tions left upon me the impression
that he had debated with himself as to the course he ought to pursue.
Attachment to Virginia was the sole excuse which Lee offered in his
letter to his sister which contained a declaration that there was no
just cause for secession.

In July, 1861, Washington was comparatively defenceless. Mr. Lincoln
was calm, but I met others who were quite hopeless of the result.

My speech upon Emancipation in December, 1861, led to a request from
the publishers of the _Continental Magazine_ for an article upon the
subject. It appeared in February, 1862, and in that article I set
forth the necessity of immediate emancipation as a war measure, and
by virtue of the war power, under the title, "Our Danger, and Its
Cause." Rapid changes were then taking place in public opinion, and
in Massachusetts the tide was strong in favor of vigorous action. It
was arrested temporarily in the summer of 1862, by the untoward events
of the war, and the "People's Party" became formidable for a brief
season.

One of the peculiar circumstance of the contest was the acceptance by
General Devens of the post of candidate for Governor by the People's
Party. General Devens was then in the army, and with considerable
experience he had shown the qualities of a good soldier. But he was
not a Republican. In other days he had been a Webster Whig, and as
marshal of the district of Massachusetts he had charge officially of
the return of the negro Sims to slavery.

This act had brought down upon him criticisms, quite like maledictions,
from the Anti-Slavery Party. By these criticisms he had been
embittered, and although he was hearty in support of the war, he had
not then reached a point in his experience when he could realize that
the only efficient way of supporting the war was to support the
Republican Party.

At a later period he identified himself with the Republican Party, and
as a Republican he filled with honor a place upon the bench of the
Supreme Court of Massachusetts, and upon the election of President
Hayes, he was made Attorney-General of the United States. That office
he filled with tact, urbanity, and reasonable ability. He belonged to
a class of orators of which Massachusetts has furnished a considerable
number--Mr. Everett was the chief. His disciples or followers
included Hillard, Burlingame, Bullock, Devens, Long, and some others
of lesser note. The style of these men was attractive, sometimes