The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-06-16

The Republican papers having so ire
quently made the statement that Lincoln
beat Douglas on the popular vote in this
State in 1853, and the statement having
been so often denied by the Democratic
papers, the Chicago Press T. Tribune feels
called upon to give the figures, and in that
paper Of Monday we have table, showing
the vote in all the representative districts
in the State in 1853, and figuring out Lin
coin some 1000 ahead And this is the
way in which it is done.
In the first five representative districts,
all lying in the 9th congressional district,
the Douglas vote is given at 9,I26. As
there were no Republican candidates in
any of these districts for the legislature,
the vote given for the Republican State
ticket is placed opposite to that for Doug
las and credited to Lncoln-jT1 votes,
leaving the Douglas majority in these dis
tricts 9,l47, and making the total votes of
these districts in 1858, l0,3O3
Now, in the first place, as there are
good many know nothings in these repre-
sentative districts, and as three of the can
didates on the Republican State ticket
were know nothings, is 1t fair to give Lin
coin these 81 votes, especially as Fremont
in 1856 had less than 100 votes in the
same districts?
In the second place, the statement is
again unfair, for this reason. In lS5f
: these districts polled 1889 votes; in 1855
they polled but 1878. Now as Their,
were but 5T opposition votes in the dis
4 trict in 1853, and as the Douglas candi
: dates for the legislature had no opposition
/ would it not have been fair to add at leas
' 5000 of the voters that staid at home t.
= the Douglas vote? This already woul'
>. wipe cut the Lincoln ma ioritv.
! Take the next five representative di:
o tricts, coming northward. In these oppc
@ sition candidates for the legislature wer
n rut upon the track, and they got AS
it votes, all which the Press d. Tribune give
q to Lincoln. Is this fair? In these di.
T. tricts Fremont had but about 800 vote
E. in 1856, while Fillmore had over 1000
= The candidates who run against the Dou:
n las men for the legislature in 1858 in thes
. districts were with but one exception, W
r believe. know nothings, and would nc
d have voted for Lincoln had they bee
elected. Again, these districts in lS5
v polled but 1885 votes. while in 1856 the
n pollcd 1928 votes. As the Douglas car
=. didates had no serious opposition in an
: | Of them, would it not again be fair to CIV
Douglas credit for about 1000 votes tina
ie staid at home?
And SO we could come northward nearl
n to Springfield; and we could show that tn
lie Democratic vote Except in Madison, 81
De Clair, Macoupin, and one or two othe
il counties where there was hot contest
Dr. had fallen off compared with 1856, 20
= 900 south of Springfield for want of oppc
N. sitiOn to bring it out, while in the middl
m and northern counties, where the contes
n. was hot and excited, the Democratic yot
NJ is increased 10000
~ But we have said enough to show tina
the figures of the Press d Tribune are d.
ceptive and delusive, and SO far from show
le ing that there was real, bona fdc populs
"a expression Of 1000 in favor of Lincoln
lie against Douglas in 1853. the real popul,
- voice was largely the other way-at lea
twelve or fifteen thousand rotes.