Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-05-25

mighty victory which gave illinois her first
kepubllcan Legislature, and placed LYMAN
TRUM1ULL in the Senate Of the United States. ]
The frnt and greatest debate of that year
came ~ between LINCOLN and D0U6LAs at
Spring field, during the progress Of tie State
Fair, Is October. a. ~
During this exciting campaign Mr.. Lin.
coin pressed the slavery issue upon the
people of Central and Southern Illinois, who
were largely made up of the emigration from
Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and North
Carolina, with all the powers Of his mind.
A revolution swept the State. For the first
time majority OF the Legislature of Illinois
was opposed to the Democratic Administra-
ton of the Federal government. A United
place of Gen. Shields who had yielded to
the influence Of isless scrupulous colleague,
and, against his own better judgment, had
voted for the Kansas Nebraska act. The
election came on, and q number of ballots
were taken, the almost united opposition
voting steadily for Lincoln, but the anti
Nebraska Democrats for Trumbull. Mr..
Lincoln became appre hensive that those
men who had been elected as Democrats,
though opposed to Judge Douglas, would
turn upon some third candidate, of less de-.
cided convictions than Judge Trumbull,
and possibly elect q Senator who had little
or nothing in common with the then incho.
ate republican party. To prevent such a
contamination, he went personally to his
| friends, and by strong persuasion, induced
them to vote for Trumbull. He thus Sc
cured, by an act of generous self sacri-
fee, triumph for the cause Of right, and
an advocate of it on the floor of the Senate,
not inferior, in earnest zeal for the princi-
Piles Of Republicanism, to any member Of
that body. .s-.
From his thorough conviction of tho grow
ing magnitude of the slave question and Of
the need of a strong effort to preserve the
Territories to freedom, Mr.. Lincoln was
among the first to join in the formation Of
q Republican party, although the public
opinion around him was strongly adverse to
that movement. He exerted himself for the
organization Of the Republican forces in
Illinois, and attended the first Republican
Convention held in the State. This was in
Bloomington in May, 1856. His speech in
that Convention was of surprising power
and elequence and produced great effect
In the contest OF that year, Mr.. Lincoln was
at the head of the Illinois electoral ticket
and labored earnestly, though vainly, to
wrest that State from the grasp of the pro.
slavery Democracy, with the walking mag.
azne OF mischief" as Douglas has been sp-
propriately called, at its head.
We need not refer to the great campaign
of 1858, SO fresh in the recollection Of all
readers, farther than to subjoin the result Of
the vote on the members of Legislature
to wit: 7
For ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1925
For STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS, 121 100
BY reason, however, of the fragrant ap.
portionment of the State into Legislative
Districts, by which a majority Of the mem
bers are always elected by minority OF
the people, Mr.. Douglas was, as is well
known, returned to the Senate.
In private life he is literally unirnpeach
able. Among all who know him his most
acceptable and at the same time appropriate
so6riquet, is that by (which he is most
widely known
I "HONEST OLD ABE.N