To James C. Conkling1Jump to section
Springfield, Illinois: Washington, Sept. 3, 1863.
I am mortified this morning to find the letter to you, botched up, in the Eastern papers, telegraphed from Chicago. How did this happen? A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, RPB. Conkling replied on September 4:
``Your telegram of 3 inst was received by me at the Fair Grounds during the progress of our Mass Meeting and I had no opportunity of replying immediately
``In order that the St Louis Chicago and Springfield papers might publish your Letter simultaneously and at the earliest period after the meeting, so as to gratify the intense anxiety which existed with regard to your views, copies were sent to the two former places with strict injunctions not to permit it to be published before the meeting or make any improper use of it But it appears that a part of it was telegraphed from Chicago to New York contrary to my express directions. I do not know what particular individual is chargeable with this breach of faith, but I presume it was some one connected with the Chicago Tribune. I was very much mortified at the occurrence, but hope that no prejudicial results have been experienced as the whole letter was published the next day'' (DLC-RTL).
John W. Forney wrote Lincoln on September 3:
``The appearance of your letter in the Chronicle of this morning may surprise, but cannot, I hope, offend you, when I tell you it came to us from [Lewis A.] Gobright, of the Associated Press, and was received and published during my absence, and appears in most if not all of the other daily papers of the country. Even the Intelligencer of this morning has an abstract of it. To-morrow we will republish it, accompanied by a strong editorial endorsement. I make this explanation in justice to myself, after our conversation yesterday.'' (Ibid.).