Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-07-20
The Position Of a Private Democrat

Inc POSITION o. a fIlvdtS OeiuVSioI
GJoHy HANKS, Mr. Lincoin's intimate
friend in youth and early manhood, bears
his testimony aud states his present views,
in a long letter to the Decatur Chronicle,
from which we copy as follows:J
"When we have for years been opposed,
in politics, to a man who has again and
again seen his party defeated, aud has
himself sometimes failed, aud still seen
.ha, mau true to has coloys. re-arming aud
re-en,eripg the felt to try to uphold and
successfully plaut bis colOrs upon the side
of victory, when all the time he knew he
had but to change once to win, and yet
has never changed, think l may say
never faltered, how are We to respect him
Such a man | have known Mr.. Lincoln,
for thirty years, to be. IN bOyhood, We
,oiled together; many are the days we
have lugged the heavy oar on the Ohio, the
Illinois, and the Mississippi Rivers, togeih-
er; many are the long, cold days we have
journeyed over the wild prairies aud
through the fores. with gun and ak and,
though it is not pleasant to refer back to IT,
well DO | remember when We set out TO-
gether, in the winter, to cut and maui rails
on the SaDgamon River, in Macon county,
thirty years ago, to inclOse bis fathers lit
tie home, and KEEP. at work until the whole
was finished and the homestead fenced in.
We often swapped work in this way. Du-
ring the many years We were connected
together as labcrers, sometimes fa,-boat-
ing, sometimes bog driving, sometimes rail-
making, and, too, when it was nearly i'm
possible to ge. books, he was constant
reader was listener. He settled all
disputes of the young men in the neighbor-
hood, and his decisions were always ab;ded
/ by. | never knew man so honest, uo-
der all circumstances, for his whole life.
Thus associated with Mr. Lincoln, learned
to love him and when, in 1888, he was
a candidate for the first time within my
reach, agains. ny feelings, and | may say
against my convictions, my old party ties
induced me to vote for Mr. Douglas. My
Democratic friends all declared Lincoln
was "au abOlitionis,;" heard him make
a speech in Decatur, just before the cleo
ton, and L could see nothing bad in it /;
bu; l was tod by the party be was wrong;
could not see how be could be, bu, they
said 50, and was Democrat aud went
it. My wife used to say to me that some
day Abe would come out and be something
thought 50 toe, but | could not exactly
see how man in the lower walks Of life,
day laborer, and hopelessly poor, would
ever stand much chance 10 get up very
high in the world A; last, one day, We
heard tha, the Republican State COnven'
ton was to be he'd a. Decatur, and that
they were going for Abe fer President.
AS soon as | found this out, went into
town and told friend, that, IS great apd
honest merit was at last to be rewarded,
in the person Of ny friend Mr.. Lincoln,
by the Republican party, thought Of the
hard and trying struggles of bis early days,
and recollecting the rails We had made to-
ge,her thirty years ago, made up my mind
to present some Of them to that Conven-
ton, as a testimonial of the begiuuing OF
oue Of the greatest living men Of the age,
believing they would speak more in bis
praise than any orator cou'd, and homer
true labor more than the praise Of men OF
The resolutions Of Conventions. On our
way to get the rails, told this friend,
that, if Abe should be nominated toI
President, l would vote for bin. Every
BODY knows what be has been, aud re-
, joice that live to give this testimony tc
bis goodness ard honesty, and l hope
shall live to vote for him for President Of
the United States next November. l:
there anything wrong in this! Wht
ought to refuse TO vote for as good and a!
grea. a man as be is? know that in 80
, ting for him l vote with the Republican
party, and will be considered as adopting
its principles. As 1 now understand
them, see no good reason why may nc
do SO. Our olrn party is dirided, and T'
-, S,yor,o, n, ,eU us ,rio shall fake ff,
child"
Thousands Of homes. Democrats viii
think and vote like this plain, frank JOhI
Hanks .--.--.,...,-...--.-.-...-,-
THE RIGHT KIND OF BoYs.-A Maine
paper tells story Of two boys, one thir
teen and the other eleven, who, on accoun
of the sickness of their father, were lef
. Sbavan0b IL