Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-05-26


INTO the contest that followed, and fought
the battle Of freedom on the ground Of his |
former conflicts in Illinois with more than |
his accustomed energy aud zeal. Those !
who recollect the tremendous battle fought
in Illinois that year, will award to Abra-
ham Lincoln fully three-fourths Of the abili.
ty and uuwearying labor which resulted IN
the mighty victory which gave Illinois her
first Republican Legislature aud paced
Lyman Trmubull in the Senate Of the U.
States. The first aud grea test debate of
that year came on between Lincoln aud
Douglas at Springfield, during the progress
of the State Fair, in October.
During this exciting campaign Mr.. Lir-
coin pressing the slavery issue upon the
pcoplc of Central and Southern Illinois,
who were largely made mp of the emigra.
ton from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia
and North Carolina with all the powers of
his mind lie felt the force of the moral
causes that must influence the question,
and he never failed to appeal to the moral
sentiment Of the people in aid of the argu-
ment drawn from political sources, and to
illuminate bis theme with the lofty inspira-
tion Of an eloqueuce pleading for the rights
of humanity. A revolution swept the
State. For the first time q majority of
the Legislature of Illinois was opposed to
the Democratic administration of the Fed
eral Government. A United States Sena-
tor was TO be elected in the place of Cen
eral Shields who had yielded to the iuau-
euce Of his less Scrupulous colleague, and,
against his own better Judgment, had vo-
ted for the Kansas Nebraska act. The
eleeJiOu came on, aud number of ballots
we taken, the almost united opposition
voting steadily for Lincoln but the anti
Nebraska democrats for Trumbull. Mr..
Lincoln became opprehensive that those
men who had been elected as Democrats,
though opposed to Judge Douglas, would
turn upon some third candidate, Of less de-
cded convictions that Judge Trumbull, and
possibly elect Senator who had little or
nothing in common with the then inchoate
Republican party. To prevent such con-
summation, lie went.personally to his friends,
and by strong persuasion, induced them to
vote for Trumbull. He thus secured, by
an act of generous self sacrifice, triamph
for the cause of right, and an advocate of
it on the floor of the Senate, not inferior,
in earnest zeal for the principles of Repub-
lieanism, to any member Of that body.
Some of his friends on the floor of the
Legislature wept when constrained by Mr.
Lincoln's personal appeals to desert him and
unite on Trumbull. tits proper to sayin this
connection, that between Trumbull and Lin
coin the most cordial relations have always
existed, and that the feeling of envy or ri
valry is not to be found in either.
From his thorough conviction Of the
growing magnitude of the slave question
and of the need Of strong effort to preserve
the territories to freedom, Mr.. Lincoln was
among the first to join in the formation OF
the Republican party, although the public
opinion around him was strongly adversed to
thai movement lie exerted himself for the
organization of the Republican Convention
held in the State. This was in Blooming
ton in May, 1856. His speech in that Con
vention was of surprising power and elo'
quence aud 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 magazine Of
mischief as Douglas has been appropriate
ly 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 members Of the legislature, to wit
For ABRAHAM LINCOLN. .l25,275.
For STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS. l2l, 100.
BY reason, however, of the fragrant op
portionment of ,the State in 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 unimpeachable
Among all who know him his most accept
able and at the same time appropriate sou
6riquet is that by which he is most widely
known: HONEST OLD ABE"