New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-04-18
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES
ABRAHAM LIN COLIN.
y1ss IryASor sHHTTs oF THE FIELD, THE prfsEoN AN
IuE ESCAPE" BY ALBERT D EicnAHbsoS'
OF

During the gyeat canvass Tor the Ohi'ou S'"'0 j
Senate between Mr.. Lincoln ard Mr. Douglas '"V.
Hsht Of Congress TO exclude Slavery from the 'or','
rics was the chief point in dispute Kansas "o' '''.
srly region 20 which it had any practical elPhc'H'
and we. Who were residing there, iesd 'Ae oo'"'''
Vifh peculiar interest
No ,ncb war Of ipterecs. on the rostrum, was ever
witnessed In America Entirely without general eui-l
srr. wore ignorant of books than any other Iubie:
his DAY, Douglss was ohristered tie LITTLE Giant
~ the uuerring popular instinct He who without 'ne
,.arn;rc Of the schools and without preparation cow"
.yco With Webs.er. Seward, and Sumner surely "e',
1901 ,ho. snnc1otion He despised stndy. hl.Ins
sfter one of Mr. Summers most scholarly ana 49,
speeches he snd Mr. PIesider, mi ~. Nassa
shn.es senator has been Iehearsing 1t every nEn' Io
month. before looking glass with negro houi"s
candle" , ,,.. NAN q, ,,o n!
osope and the people loved him. Lincoln, TOO; was,
Ststipctvey of tie masses bat he represented ,'iI
sober second thought tAeis hgntE tpo.. avernoe
mpulscs both good and bad. Better than an! one
ese ne knew the residents of the Northwest aown to
e,sr n,inutest svmpathies AID pTClpdices Upon the
stnmn Lis aency bis hard common sense ana A's Won
Aerfn voice which could thunder Ike the catarsct or
WHISPER with the breeze enaped nin 'os""' '"eA'
Hitherto inviucible at hcme he now found foeman
worthy OF lis steel. All over the country people Oet"h
10 ask about this " Honest Abe Lincoln" whose lhtA
AsnStip anecdotes were so drOll Yet exactly 10 me
point whose logic so irresistible; whose modesty
harness and personal integrity won golden oli9lohs
ffom his political enemies; who, without trimming:
s1oyed liz support Of the manyheaded Opposition IN
ILLINOIS, from the Abolition Owen LoVeJoys OF ue
Sorthorn counties down 10 inc ,,a O ~
Che divinity of Slavery.
Those who did not witness II viii never comprehend
fke universal ard intense horror OF everything 0oAns
twaid negro equality" which then prevailed IN
southern IlaOis. Republican pohaelans fhoeuLnoeu
10 It, In ther Journals and pi'i"rinS tIey solue'ys
said distinctly: We care nothing for the negro. We
advocate lis exclusion from our State. We oppose
Slavery the Territories only because II is curse u
level IN lis poin moderate, coucinatory way ne
vonld urge upon his simple auditors that tins mat ~
had Right and WroDg-ihat the great Declaration
Of Their fthoIs meant something. Apd-slWh!s ~
strong po tie would put tbs clearly to The com.
ZION apprehension, and so touch tie peoples moral
snse lat his opponents found tncir Oh cries OF Aoo
ttouist" and "Aesro-worSliP3I' hollow and power
His de.eat, By very slight majority, proved victory
IN Disguise The debates gave him National reputation
Reruflioa1 Executive Committees in Ctter States is
sued vehstn reports Of the speeches Of both ponEas
and Lincoln bound up together in the order OF ,her
delivery They printed them inst as they 5000,
without 81 WCri VI comment, as the most convincing
plea for their cause. Rarely, II ever has any man re
peived 80 high compliment as was thus PAID 10 NJ
In kansas his stories began to stick like chestnut
huIs in the popular cato I9ss nom mouth r 70 mJu.a
ciars, and other politicians who swarm in tie new
country began to quote from his arguments in then
Late in Tie Autumn Of 1859 he visited the TerritOry
fur the first ard last time. With the Hon. Marcus
Parrott then Delegate in Congress, and the Hon. A.
