Evening star., 1897-05-08

| 4. which he made ma
tional reputation as
| an anti-slavery leader. At this time Lin
| coins great ambition was to be the next
| United States senator from Illinois. He had
| the right to think that he would be chosen
| for it was through his speeches that an
| anti-slavery legislature had been elected.
| The campaign had been made Up of de-
| bates between Lincoln and Douglas and
| Lincoln had routed Douglas al every point.
In mis- joint debate at Chicago Lincoln
made one of his great speeches. Douglas
replied ana SAID he would conclude his ad-
| dress in the evening. When evening came
| he failed to appear. The next debate was
| at Peoria, where Lincoln made the speech
| which he refers 10 i'll of the letters
| which L quote below. This speech showed
| douglas that lie could not compete with
Lincoln. After the meeting was over he
came 10 him anu asked him to give up the
Joint deoaies, ana proposed thai heather he
nor Lincoln SHOULD speak more during ln,.
campaign. This Lincoln agreed to- and
both retired from the stump. The result
| OF Lincoins speeches. however, was such
ana the feeling against the Nebraska b.ll
Tor the admitting OF slavery lnto the ter
ritories Was such that anti-slavery
legislature was elected. OF the majority
however, Lve were democrats ana the
ma'nder wings. The pro-slavery democrats
were SchemlnS TO see if they could not tie
the vote or i'll some way complcate mat
| lers so as to re-elect General Shields the
democratic senator, whose term had lust
ended, and who was a candidate to succeed
himself. 1t in regard to this
election that the following letters were
written They were addressed to General
HENDERSON, who has for years been one
OF the leading members of Congress from
Illinois, and who forty years ago was a
member of the Illinois legislature. The
first letter reads:
N
II j. Henderson, ESQ
MY Dear Sir
1T has come round that whig may. by
possibility, be elected to the L. s Senate.
and L want the chance of being the man
You are member of the Legislature and
nave vote to give-Think il over and see
whether You can do better than to go for
Write me, at all events: and let this he
confidential
yours truly,
"A. LINCOLN"
! To this letter Mr.. Henderson replied that
ne would like to vote for Lincoln, but that
he was in doubt whether he ought to throw
his strength to him or to another candi-
date: .: named Williams. both Lincoln and
Williams being friends of his father and
himself.
Mr.. LincoIn's Reply,
In reply Mr.. Lincoln wrote the letter
which here give. The ink with which 1t
was renned is almost as black today as
when Lincoln wrote 1T:
SPRINGFIELD. December Is, 1854.
Hon. T. ]. Henderson,:
Dear Sir: Yours of the 1lth was received
last night and for which 1 thank you-Of
course I prefer myself to all others: vet
1t Is neither in my heart nor my conscience
to say L am any better man than Mr. VIII
liams-We shall have a terrible struggle
with our adversaries-They are desperate
ana bent on desperate deeds-I accidentally
learned of one Of the leaders here writing
to 4 member south of here in about the
following language:
I've are beaten-They have clear ma
jerlty of at least nine on joint ballot-they
outnumber us-but We must outmanage
them-Douelas must be sustained-W,,
must elect the Speaker: and We must elect
Nebraska U. s. Senator or elect none at
all
Similar letters no doubt are written 70
every Nebraska member-Be considering
how we can best meet and fool and beat
tfem| send you by this mail COPY OF
my Peoria speech-You may have seen 1t
ing now.
DO not speak of the Nebraska letter
mentioned above. 1 do not wish it to be-
come public that have received such in
formation. Yours truly
"a. LINCOLN"
1t was nearly three months after this last
letter that the election occurred. Hender-
son gave his vote for Lincoln and on the
first ballot Lincoln mad a plurality. hav-
ing forty-five votes. General Shields. the
democratic candidate had forty-one votes
and the five anti-slavery democrats voted
for Lyman Trumbull. These five stuck to
Trumbull for seven ballots and then Lin
coin, seeing that there was danger that
they might go to Shields, advised his friends
to vote for Trumbull. and so Lyman Trum-
bull was elected. Upon going to the Sem
ate Trumbull opposed Douglas and the
democrats on the slavery question, and in
1861 was reelected to the Senate as a
republican. He was one of the first men,
bers of the Senate to propose the amend
ment to the Constitution fer the abolition
of slavery and he aided Lincoln materially
during his administration as President
Lincoln, I am told was much disappointed
in not getting to the Senate. His fight
however, brought him to the front as an
anti-slavery leader. and 1t may be called
the beginning of the wave which rolled him
into the presidential chair.
If all of Lincoln's letters could be got
together they would make a most interest
ing collection. He was an excellent writer
and the late W. D. Kelley of Pennsylvania.
who was known as ''Pig-iron Kelley" used
to tell me that Lincoln compared with
Shakespeare in genius, and that he was
great as a writer, a statesman and soldier
Lincoln never wasted words in his writ
ings. Here is a copy of a series of indorse-
ments Of his of a man who wanted to be
chaplain in the army. Lincoln was Presi-
dent at the time and Stanton Secretary of
War. The Endorsements cover the back of
the application and run down below on a