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turning to page one
turning to page one
Lincoln is at his desk, Hay feeding him documents to read and sign. Seward warms himself by the fireplace, holding a brandy.
SEWARD
Consider the obstacles that we'd
face. The aforementioned two-thirds
majority needed to pass an
amendment: we have a Republican
majority, but barely more than fifty percent -
LINCOLN
Fifty-six.
SEWARD
We need Democratic support. There's
none to be had.
LINCOLN
Since the House last voted on the
amendment there's been an election.
Sixty-four Democrats lost their
House seats in November. That's
sixty-four Democrats looking for
work come March.
SEWARD LINCOLN
I know, but that's - They don't
need to worry about re-election,
they can vote however it suits `em.
There's a knock at the office door.
SEWARD LINCOLN (CONT’D)
But we can't, um, buy the (to Hay:)
vote for the amendment. It's Might
as well let `em in. too important.
LINCOLN
I said nothing of buying anything.
We need twenty votes was all I
said. Start of my second term,
plenty of positions to fill.
Hay opens the door to the outer office, admitting the sound of a sizable crowd. JOHN NICOLAY, 33, Lincoln's rather severe German-born senior secretary, ushers in MR. JOLLY, mid-40s, mud-spattered coat, hat in hands, followed by MRS. JOLLY, similarly road-worn, holding a suitcase. Lincoln stands.
JOHN NICOLAY
Mr. President, may I present Mr.
and Mrs. Jolly who've come from
MR. JOLLY
From Jeff City, President.
Lincoln shakes Mr. Jolly's hand. Mrs. Jolly curtseys.
LINCOLN
Mr. Jolly. Ma'am. This by the
fire's Secretary of State Seward.
Seward nods slightly as he lights a Cuban cigar.
LINCOLN (CONT'D)
Jeff City.
Lincoln looks at the Jollys. They are worried and a little awed.
LINCOLN (CONT'D)
I heard tell once of a Jefferson
City lawyer who had a parrot that'd
wake him each morning crying out,
"Today is the day the world shall
end, as scripture has foretold."
And one day the lawyer shot him for
the sake of peace and quiet, I
presume, thus fulfilling, for the
bird at least, its prophecy!
Lincoln smiles. The Jollys don't get it. Mr. Jolly looks back at Seward, who gestures for him to speak, then exhales a plume of smoke.
MR. JOLLY
(launching into his PREPARED SPEECH:)
They's only one tollbooth in Jeff
City, t' the southwest `n this man
Heinz Sauermagen from Rolla been in
illegal possession for near two
yar, since your man General
Schofield set him up there. But
President Monroe give that tollgate
to my granpap and Quincy Adams give
my pap a letter saying it's our'n
for keeps. Mrs. Jolly got the -
(to his wife:)
Show Mr. Lincoln the Quincy Adams
letter.
Mrs. Jolly opens the suitcase and begins to dig frantically for the letter.
LINCOLN
That's unnecessary, Mrs. Jolly.
Just tell me what you want from me.
Seward exhales more smoke.
Mr. Jolly starts coughing, while Mrs. Jolly tries to fan away the cigar smoke with the Quincy Adams letter.
MRS. JOLLY
Mr. Jolly's emphysema don't care
for cigars.
SEWARD
Madame. Do you know about the
proposed Thirteenth Amendment to
the Constitution -
MRS. JOLLY
Yes sir, everybody knows of it. The
President favors it.
SEWARD
Do you?
MRS. JOLLY
We do.
SEWARD
You know that it abolishes slavery?
MRS. JOLLY
Yes sir. I know it.
SEWARD
And is that why you favor it?
MRS. JOLLY
What I favor's ending the war.
Once't we do away with slavery, the
rebs'll quit fighting, since
slavery's what they're fighting
for. Mr. Lincoln, you always says
so. With the amendment, slavery's
ended and they'll give up. The war
can finish then.
SEWARD
If the war finished first, before
we end slavery, would -
MRS. JOLLY
President Lincoln says the war
won't stop unless we finish slavery-
SEWARD
But if it did. The South is
exhausted. If they run out of
bullets and men, would you still
want your, uh - Who's your
representative?
LINCOLN
Jeff City? That's, uh, Congressman
Burton?
MRS. JOLLY
"Beanpole" Burton, I mean, Josiah
Burton, yes, sir!
LINCOLN
(to Mrs. Jolly:)
Republican. Undecided on the
question of the amendment, I
believe. Perhaps you could call on
him and inform him of your
enthusiasm.
MRS. JOLLY
Yeah...
SEWARD
Madam? If the rebels surrender next
week, would you, at the end of this
month, want Congressman Burton to
vote for the Thirteenth Amendment?
Mrs. Jolly is puzzled, and looks to Mr. Jolly. Then:
MRS. JOLLY
If that was how it was, no more war
and all, I reckon Mr. Jolly'd much
prefer not to have Congress pass
the amendment.
Mr. Jolly nods. Seward glances at Lincoln, then turns back to
THE JOLLYS:
SEWARD
And why's that?
Mr. Jolly's surprised: the answer's so obvious.
MR. JOLLY
(in a hoarse voice:)
Niggers.
MRS. JOLLY
If he don't have to let some
Alabama coon come up to Missouri,
steal his chickens, and his job,
he'd much prefer that.
Seward takes the letter from Mrs. Jolly and hands it to Lincoln.
SEWARD
(to Lincoln, quietly:)
The people!
I begin to see why you're in such a great hurry to put it through.
LINCOLN
(to Mr. Jolly:)
Would you let me study this letter,
sir, about the tollbooth? Come back
to me in the morning and we'll
consider what the law says.
Lincoln stands.
LINCOLN (CONT'D)
And be sure to visit "Beanpole" and
tell him that you support passage
of the Amendment. As a military
necessity.
The Jollys nod, skeptical now.
NICOLAY
(to the Jollys:)
Thank you.
Nicolay escorts them out. Before he closes the door:
LINCOLN
Oh, Nicolay? When you have a
moment.
Nicolay nods and steps into the anteroom, where dozens more petitioners are waiting to speak with Lincoln. Hay confers with the doorman. Seward closes the door behind them.
Lincoln kneels at the fireplace, stoking the fire. He puts more wood in, then stands. Seward watches him, then:
SEWARD
If procuring votes with offers of
employment is what you intend, I'll
fetch a friend from Albany who can
supply the skulking men gifted at
this kind of shady work. Spare me
the indignity of actually speaking
to Democrats. Spare you the
exposure and liability.
There is a sharp knock on the closed door, followed by two long ones.
LINCOLN
Pardon me, that's a distress
signal, which I am bound by solemn
oath to respond to.
Lincoln opens the door. Tad enters, cross.
TAD
Tom Pendel took away the glass
camera plates of slaves Mr. Gardner
sent over because Tom says mama
says they're too distressing, but-
LINCOLN
You had nightmares all night,
mama's right to -
TAD
But I'll have worse nightmares if
you don't let me look at the plates
again!
LINCOLN
Perhaps.
SEWARD
We can't afford a single defection
from anyone in our party...not even
a single Republican absent when
they vote. You know who you've got
to see.
Nicolay enters. Lincoln turns to him.
LINCOLN
Send over to Blair House. Ask
Preston Blair can I call on him
around five o'clock.
SEWARD
(a shudder, a swallow of BRANDY:)
God help you. God alone knows what
he'll ask you to give him.