I showed Bates the letter to-day. He said some friends of
his had previously spoken to him in the same sense; that he was friendly to Grover;
thought well of him as a gentlemam and a lawyer, and knew of no one whom he
would sooner see appointed. That he would not take the office himself in any
case. That he had earnest antagonisms in that State; he was fighting those
radicals there that stood to him in the relation of enemies of law and order. “There
is no such thing as an honest and patriotic American radical. Some of the
transcendental, red-Republican Germans were honest enough in their moon-struck
theorising; but the Americans imprudently and dishonestly arrogate to
themselves the title of unconditional loyalty, when the whole spirit of the
faction is contempt of, and opposition to law While the present state of things
continues in Missouri, there is no need of a Court, — so says Judge Treat, and
I agree with him."
SOURCES: Clara B. Hay, Letters of John Hay and
Extracts from Diary, Volume 1, p. 232-3; Michael Burlingame and John R.
Turner Ettlinger, Editors, Inside Lincoln’s White House: The Complete
Civil War Diary of John Hay, p. 235.
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