The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-07-25
THE CONVENTION OF 1860.

Was leld al decatur 10 appoint dele-
gates to Chicago. Mr.. Lincoln was
there ; and at that Convention was in
augurated by Governor Oglesby the
rail movement. He had formerly lived
in that county, and had worked on a
farm with Mr.. John Hanks, who was
still living, and it occurred to the Gov
ernor, in conversation with Mr.. Hanks,
that if they could get some Of the rails
that Lincoln and Hanks split it would
be a good thing for the campaign and
SO on the day of the Convention Og-
lesby arranged that just at the close of
the business Of the Convention Mr..
Hanks should march in with one of
these rails on his shoulder, which he
did and as Mr.. Lincoln rose to speak
his attention was called to the rail. He
said: "Fellow- citizens, it is true that
many, many years ago John Hanks
and made rails down on the San
CANNON. We made good, big, honest
rails, but whether that is one of the
rails am not, at this distant period Of
time, able to say" That naugurated
the rail movement. He closed his
reference to the rails with eulogy on
free labor embracing the finest thought
of his theory upon that subject.
AT that Convention the question was
asked him whether he would attend the
Chicago Convention, and he replied /:
81 am little too much of candidate
to 60, and not quite enough of can
didate to stay away; but upon the
whole believe l will not CO."
Mr.. Lincoln took no public part in
the campaign of 1860. He attended
one political meeting, but declined to
speak. On the day appointed by law
the Republican electors met at SPRING
field, and were entertained at dinner
by Mr.. ]. c. Conkling the elector for
that district. Mr.. Lincoln was there
as one of the guests, and talked freely,
but sadly, as to the condition of things
incident to his election. Governor
Yates, who had been elected governor,
was of the party, and expressed to him
the necessity of being firm and deter
mined. He replied that he hoped he
would be adequate to the response
bility of the situation, and that in his
hands, as president, the Republic of
Washington would not perish. How
much work he did at Springfield in the
preparation Of his inaugural was not
known by his most intimate friends.
LINCoLN's QUEER sELF-RELIANCE.
He may have consulted some of the
members of his Cabinet, who visited
him before he left for Washington, but
beyond them he kept his own counsel.
That fact illustrates one of the distin-
gushing features of his character. As
to the ordinary affairs of life he was in
different, he listened to anybody, but
when the highest and most important
functions of duty were called into re-
QUESTION he was one of the most self
reliant men of history. As president
of the United States he was Indifferent
as to who was minister to the Court of
St. James or postmaster at New York !;
councils and cabinets might decide
such questions, but when the question
arose whether liberty was to be given
to all, IN the solitude of his unmeas-
ured genius the problem was solved.
He was advised long before 1860 by
some of his more intimate friends that
his positions on the subject of slavery
and human rights would be prejudicial
to his party and to himself personally.
He paid no attention to such admoni-
tons. The question with him was
whether the thing was right and not
what his friends may have thought
about the expediency of it.
In almost all the situations of life,
public or private, Mr.. Lincoln had
some anecdote to illustrate the situa-
ton. During the war there was a con-
test between the military and civil au-
thorities as to the policy OF bringing
out cotton from a certain insurrectlon-
airy district. The civil authorities hav-
ing granted permission to do SO, were
in favor of bringing it out, and the
military authorities in carrying out
their belligerent operations were op-
posed to it. In that condition of
things l was requested by some gen.
tlemen in Washington that l find out
from him what would be the probable
result of the contest then existing be-
tween the civil and military authorities
as to the policy of bringing cotton out
of the seeded states. The permits
that were issued by the Treasury De-
partment were nullifed by the military
authorities, and the matter was brought
before the President as to what should
be done. After having talked for a
considerable time with him about other
matters, l referred to the subject, and
said that number of gentlemen who
were then in the city had requested me
to ask him what would probably be the
result of the contest.
A STORY.
AS soon as made the inquiry pleas.
ant smile came over his face, the memory
of other days was with him, and he said
'By the way, what has become of oul
friend Robert Lewis?" Mr.. Lewis had
for number of years been clerk of the
Circuit Court of De Witt county, and