Evening Star Newspaper, February 9, 1930, Page 90

8 The first inauguration of President Lincoln, March 4, 1861. His Days in Washington, 'THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, B. T, FT%RRUARY ol 1930. e incoln Qualities Often Revealed Here Procession passing the gate of the Capitol Grounds. —From an old print in Harper's Magazine. Both as Member of Congress and as President, Marked by Great Popularity—Unfailing Humor Drew Many Persons to Places Where He Found . Recreation—Noble and Generous Nature Colored His Attitude Toward All With Whom He Came in Contact—Case of Private Scott. BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. HE birth of Abraham Lincoln, uni- versally acknowledged to be second only to George Washington in the hearts of his countrymen, will b> celebrated next Wednesday in 28 States of the Union. However, in th: District of Columbia, where the great Civil War Presi- dent spent more than four years in the White House under a strain that few human beings could have survived, as well as in the Capital City of the country for which he offered up his life; that this “Nation might live,” no holi- day has been declared. Though California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Towa, Kansas, Ken- tucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mon- tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washing- ton, West Virginia, Wisconsin and ‘Wyoming have all honored the martyr President in this way, yet Congress has not so far seen fit to follow their example. Upon occasions when this matter has been discussed in Congress, the cost of closing the Ppublic departments has been the principal ob- jection, one of the several others being that it would be too close to Washington's birthday. It does not seem that this latter objection would be of much weight since we have Christ- mas and New Year day occurring within a week of each other, and every one seems to be perfectly satisfied, and no one has ever sug- @ested eliminating either holiday. As to the expense to the Government—even if this were ¥eally a factor—it does seem it might be better to economize in some other direction, for throughout the world no man has ever been more valuable to his own country than has been Abraham Lincoln to the United States. Indeed, his services cannot be estimated in dollars and cents, and even if it were possible to do s0, the closing of the departments for one day in each year would mean relatively and comparatively but a trifie. OF all the Presidents, none had so humble an origin and achieved such heights, po- ltically and intellectually—not only admired, loved, and revered in his own country, but even regarded abroad with the same venera- tion and respect that he is in his own dear America. The City of Washington has many memories of Lincoln acquired during his service here in the House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849, and later as President. During his term in Congress he was not under the same re- Btraint he necessarily was from 1861 to 1865, when the city was virtually a military camp #and great caution had to be exercised to protect $he life of the Chief Magistrate. However, when he registered at Brown’s In- dian Queen Hotel, now the Metropolitan, De- Pember 2, 1847, practically no one knew him, and during the following two years of his stay herz, he could have visited all parts of the cily with perfect freedom—and no doubt he Mid s0. These were the days of boarding houses en! private messes, and so we find Lincoln soon leaving Brown's for Mrs. Sprigg's board- ing house in Carroll row, six 3-story-and- attic dwellings which occupied the site now coveréd by the handsome bullding of the Li- brary of Congress, the Sprigg house being the fourth of the row from A street. Originally this row consisted of but three 3-story buildings. the center of which was erected by Daniel Carroll in 1805, and here Pontius D. Stelle kept a hotel from its com- pletion until 1809, being succeeded by Robert 1207 New York avenue (still standing), Long and afterward by N. L. Queen, when it was known as Queen’s Hotel. During the Civil War the row was used for military purposes. DR. SAMUEL CLAGETT BUSEY, who during Lincoln’s term in Congress also boarded with Mrs. Sprigg, tells us that the corner house at what was then A and First street, “was occupied by Gen. Duff Green and family, who took their meals at the Sprigg boarding where Lincoln would take Little “Tad” to purchase him toys. house.” This house became particularly hise toric during the invasion of Washington by the British in August, 1814, because it was occupied by Gen. Ross and Admiral Cockburn as their headquarters. Dr.Buaey-l‘souysthnthebometome north of this was occupled “by William L. McCormick and family, and the third by John H. Houston and family. The two houses north of the Sprigg house were boarding houses, then a stonecutter’s yard, and the three-story brick house at the corner of First street E. and East Capitol street, with a shop on the ground floor and dwelling above occupied by the stonecutter, completed the west front of the square.” Continuing, Dr. Busey gives us some inter- esting personal recollections of Lincoln and those who boarded at the Sprigg hous>. He says: “There was a large number of boarders at the Sprigg house, among whom may be named, besides Mr. Lincoln, Messrs, Mcllvaine, Dick, Blanchard and Pollock, members of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, and Thompkins, M. C., from Mississippi, the Green family, Nathan Sargent—better known as ‘Oliver Oldschool'—Edmund French, a private citizen, and myself. “All the members of the House of Repre- sentatives were Whigs. The Wilmot proviso was the topic of frequent conversation and the occasion of very many angry controversies. Dick, who represented the Lancaster district in Pennsylvania, afterward represented by Thaddeus Stevens, was a very offensive man in manner and conversation, and seemed to take special pleasure in ventilating his opinions and provoking unpleasant discussions with the Democrats and some of the Whigs, especially Thompkins, who held adverse epinions on the Wilmot proviso. “Nathan Sargent was also a radical, but was S0 interested in the success of the Whigs and the election of Zachary Taylor that he re- strained himself and followed Mr. Lincoln, who may have been as radical as either of these gentlemen, but was so discreet in giving exe pression to his convictions on the slavery ques- tion as to avoid giving offense to anybody, and was so conciliatory as to create the impression, even among the pro-slavery advocates, that he did not wish to introduce or discuss subjects that would provoke a controversy. When such conversation would threaten angry or even un- pleasant contention he would Interrupt it by interposing some anecdote, thus diverting it into a hearty and general laugh, and so com- Pletely disarrange the tenor of the discussion * that the parties engaged would either sep- arate in good humor or continue conversation free from discord. This amicable disposition made him very popular with the household, 6 NGRESSMAN LINCOLN was very fond of bowling, and would frequently Join others of the mess, or meet other members in & match game at the alley of James Casparis, . whlehmnmtheboardingtmm. He was & very awkward bowler but played the game with @reat zest and spirit, solely for exercise and