The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-09-06
speaker we have heard s,nce Long jim
Wilson left for California. /"


the day, but Lincoln had demonstrated to
the satisfaction of his friends that he was
tall enough and strong enough to measure
| swords with the Auburn statesman His
triumph in New York and New England
had shown that the idea of house divided
against itself induced as strong co-opera-
ton and hearty support in prevention of
| great wrong in the east as the famous ''ir
| repressible conflict attracted warriors to
Stewards standard in the Mississippi val
ley. 1t was apparent now to Lincoln that
| the presidential nomination was within
| his reach. He began gradually to lose his
| interest in the law and to trim his politi-
! cal sails at the same time. His recent
success had stimulated his self confidence
to unwonted proportions. He wrS1e 10 in
| fuential party workers everyv ~ l
know the idea prevails that Lincoln sat
still in his chair in Springfield and that
one of those unlocked for tides in human
affairs came along and cast the nomina-
ton into his lap, but any man who has
had experience in such things knows that
great political prizes are not obtained in
that way. The truth u.s. Lincoln was as
vigilant as he was ambitious, and there is
no denying the fact that he understood
the situation perfectly from the start. In
was obliged to rely almost entirely on his
own resources. He had no money with
which to maintain political bureau, and
he lacked any kind of personal organiza-
ton whatever A letter written by Lin
coin about this time to friend in Kansas
serves to illustrate his methods and meas
ures the extent of his ambition. The let
ter is dated March 10 and is now in my
possession. For obvious reasons | with
hold the friend s name: AS to your kind
wishes for myself, writes Lincoln, al
low me to say I cannot enter the ring on
the money basis first, because in the
main it is wrong, and, secondly, l have
not and cannot get the money. | say in
the main the use of money is wrong, but
for certain objects in a political contest
the use If some is both right and indis-
pensable. With a rs with yourself this
long struggle ha - a one of great pecu
mary loss. | to distinctly say this-if
you shall be appointed a delegate to Chi
eago will furnish 500 to bear the ex-
penses of the trip. -
Lincolns friend instead of securing
that delegation for him, suffered the Sew
ard men to outgeneraI him, and the pros
poets were by no means tattering. Il
see by the dispatches " writes Lincoln
in a burst of surprise, that, since you
wrote, Kansas has appointed delegates and
instructed for Seward Don t stir them up
to anger, but come along to the cODven- |
ton, and l will do as l said about ex- |
penses. Whether the friend ever accepted |
Lincoln's generous offer l do not know, |
but it may not be without interest to state
that within ten days after the latter's in
auguratiOn he appointed him to q federal |
office with comfortable salary attached |
and even asked for his preferences as to
other contemplated appointments in his
own state.
In the rapid, stirring scenes that crowd
upon each other from this time forward
the individuality of Lincoln is easily lost
sight of He was so thoroughly inter
woven in the issues before the people of
Illinois that he had become part of them.
Among his colleagues at the bar he was
no longer looked upon as the circuit court
lawyer of earlier days. To them it seemed
as If the nation were about to lay its
claim upon him. His tall form enlarged
until, TO use a figurative expression he
could no longer pass through the door of
our dingy office. Reference has already
been made to the envy of his rivals at the
bar and the Jealousy of his political con
Very few indeed were free from the de-
grading passion but it made no difference
in Lincoln's treatment of them He was
as generous and deferred to them as much
as ever. The first public movement by the
Illinois people in his interest was the &C
ton of the state convention, which met at
Decatur on the 9th and 10th of May 1t
was at this convention that Lincoln's
friend and cousin, John Hanks, brought
IN the two historic rails which both had
made in the Sangamon bottom in $780,
and which served the double purpose of
identifying the Illinois people and kin
ling the fire Of enthusiasm that was des-
lined TO sweep over the nation. In the
words of an ardent Lincoln delegate, |
These rails were to represent the issue in
he coming contest between labor free and
abor slave, between democracy and arts
ooracy Little did / think" continues {
ur jubilant and ELUSIVE friend, "of the !
mighty consequences of this little incident l
little did think that the tall and angu-
ar and bony rail splitter who stood in '
,irlish diffidence bowling with awkward t
race would fill the chair once filled by {
and that his name would i
cho in chants of praise along the corridor
f all coming time, -
Formal Notice of His Nomination.
The news of his nomination found Lin !
DIN at Springfield in the Office of The Y
ournal. Naturally enough he was nerv- a
US, restless and laboring under more or a
9ss suppressed excitement He had been n
0ssing ball, a pastime frequently in f
ulgod in by the lawyers of that day, and :
ad played a few games of billiards to Z
eep down, as another has expressed il, "
the unnatural excitement that threat &
ned to possess him. " When the telegram
the result of the last ballot
anne in, although apparently calm and
ndisturbed, a close observe, could have fl
elected in the compressed Ii . and serious N
evidences Of deep and unusu- Il
emotion ev
As the balloting progressed he had gone S
} the Office Of The journal and was sit al
ng in large armchair there when the "
aws of his nomination came What % n
ne Of scenes, stretching from the barren | o.
ade in Kentucky 90 the jubilant and en-
iusiastic throng in the Wigwam at Chi.
.go, must have broken in upon his vision |
be FASTENED from the newspaper Office q
tell a little woman down the street Oh
be- nowsi' In the evening his friends and Nj