Carter Wilder present Representative went to Troy
In Doniphan County TO hear him. In the imaginative
language Of the frontier Troy town possibly
c,ty But save a shabby frame courthouse, tav N
and few shantles its urban gores were visible 81 y
% the eye OF faith 1t intensely cold The ep
Ing prairie wind rocked the crazy buildings and
faces OF travellers Ike knife. MI: Nuder froze III
ksnd during our ride and Mr. Lincolns party GTr' q
h.Gfo hos
Not more than forty people assembled in that life
hsre-waled courthouse there was none OF ~
magnetism Of nlulvieto inspire the long, angular
pngainly orator, WHO rose up behind rolgh tab.e
With lite eCs.ouniiop, and that little ung ac,ul. h
began, not to deelau. but 10 talk In a coAsersa
fional tone he argued the question Of slavery ~ tb'
Territories in the language OF an average Ohio o.
New-YOIk farmer. thought, IF the IigciscIs COZ
sder this great man. their ideas mGst be very pccu
har."
Bat IN ten O. fifteen minutes Was unconsoousy and
resstiby drawn By the clearncs. and closeness Of biz
argument. Link after link il forged ana welded
Nike blacksmihs chain. Ho cade few assertions, but
merely asked questions; as not tks trrel If you
tdmit that feet is not this iIducts4H olIectr Give
BIN bis pI misses, and els conclusions 0tre inevitable as
death.
His farness snd csndor were very noticeable. lie
Yidcued nothing, buresQued nothing. msreprosented
nothing 50 far from distoring the views held by Mr..
Douglas and his sdterents he stated them With more
strength probably than any one Of their advocates
could have done. Then very mOdesty and court eonsy
he inquired into their soundles. He too kind for
bitterness and too great for yituperatiOn.
anecdotes.
tive lie delineated the tortuous wndings Of the De
uocracy upon the Slavery question from Thomas JEFF.
ferson down to Franklin Pierce. Whenever he heard
man av0w his determination to adhere unsweTgngly To
Che principles of tie Democratic party II reminded
him he said of little incident" in Illinois. A lad,
blowing upon the prairie, asked his father in what d.
KectOn he should strike new f1rrOw. The parent =.
piled, Steer for that yoke OF oxen, standing al q
tuIher end Of The field" The father went away, AID
che lad obeyed But just be stated the started
also. Ill Kept steering for them; aud they continued
tOwalk. He follow ed them entirely around the fed,
and back to the starting point, having iuIIoved
eirclc instead Of a line
The address lasted for an hour and threequarters.
Eeither rhetorical graceful eloquent it still
very fascinating. The people Of the frontier believe
profoundly in fair play and in hearing both sides. SO
they new called for aged ex KentUckian. who was
the heaviest STAKEHOLDER in the Territory Responding
he thus piefacea biz remarks: az have heard during
my life. all the eblest public speskersall the eminent
statesmen OF the past and the present generation And
while dissent utterly from thedoctrines Of this I'D.
dress and shall endcevOr TO refuc Of them cando
eompes cay that II is the most able and the most
logical speech ever listened TO-"
On the day Of Mr. Iincoln's first inauguration was
travelling IN n crowded railway cor il Mississippi ana
Louisiana While the train stopping and CONVEX.
sation could be heard through the carriage one
s.lnded to the event other passenger replied 81
hope 10 God io viii be killed before 10 has time 10 take
she oath" third said al have wagered hat
ttat neither he Hamiin will live 10 be inaugu.
rated" Nearly al present belonged to tie educcted
wealthy slsyehoGing class-tbe class which origina-
ted and conducted the expressed approval
Of these remarks; not uttered word Of dissent.
Iwas in the Cotton States forweeks after this and the
subject was frequently alluded TO in my presence.
heard but condemn the proposed ASSASSINATION,
and he was UnOnist Again and gain leading iOIr.
mails which called reputable asked: "Is there
Brutus 10 rid the world Of this tyranti' Rev ards
were openly proposed for the Presidents head. If Mr..
Lincoln had then been murdered IN Baltimore, every
thorough Secession journal In the South would have
expressed Its approval directly indirectly. OF