The herald., 1895-05-20

state. Judge Logan was worry orderly
but somewhat technical lawyer.
In 1e43 Logan and Lincoln both had
their eyes set on tho race for congress
Logan's claim to tho honor lay in his age
and the service he had rendered the Wing
party, while Lincoln, ovcrdowing with
ambition, lay great stress on his legsla-
tive achievements and demanded it be-
cause he had been defeated in the nomi-
mating conventions by both Hardin and
Baker in the order named. That two such
aspiring politicians, each striving to OBJ
| tain the same prize, should not dwell har.
moniously together in tho same Office is
not strange. Indeed wo may reasonably
! credit the story that they considered them
/ selves rivals and that numerous acrimo-
nous passages took place between them. 1
was not surprised, therefore, ono morning
to see Mr.. Lincoln come rushing up into
my quarters and with more or less agita-
ton tell mo he had determined to sever the
partnership with Logan. l confess was
surprised when he invited me to become
his partner. | was young in the practice
! and was painfully aware of my want OF
ability and experience, but when he re-
| marked in his earnest, honest way, BILLY,
| I can trust you, If you can trust NO.
! felt relieved and accepted tho generous
| proposal. In after years, when he became
| moro prominent and our practice grew to
! respectable proportions, other ambitious
practitioners undertook to suppiant me in
the partnership. Ono of tho latter, moro
Jealous than wise, charged thai 1 was in
certain way weakening the influence OF
the firm. ! am ilnttercd to know that Lin
coin turned on this last named individual
with the retort Il know my own bust
ness, l reckon. I know Billy Horndon
better than anybody, and even If what you
say of him is truc l intend to stick by
him."
Dangerous Rival.
Lincoln's effort to obtain the congress
sonal nomination in 1913 brought out
several unique and amusing incidents Ho
and Edward ID. Baker were the two aspir-
ants from Sanganon county, but Bakers
long residence extensive acquaintance
and general popularity were obstacles Lin
coin could not overcome. Accordingly, at
the last moment, Lincoln reluctantly
withdrew from tho field. In a letter to
his friend Speed, dated March "a, 1S43, he
describes the situation as follows: ''We
hnd II meeting of the Wings of the county
hero on last Monday, to appoint delegates
to Il district convention, and Baker beat
me and got the delegation instructed to
go for him. The meeting, in spite of my
attempt to decline it, appointed mo one of
the delegates, so that in getting Baker the
nomination / shall be fixed Il good deal
like fellow who is made groomsman to
man that has cut him out and is marry
ing his own dear gal' Only a few days
before this he had written a friend anent
tho congressional natter ''Now, if you
should hear any one say that Lincoln don't
want to go to congress, l wish you, as
personal friend of mine, would tell him
you havo reason to believe he is mistaken.
The truth Is / would like to go very much.
Still, circumstances may happen which
may prevent my being a candidate. If
there are any who be my friends in such
an enterprise, what l now want is that
they shall not throw me away just yet"
To another friend in the adjoining county
of Menard few days after the meeting of
the Wings in Sangamon, he explains how
Baker defeated him.
Accused of Being an Aristocrat.
The entire absence of any feeling of
bitterness, or what the politicians call re-
venge, is the most striking feature of tho
letter. 1t is truly gratifying, he says,
Ito me to learn that while the people of
Sangamon have cast me off my old friends
OIL Menaru, WHO nave knOWn llic lOHSoSb
and best, stick to me. 1t would astonsh
If not amuse the older citizens to learn
that l, strange, friendless, uneducated,
pennless boy, working on flatboat at
SO per month"; have been put down here
as the candidate of pride, wealth and ars-
tocratic family distinction Yet So chiefly,
it was. There was, too, the strangest COM
bination of church influence against me.
Baker is Campbellite, and therefore, as
l suppose, with few exceptions, got all
that church My wife has some relations
in the Presbyterian churches and some
with the Episcopalian churches and there
fore wherever it would tell, l was set
down as either the one or the other, while
it was everywhere contcnded that no
Christian ought to go for me- because
belonged to no church, was suspected of
being Deist and had talked about fight
ing duel. With all these things Baker,
of course, had nothing to do, nor do
complain of them. AS to his own church
going for him, I think that was right
enough, and as to the influences l have
spoken of in the other, though they were
very strong, it would be grossly untrue
and unjust to charge that they acted upon
them in a body or were very near So
only mean that those influences levied a
tax Of considerable per cent and through
out the religious controversy" To prop
osition offering to instruct the Menard
delegation for him, he replies: You say
you shall instruct your delegates for mo
unless l object l certainly shall not OBJ
ject. That would be too pleasant a COM
pliment for me to tread in the dust. And
besides, if anything should happen (Which,
however, is not probablc) by which Baker
should be thrown out Of the fight, would
be at liberty to accept the nomination If
could get it. I do, however, feel myself
bound not to hinder him in any way from
getting the nomination. l should despise
myself were l to attempt it..
Bakers friends had used as an argu-
ment against Lincoln that he belonged to
proud and aristocratic family, referring
doubtless to some of the distinguished re-
latives who were connected with him by
marriage. The story reaching Lincoln's
ears, he laughed heartily over it one day
in Springfield store and remarked
''That sounds strange to me- for do not
remember of but ono who over came to
see me- and while he was in town he was
accused of stealing jewsharp."
In the convention which was held short
ly after at the town Of Pekin neither Ba-
ker nor Lincoln obtained the coveted hon.
or but John j. Hardin of Morgan, des-
b.. l., Re- .f, l.. -.