Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln to John M. Clayton, 28 July 18491

Confidential
Springfield, Ills. July 28^th 1849Hon. J. M. ClaytonDear Sir
It is with some hesitation I presume to address you this letter– And yet I wish not only you, but the whole Cabinet, and the President too, would consider the subject-matter of it– My being among the People while you and they are not, will excuse the apparent presumption– It is understood that the President at first adopted, as a general rule, to throw the responsibility of the appointments upon the respective Departments; and that such rule is adhered to and practiced upon–2 This course I at first thought proper; and, of course, I am not now complaining of it– Still, I am disappointed with the effect of it on the public mind– It is fixing for the President the unjust and ruinous character of being a mere [~~...~~?] man of straw– This must be arrested, or it will damn us all inevitably– It is said Gen: Taylor and his officers held a council of war, at Palo Alto (I believe); and ^that he^ then fought the battle against the unanamous opinion of those officers–3 This fact (no matter whether rightfully or wrongfully) gives him more popularity than ten thousand submissions, however really wise and magnanamous those submissions may be– The appointments need be no better than they have been, but the public must be brought to understand, that they are the President's appointments– He must occasionally say, or seem to say "by the Eternal" "I take the responsibility"– Those phrases were the "Samson's locks"4 of Gen: Jackson; and we dare not disregard the lessons of experience–5
Your Ob^t Serv^t[Obedient Servant]A. Lincoln.

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SPRINGFIELD Ill.[Illinois]
JUL[July] 30
FREE

FREE
Hon: Secretary of StateWashingtonD.C

1Abraham Lincoln wrote and signed this letter, including the address on the last sheet, which was folded to create an envelope.

2During his presidency, Zachary Taylor was criticized for delegating most decisions on patronage appointments either to members of his cabinet or to the departments under which the appointments fell. Although the perception that Taylor was uninvolved in the selection process for patronage appointments was popular at the time, it was inaccurate. Taylor indeed delegated authority to his cabinet to make decisions on most appointments. But he also attended most cabinet meetings where appointments were discussed, personally oversaw major diplomatic appointments and choice federal appointments in New York City, overrode Secretary of State John M. Clayton when he disagreed with his selections, and awarded some of the best patronage positions to his political allies, friends, and family members. Nevertheless, many saw Taylor’s delegation of decisions on patronage appointments as a sign of weak leadership as well as a betrayal of his campaign promise to represent and fight for the interests of the people.
Michael F. Holt, The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 418-19.

3This is a reference to Taylor’s actions during the siege of Fort Texas and the Battle of Palo Alto. On May 1, 1846, Taylor left 400 men under the command of Major Jacob Brown to hold Fort Texas, situated on the northern side of the Rio Grande River, while he led the rest of his men on a march to fortify Point Isabel on the Brazos Santiago Island. In his absence, Mexican troops under the command of General Mariano Arista laid siege to Fort Texas. Following the American victory over Arista’s troops during the Battle of Palo Alto on May 8, Taylor called a council of war on May 9 to decide whether to pursue the retreating Mexican army or remain in place. Seven of his ten officers voted to remain; Taylor overruled this majority and ordered his troops to advance. His forces successfully routed Arista’s men and reclaimed Fort Texas, which Taylor renamed Fort Brown. Lincoln expressed admiration for Taylor’s decision both in this letter to Clayton and when he eulogized Taylor in Chicago in July 1850.
John S. D. Eisenhower, Zachary Taylor, The American Presidents (New York: Times Books, 2008), 38, 43, 46-49; Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953), 2:85; Report of Speech Commemorating the Death of Zachary Taylor; Fragment of Report of Speech Commemorating the Death of Zachary Taylor.

4This is an allusion to the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah, found in Judges 16:1-31.

5“By the Eternal” and “I’ll take the responsibility” were phrases widely associated with Andrew Jackson at the time. Jackson had developed a reputation for using them whenever he wished to demonstrate his seriousness or commitment to some action or principle. Anecdotes from the time, for instance, held that Jackson exclaimed “By the Eternal the laws must and shall be executed” during the Nullification Crisis, and that he replied “I take the responsibility” when challenged on his authority to transfer U.S. funds from the Second Bank of the United States to state banks during the so-called Bank War.
Henry Barrett Chamberlain, “Observations of a Straggler,” The Voter (July 1904), 15:7; Horatio Bateman, Biographies of Two Hundred and Fifty Distinguished National Men (New York: John T. Giles, 1871), 1:7; The Weakness and Inefficiency of the Government of the United States of North America (London: Houlston and Wright, 1863), 304-5; William Garrott Brown, Andrew Jackson (Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1900), 44, 72, 123.