The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-11-09
quarter section Of land from my father

and was putting it in crops. AS winter
scame on I grew restless. l told my faith
| er he could have his land again, and that
Twas going to Springfield to- study law.
II did not study in the Office Of Mr.. Lin
coin. A great deal of his work was on
! the circuit, and he spent; but little time In
This office. I had known him since Z was
a boy of IL, and he was. already my ideal
hero. When I went to Springfield !
asked him if l had not better study law
with him. but he advised me to go into the
office of q lawyer who would be station
airy. He gave me lots Of good points,
however, and / was closely associated
| with him from that time on
How did you like the law?'
81 liked it very well,' replied the SEN
ator, land would not object to practicing
now did not get to be a lawyer with
out considerable trouble. few months
after took up the study began to get
Isick again 1 had an attack Of typhoid
| fever, and hung for some time between
| life and death. The doctors told me that
| the only thing that could save me was to
buy pony and ride in the open air. J.
| then went back home and tried the pony
cure But it was no good. I had no
| object in my rides, and I could not gain
| strength.
.sThis was the situation when went to
Peoria one day. 1t was then, AS it is
now, quite hog market. I met one OF
| the capitalists, and he asked me it would
like to buy hogs for him. He offered to
| pay me 10 cents hog, the farmers to keep
| the hogs until they were wanted, and to
be paid the market prices prevailing at
| the time of delivery 1 accepted the
proposition and started out to buy. During
| the next few months ] bought thousands
Of hogs. J galloped from one farm to
another buying all the swine within sight
and l contracted for all the hogs in two
or three counties At the close Of my
season found that I had cleared $500,
and also that had entirely regained my
health. took the money and went back
to Springfield. I resumed my studies,
and was soon admitted to the bar
| How did you get into politics, sena-
tor?''
| EVERY lawyer in those days was. to a
certain extent. a politician" replied Sen
ator Cullom. "'The law is, as rule.
one of the stepping stones to politics. l
got into politics because / tried to use
! politics as stepping stone to the law. u
! was practicing in Springfield, and L
thought if became a member of the legis-
lature that this would give me acQuaint-
ances all over the state, and wodld help
nv law business. The result was that l
became candidate and was elected.
was reelected, then made speaker OF the
| house, and after that sent to congress.
Later on I was elected governor for SIX
years, and then sent to the United States
! senate. There you nave II All III AuI-
she'll"
'How about Lincoln, senator? Was
he really such great story teller as is
claimed?"
Eyes was the reply sBut he did not
tell stories for the sake of telling stories.
! His stories came out in the shape OF IL
| Illustrations Of his thought or to enforce
| his arguments. He liked to talk, and
during his life at Springfield there was
drug store. which still stands there, to
which Lincoln used to come nearly every
night to talk. There was a crowd who
came there to listen TO him, and many an
argument was sprung merely for the
sake Of getting Lincoln to talking. Fle
would brighten up as he began to talk,
and 7 used to sometimes think that he
told stories to get away from his
thoughts and himself. When he was
alone he. would often drop into habits or
! deep meditation, would seem to be
gloomy, and it was almost impossible at
such times to arouse him.. ~.
Gle may have been moody at times
continued Senator Cullom, but his mead
was extraordinarily clear. used to think
when saw him sitting apparently brood
| ing over something, that he was possibly
turning over the great questions concern
| ing the matters which he had to settle
in after life, and that the responsibilities
which he was to have were already be-
fore him.. He was q philosopher, and
his great mind and soul we're different
from those ct common men" .}
WAS Abraham Lincoln a religious
man."
I'm one sense he was, and In another
not" replied Senator Cullom. AS to a
belief in a future state and q God, 4
think he was He had a religious side
to his nature. and have seen evidences
| that he had made a deep study Of the
Bible. AS to being a doctrinal Christian
"a believer in certain creeds and
churches-l1e was not. AS to his study
Of such matters. remember an incident.
| The Uniyersalist and Campbellite
preachers of Springfield were holding q
Joint debate upon certain doctrines. Well,
one night, when they were discussing
whether there was a hell, Abraham Lin
coin attended. He and sat together,
and when the two preach rsshad finished
| their discussion we walked Out, ~ Te-
member Lincoln was disguised with the
discussion. y He swung himself out Of
his seat as they stated the debate was
closed and said to me: They have
scarcely touched ths question. He had
evidently been thinking upon the subject
and had it all figured out in his mind"
what were the elements of his
strength" .s, u
Abraham Lincoln, . replied Senator
Cullom, chad a great sympathy with the
! people. He was a man of the people.
! He could feet for them and with them.
He had great common sense and great
ability"
| tWas he shrewd politician?n
| eyes; he was good judge of:men;and
knew how to move them. ~ 43
/ . "Was he ambitious?' 81; Ii ..s
eyes; very much So was the reply.
! ..But he was so wrapped UP in the great
4 questions with which he had to deal that
! it is hard to tell where his ambitious
ended and his convictions began. He
4 was faT-seeing. q remember the. aeanaa
Iraign with Douglass. r. was i'm 1t With
4 Lincoln, and when the returns came in,
4 though Lincoln had the popular vote, q
i LEGISLATURE had been chosen which would
lelect Douglass. Il met Lincoln coming
| home just after the news had been re-
iceiyed. said:
i e wen, MI. Lineo we are beaten. Ri
tYaa IA if RENTED q we are beaten ass i