Among other things, the misunderstanding between him and Secretary Chase was anything but pleasant, Chase had proved himself the ablest finance minister that this country had produced after Alexander Hamilton.  He was a man of remarkable dignity, integrity, and patriotism.  He was not vain, but he was conscious both of his services and his abilities.  And he was always inclined to underrate Lincoln, whom he misunderstood.  He also had presidential aspirations.  After three years’ successful service he did not like to have his suggestions disregarded, and was impatient under any interference with his appointments.  To say the least, his relations with the President were strained.  Annoyed and vexed with some appointments of importance, he sent in his resignation, accompanied with a petulant letter.  Lincoln, on its receipt, drove to the Secretary’s house, handed back to him his letter, and persuaded him to reconsider his resignation.  But it is difficult to mend a broken jar.  The same trouble soon again occurred in reference to the appointment in New York of an assistant-treasurer by Mr. Chase, which the President, having no confidence in the appointee, could not accept; on which the Secretary again resigned, and Lincoln at once accepted his resignation, with these words:  “Of all I have said in commendation of your ability and fidelity, I have nothing to unsay; and yet you and I have reached a point of mutual embarrassment in our official relations, which it seems cannot be overcome or longer sustained consistently with the public service.”

Mr. Chase, however, did not long remain unemployed.  On the death of Chief Justice Taney, in October, 1864, Mr. Lincoln appointed him to the head of the Supreme Court,—­showing how little he cherished resentment, and how desirous he was to select the best men for all responsible positions, whether he personally liked them or not.  Even when an able man had failed in one place, Lincoln generally found use for his services in another,—­witness the gallant exploits of Burnside, Hooker, and Meade, after they had retired from the head of the Army of the Potomac.  As a successor to Mr. Chase in the Treasury, the President, to the amazement of the country, selected Governor Tod of Ohio, who wisely declined the office.  The next choice fell on Senator Wm. Pitt Fessenden, who reluctantly assumed an office which entailed such heavy responsibilities and hard work, but who made in it a fine record for efficiency.  It was no slight thing to be obliged to raise one hundred millions of dollars every month for the expense of the war.

While General Grant lay apparently idle in his trenches before Petersburg, the presidential election of 1864 took place, and in spite of the unpopular draft of five hundred thousand men in July, and a summer and Autumn of severe fighting both East and West, Mr. Lincoln was elected.  There had been active and even acrimonious opposition, but who could compete with him?  At this time his extraordinary fitness for the highest office in the gift of the nation was generally acknowledged, and the early prejudices against him had mostly passed away.  He neither sought nor declined the re-election.