St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-19
was a lanky, bony-iawed man

was lanky, bony-JaWed man
there making speech and Hopping a
pair Of long, loose-jointed arms around
like the wings of a windmill, by way of
gesticulation. 1t was one Abraham
Lincoln, and Palmer fell in often with
him afterwards, and they became, and
always remained. fast friends. In
the law courts about this time
they were often meeting, some
times on the same side and
sometimes fighting each other tooth
and nail. Some of Palmer's friend
thought him better man before a jury
than Lincoln. He had great powers of
concentration about him which won
mems hearts. The two great stumbling
blocks he had to contend with were
the suffering speech and bash
fullness that now and then nearly f1OOred
him. He would at any have time pre-
ferred walking up against battery of
artillery TO facing an array of ladies.
In his first public effort, when a mere
bOy-it was Fourth of July Grafton in
Chester6eld-he utterly flunked. There
was gay group of petticoats on the
platform, and that fact, with the alto
gether tremendous character of the oc-
casion, quite fioored him. he stumbled
along through few sentences, came to
uGdu HAT, lC1l lDGU q vi
stammering and sat down. All this.
became very effective pleader.
Ii was in those early days that he laid
the foundation of the remarkable degree
OF popularity in his state which he has
always enjoyed. From his boyhood
up he had always been generous,
manly fellow. He paid his debts. he
took 10 mean advantages, he scorned
liars and he had very bulldog cour-
age of his convictions. He had then,
has had ever since, and has to this day
a train of semi-pensioners at his heels.
He was a stanch friend and tough and
never-conquered foeman. These things
won him a popularity which was not
ephemeral. He holds it today with a
stronger grip than ever.
In 1916 came the war with Mexico, and
Palmer raised company and was for
having hand in the fight. The Illinois
quota, however, was already filled and
his services were declined.
The next year he was elected to the
constitutional convention, and that
event marked another epoch in his life.
From his participation in that fight
dated his departure from the Demo
cratic party and the development of
IllOSS N!CtlOIIS WIllCil uIduO OiiO
of the creators of the Republican party,
and for many years one of its staunchest
adherentS.
The terrible slavery struggle was now
fully on ana in the constitutional con-
vention came straight to the front in
Article XIV proposed by Benjamin
Bond. This article prohibited free
negroes from entering Illinois, and also
prohibited owners of slaves from
bringing them into the state
for the purpose of setting them
free. All of Palmer's natural and in
herited hatred of slavery was stirred to
the core. He thundered out speech in
opposition to the measure which went
straight home unimpeded by trace of
a stammer. The Dro-slavery men were
furious, and when he came up few
months later for reelection as pro-
bate judge of Macoupin county
they fairly showed him under
with an adverse majority. But
he was not a man to say buried.
The next spring his successful opponent
resigned the office and Palmer was
swept into it by the sheer force of his
personal popularity. In 1919 he was
made county judge under the new con-
stitutiun, and III 1851 he was sent to the
member and introduced his well-known
black law prohibiting negro immigration.
Palmer fought it bitterly, yet he con-
tinued still in full fellowship with the
Democrats and was selected to renomi-
nate Stephen A. Douglas for United
States senator. This was in 1858.
Events now followed each other with
startling rapidity. The repeal of the
Missouri compromise and the Kansan-
Nebraska act, passed congress. The
slavery question assumed 2 malignant
form which stirred mems strongest
passions. An extra session OF the legis-
lature was called. Douglass endeavored
to make support of the Kansas
Nebraska act test of Democratic
featy. He induced the convention
which Palmer represented to adopt
resolution to that effect. Palmer spurned
the test and ran as an independent can
didate, and was elected by 200 majority.
A United States senator in place OF
Shields was to be chosen. Palmer and the
an(i-Nebraska Democrats held the bal
ance of power. The Wings Lut up
Abraham Lincoln, and the Democrats
brought out Shields for denomination.
The amti-NebraSka Democrats voted
independently for time. but at last it
got about that enough of them had gone
over to the regular Democrats to elect
Shields In this dilemma Palmer sprung
the name of Lyman Trumbull, an Inde-
pendent Democrat. The Wings moved
to adjourn, Dut were voted down. The
regular Democrats withrew the name of
Shields and substituted that of Gov.
Mattison. Then Abraham Lincoln
made a move. Sure that the crisis had
come, he threw all his forty-eight votes
over 10 Trumbull, and Trumbull was
elected.
This hopelessly wldened the gulf be,
and personal friend Douglas. On the
burning questonzwhich divided brother
from brother aNddrenched the land with
blood the friendship of these two strong
men was wrecked.