The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-06-28
SKETCHES OF LINCOLN.
Parting With His Old Associates
In SIP; ingheld.
RISE TO NATIONAL PROMINENCE

RISE TO NATIONAL PROMINENCE
How He Prepared His Inaugural Address
The Firm of Lincoln s. Herndon-Mis
erably Uncomfortable In Strange Habil
iments-DougIas Holds His Hat.
From "The Life of Lincoln" by William II
Herndon and Jesse W. Weik. Copyright 1885
by Jesse W. Weik Copyright, 1892, by D. Ap
pleton & Co..
Before departing for Washington a.
president Mr.. Lincoln went to Chicago
for few days stay, and there by pre-
vious arrangement met his old friend,
Joshua F. Speed Both were accompa
MED by their wives, and while the lat
ter were out shopping the two husband.
repaired to Speeds room at the hotel
"For an hour or more, Z" relates Speed
eve lived over again the scenes of Other
days. Finally Lincoln threw himself Oh
the bed, and fixing his eyes on spot in
the ceiling asked me this question
Speed, what is your pecuniary condi-
tion-are you rich or poor?' answered,
addressing him by his new title: Mr..
President, think can anticipate what
you are going to say. I'll speak candid.
ly to you on the subject. My pecuniary
condition is satisfactory to me now.
You would perhaps call it good l dc
not think you have within your gift any
Office could afford to take Mr.. Lin
coin then proposed to make Guthrie of
Kentucky secretary of war, but he did
not want to write to him-asked me to
feel Of him. l did as requested, but the
Kentucky statesman declined on the
ground of his advanced age and conse-
quent physical inability to fill the posi-
ton. He gave substantial assurance of
his loyal sentiments, however, and in
sisted that the Union should be pre-
served at all hazards. "
Writing His inaugural.
Late in January Mr.. Lincoln inform
ed me that he was ready to begin the
preparation Of his inaugural address.
He had, aside from his lawbooks and
the few gilded volumes that ornamented
the center table in his parlor at home,
comparatively no library. He never
seemed to care to own or collect books
On the other hand, had very respect
able collection and was adding to it
every day. To my library Lincoln very
frequently had access. When, therefore,
he began on his inaugural speech, he
told me what works he intended to con-
suit. l looked for long list, but when
he went over it was greatly surprised
He asked me to furnish him with Henry
Clay's great speech delivered in 1850,
Andrew jackson S proclamation against
notification and copy of the constitu-
ton. He afterward called for Webster's
reply to Hayne, speech which he read
when he lived at New Salem, and which
he always regarded as the grandest
specimen of American oratory With
these few volumes and no further
sources of reference he locked himself
up in room up stairs over a store
across the street from the statehouse,
and there, cut off from all communica-
ton and intrusion, he prepared the ad-
dress
After Mr. Lincoln's rise to national
prominence, and especially since his
death, have often been asked if I did
not write this or that paper for him, if
I did not prepare or help prepare some
of his speeches. l know that other and
ADLER friends of Lincoln have been asked
the same question. To people who made
such inquiries l always responded: "You
don't understand Mr.. Lincoln. No man
ever asked less aid than he. His conf
dence in his own ability to meet the re-
quirements of every hour was so marked
that his friends never thought of ten
dering their aid, and therefore no one
could share his responsibilities. I never
wrote line for him. He never asked
me to. l was never conscious of having
exerted any influence over him. He Of
ten called out my views on some philo-
sophical question, simply because was
a fond student of philosophy and con-
ceding that I had given the subject
more attention than he He often asked |
as to the use of a word or the turn of
sentence, but if volunteered to recon-
mend or even suggest change of Ian
guage which involved change of senti-
ment l found him the most inf1exible
man have ever seen. :"
The Old Signboard.
Early in February the last item of
for the journey to Washing
ton had been made. Mr.. Lincoln had
of his household goods and fur
niture to neighbor, had rented his
house, and as these constituted all the
property he owned in Illinois there was
no further occasion for concern on that
score. In the afternoon of his last day
in Springfield he came down to our Of
Zee to examine some papers and confer
with me about certain legal matters in
which he still felt some interest. On
several previous occasions he had told
me he was coming over to the office "to
have long talk with me-" as he ex-
pressed it. We ran over the books and
for the completion of all un-
settled and unfinished matters. In some
,ases he had certain requests to make,
pertain lines of procedure he wished
ne to observe.
After these things were all disposed
If he crossed to the opposite side of the
'oom and threw himself down on the
I'D Office sofa. which. after MANY wears