwithgrievancesofamyriadsorts；namelessstatesmenwhosoughttoteachhimhisduty；clergymeninlargenumbers，generallywiththesamepurpose；deputationsfromchurches，societies，politicalorganizations，commissions，tradesunions，witheverysortofmessagefromflatterytodenunciation；andbestofall，simple，confidingpeoplewhowantedonlytosay，’Wetrustyou——Godblessyou!“
Therewasamethodinthismadnessofaccessibility。Itsdeepestinspiration，tobesure，waskindness。inreplytoaprotestthathewouldwearhimselfoutlisteningtothousandsofrequestsmostofwhichcouldnotbegranted，herepliedwithoneofthosesmilesinwhichtherewassomuchsadness，“Theydon’twantmuch；theygetbutlittle，andImustseethem。“[3]
Buttherewasanotherinspiration。HisopendoorsenabledhimtostudytheAmericanpeople，everyphaseofit，goodandbad。
“Menmovingonlyinanofficialcircle，“saidhe，“areapttobecomemerelyofficial——nottosayarbitrary——intheirideas，andareapterandapterwitheachpassingdaytoforgetthattheyonlyholdpowerinarepresentativecapacity……Manyofthemattersbroughttomynoticeareutterlyfrivolous，butothersareofmoreorlessimportance，andallservetorenewinmeaclearerandmorevividimageofthatgreatpopularassemblageoutofwhichIsprung，andtowhichattheendoftwoyearsImustreturn……Icallthesereceptionsmypublicopinionbaths；forIhavebutlittletimetoreadthepapers，andgatherpublicopinionthatway；andthoughtheymaynotbepleasantinalltheirparticulars，theeffectasawhole，isrenovatingandinvigoratingtomyperceptionsofresponsibilityandduty。“[4]
Hedidnotallowhispatiencetobeabusedwithevilintent。
Hereadhissuppliantsswiftly。Theprofiteer，theshirk，thefraudofanysort，wasinstantlyunmasked。“I’llhavenothingtodowiththisbusiness，“heburstoutafterlisteningtoagentlemanlyprofiteer；“norwithanymanwhocomestomewithsuchdegradingpropositions。What!DoyoutakethePresidentoftheUnitedStatestobeacommissionbroker？Youhavecometothewrongplace，andforyouandforeveryonewhocomesforthesamepurpose，thereisthedoor。“[5]
Lincolnenjoyedthisindiscriminatemixingwithpeople。Itwashischiefescapefromcare。HesawnoreasonwhyhisfriendsshouldCommiseratehimbecauseoftheendlesshandshaking。
Thatwasasmallmattercomparedwiththeinteresthetookintheevervariousstreamofhumantypes。Sometimes，indeed，hewouldlapseintoabrownstudyinthemidstofareception。
Thenhe“wouldshakehandswiththousandsofpeople，seeminglyunconsciousofwhathewasdoing，murmuringmonotonoussalutationsastheywentby，hiseyedim，histhoughtsfarwithdrawn……Suddenly，hewouldseesomefamiliarface——hismemoryforfaceswasverygood-andhiseyewouldbrightenandhiswholeformgrowattentive；hewouldgreetthevisitorwithaheartygraspandaringingwordanddismisshimwithacheerylaughthatfilledtheBlueRoomwithinfectiousgoodnature。“[6]
Carpenter，theportraitpainter，whoforatimesawhimdaily，saysthat“hislaughstoodbyitself。Theneighofawildhorseonhisnativeprairieisnotmoreundisguisedandhearty。“Anintimatefriendcalledithis“lifepreserver。“[7]
Lincoln’ssenseofhumordelightedinanydetailofaneventwhichsuggestedcomedy。Hisgenialawkwardnessamusedhimselfquiteasmuchasitamusedtheworld。Athisthirdpublicreceptionheworeapairofwhitekidglovesthatweretoosmall。Anoldfriendapproached。ThePresidentshookhandssoheartilythathisgloveburstwithapoppingsound。Holdinguphishand，Lincolngazedattheruinedglovewithadrollairwhilethearrestedprocessioncametoastandstill。“Well，myoldfriend，“saidhe，“thisisageneralbustification；youandIwereneverintendedtowearthesethings。Iftheywerestrongertheymightdotokeepoutthecold，buttheyareafailuretoshakehandswithbetweenoldfriendslikeus。Standaside，Captain，andI’llseeyoushortly。“[8]
Hiscompletefreedomfrompose，andfromthesenseofplace，wasglimpsedbyinnumerablevisitors。Hewouldneverallowafriendtoaddresshimbyatitle。’CallmeLincoln，“hewouldsay；“Mr。Presidentisentirelytooformalforus。“[9]
Inamerepolitician，allthismighthavebeenquestioned。ButHawthornewasrightastothepeople’sintuitionofLincoln’shonesty。Hehatedtheparadeofeminence。Jeffersonwashispatronsaint，and“simplicity“waspartofhiscreed。Nothingcouldinducehimtosurroundhimselfwithpomp，oreven——ashisfriendsthought——withmeresecurity。Rumorsofplotsagainsthislifewereheardalmostfromthebeginning。HisfriendsbeggedlongandhardbeforeheconsentedtopermitacavalryguardatthegatesoftheWhiteHouse。Verysoonhecountermandedhisconsent。“Itwouldneverdo，“saidhe，“forapresidenttohaveguardswithdrawnsabersathisdoor，asifhefanciedhewere，orweretryingtobe，orwereassumingtobe，anemperor。“[10]
Amilitaryofficer，alarmedforhissafety，beggedhimtoconsider“thefactthatanyassassinormaniacseekinghislife，couldenterhispresencewithouttheinterferenceofasinglearmedmantoholdhimback。Theentrancedoors，andalldoorsontheofficialsideofthebuilding，wereopenatallhoursofthedayandverylateintotheevening；andIhavemanytimesenteredthemansionandwalkeduptotheroomsofthetwoprivatesecretariesaslateasnineorteno’clockatnight，withoutSeeing，orbeingchallengedbyasinglesoul。“