The herald., 1895-05-20

want of strength and abandoned the Neld
to his late law partner.

want of strength and abandoned the Neld
to his late law partner.
The convention which nominated Lin
coin met at Petersburg May |. 1916 Har
din, who, in violation Of what was then
regarded as precedent, had been seeking
tho nomination, had courteously with
drawn. Logan, ambitious to secure the
honor next time for himself, with appa
rent generosity presented Lincoln's namo
tn tho convention. and, thoro being no
other candidate, he was chosen unani
mously The reader need not DO told who
the Democrats placed in tho field against
him 1t was Peter Cartwright, tho famous
Methodist divine and circuit rider. An
energetic canvass of three months fol-
lowed, during which Lincoln kept his
forces well in hand He was active and
alert, speaking everywhere and abandon
ing his share Of business in tho law Office
entirely Cartwright had extensive family
connections all over tho district, was al.
most 25 years Older than Lincoln and il
every respect a dangerous antagonist An
other thing which operated much to Lin
coins disadvantage was tho report circu-
lated by Cartwright's friends with respect
to Lincoln's religious views, He was
charged with the grave offcnse of infldel-
ltN anu ScItllHtiliS WDlCD nO WIS TcDOrltu
to have expressed with reference to the in
spiration of the Bible were given the cam
paign varnish and passed from hand to
hand. His sighting allusion expressed in
the address ut the Presbyterian church be-
foro the Washington Temperance society
Feb 2, four years before, to tho insincnr-
ity of the Christian people was not forgot
ten. 1t, too, played its part, but all these
opposing circumstances wcro Of no avail
Our laborous efforts met with suitable
reward. Lincoln was elected by major
ity of 1,5l1 in the district, u larger vote
than Clay's two years before, which was
only 9l4.
On tho 5th Of December, tho day before
the house organized, Lincoln wrote me
letter about our fee In d lawsuit and re-
ported the result of tho Whig caucus the
night before On tho 13th he wrote
again, Dear WiIliam-Your letter, ad-
vising me of tho receipt of our Zee in the
bank case is just received, and don't ex
pcot to hear another as good piece OF
news from Springfield while l am away"
He then directed mo from the proceeds of
this fee to pay debt at tho bank, and out
of tho balance left to settle sundry dry
goods and grocery bills. Tho modest tono
of the last paragraph is its most striking
feature. "As you are all so anxious for
mo to distinguish myself" ho said, II
have concluded to do SO before long"
Jan. he writes: AS to spcechmaking, by
way of getting the hang Of the house,
mado little speech two or throc days age
on postoffice question Of no general in
tcrcst. II find speaking here and elsewhere
about the same thing l was about as
badly scared and no worse, as am when
l speak in court. I expect to make one
within a week or two in which I hope to
succeed well enough to wish you to see
it,. Meanwhile, in recognition of the as
suranccs l had sent him from friends who
desired to approve his course by ro-oloo-
tion, he says: 1T is very pleasant to me TO
learn from you that there are some who
desire that I should bo reelected. I most
heartily thank them for the kind partial
ity, and l can say, as Mr.. Clay said of tho
annexation of Texas, that personally,
would not object to reelection, al
though l thought at the time, and still
think, 1t would be quite as we'll for me to
return to the law at the end of a single
term. l made tho declaration that would
not be q candidate again, more from n
wish to deal fairly with others, to keep
peace among our friends and to keep tho
district from going to the enemy, than for
any cause personal to myself, SO that II it
| should happen that nobody else wishes to
be elected l could not refuse the people
the right of sending me again. But to en-
| ter myself as competitor of others, or to
authorize any one SO to enter me- is what
my word and honor forbid"