Preponderance of the Evidence in a Civil Trial

[David Lockmiller]

(03-22-2020 10:44 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  

Quote:Doris Kearns Goodwin could have quoted Ida Tarbell's book at length, but she chose for some reason not to do so.

To be fair, as much as I admire and respect Tarbell, her original Lincoln biography was written in 1901 and her last full-length Lincoln book appeared in the 1920s. Tarbell certainly was the most important Lincoln biographer of the Progressive Era, but in the 21st century that really is akin to being the best submarine commander in Boise. So much has changed in the story of Lincoln, and tastes have changed, that I would be surprised if someone used Tarbell's work in depth.

Best
Rob

Much of the information associated with the War Department telegraph office was confirmed by the head of the government telegraph office, David Homer Bates. See Roger's post #17 on the "I would rather be defeated . . ." thread. The source cited by Roger is pp. 245-247 of David Homer Bates' Lincoln in the Telegraph Office.

The important alleged conversation between Lincoln and Henry Wing following the exit of Lincoln's cabinet members is the crux of the credibility question. Doris Kearns Goodwin refers to the entire encounter only at page 620 in "Team of Rivals": Lincoln hugged and kissed a young reporter on the forehead who arrived at the White House with a verbal message from the general [Grant] that said: "there is to be no turning back."

How many people have read "Team of Rivals" versus the number of people in modern times that have read Ida Tarbell's work on the same subject matter?

I still have the Tarbell book in my possession because the San Francisco Public Library system is closed due to the corona virus pandemic. In the front of the book is the old fashioned library "Date Due (back)" form pasted. There are three date stamps listed: November 18, 1981; December 29, 1988; and January 6, 1997. In short, it's probably not the most read book in either the San Francisco or Boise Public Libraries, even today.

But I think the entire Henry Wing story is important and truthful.