overnment which was actually
abolishing slavery by martial law. Also the attitude of the thoroughly
self-righteous partisan is perfectly usual. Many of Governor Seymour's
utterances were fair enough, and much of his conduct was patriotic
enough. His main proceedings can be briefly summarised. His election as
Governor in the end of 1862 was regarded as an important event, the
appearance of a new leader holding an office of the greatest influence.
Lincoln, assuming, as he had a right to do, the full willingness of
Seymour to co-operate in prosecuting the war, did the simplest and best
thing. He wrote and invited Seymour after his inauguration in March,
1863, to a personal conference with himself as to the ways in which, with
their divergent views, they could best co-operate. The Governor waited
three weeks before he acknowledged this letter. He then wrote and
promised a full reply later. He never sent this reply. He protested
energetically and firmly against the arrest of Vallandigham. In July,
1863, the Conscription Act began to be put in force in New York city;
then occurred the only serious trouble that ever did occur under the Act;
and it was very serious. A mob of foreign immigrants, mainly Irish, put
a forcible stop to the proceeding of the draft. It set fire to the
houses of prominent Republicans, and prevented the fire brigade from
saving them. It gave chase to all negroes that it met, beating some to
death, stringing up others to trees and lamp-posts and burning them as
they hung. It burned down an orphanage for coloured children after the
police had with difficulty saved its helpless inmates. Four days of
rioting prevailed throughout the city before the arrival of fresh troops
restored order. After an interval of prudent length the draft was
successfully carried out. Governor Seymour arrived in the city during
the riots. He harangued this defiled mob in gentle terms, promising
them, if they would be good, to help them in securing redress of the
grievance to which he attributed their conduct. Thenceforward to the end
of his term of office he persecuted Lincoln with complaints as to the
unfairness of the quota imposed on certain districts under the
Conscription Act. It is true that he also protested on presumably
sincere constitutional grounds against the Act itself, begging Lincoln to
suspend its enforcement till its validity had been determined by the
Courts. As to this Lincoln most properly a