Chronicles of Notre Dame du Lac
Edward Sorin, CSC -- Translated by John M. Toohey, CSC, 1895

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1864

pg 475       was striving as usual to destroy it.
                  Elections in the States are generally an occasion of some 
             commotion.  This year, amidst the horrors of war, they could not 
             but be the object of general interest, seeing that on them 
             depended the continuation or the termination of those same 
             horrors.  The council of Notre Dame felt how necessary was 
             prudence in such delicate and dangerous circumstances.  It took 
             the matter into consideration and adopted a resolution which was 
             calculated to have the best result.  Unfortunately it was badly 
             carried out, or rather was not carried out at all, the member to 
             whom it had been entrusted foolishly confiding to a third party 
             who did not understand the consequences and took no steps in the 
             matter.  The result was that the house was very seriously 
             compromised in the eyes of the country.
                  Mr. Colfax, chairman of the House of Representatives in 
             Washington and an old time friend of F. Sorin, as a matter of 
             course counted on the votes of Notre Dame.  Now, as most of the