Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-08
STANDS ON HISTORIC SPOT
President Speaks at Anniversary Of Lincoln
Douglas Debate.
MEMORABLE OCCASION AT GALESBURG
Chief Executive rays Tribute TO the
Genius OF Two Dead statesmen
-RecnIIs incidents of the
Great Debates.

GALESBURG, ILL.,, Oct. 7.-On the campus
OF historic Knox college, where forty-one
years ago Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A.
Douglas met in one of memorable series
/ OF debates to determine who should occupy
a seat In the United States senate, President
Mckinley and Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith this morning delivered stirring
addresses commemorative Of the contest be-
| tween those two great leaders of former
| days. The citizens of Galesburg turned out
enmasse to honor the president of the United
States and the members of his cabinet. and
an opportunity was given them to greet
their distinguished guests as they were
driven in carriages through the streets Of
/ the city before the exercises at the college
| began.
| The escort to the president, under COM
mand of Captain Charles c. Craig, met MIR.
Mckinley at the residence of Colonel Clark
e. Carr, minister to Denmark during the
| administration of President Harrison, where
| he spent the night. In the carriage with
| President Mckinley were Colonel Carr,
| Mayor Fletcher Carney and Justice Alfred
| NJ. Craig of the Illinois supreme court. The
! members Of the cabinet, in company with
! DR.. John II. Finlay, former president of
Knox college, and other prominent citizens
of Galesburg, followed in a long line of
carriages. Everywhere along the line OF
march the enthusiasm of the people was
unbounded and when the college campus was
! reached the president received a terrific
ovation.
! Colonel Carr presided over the exercises,
and the invocation was delivered by DR.. G.
e. Nash, president Of Lombard university.
Congressman George W. Prince welcomed
the president to the Tenth congressional dis
trict and the greeting on behalf of the people
of Illinois was spoken by Senator Shelby NJ.
Culom. The brief speech of the president
was listened to with the closest attention
and punctuated throughout Its delivery with
outbursts Of applause.
Marks Memorable Era.
The president spoke as follows
| Mr.. Chairman and My Fellow Citizens
The time and place make this meeting
memorable. Forty-one years ago on this
! spot two mighty leaders, representing op-
| posing ideas, contended for mastery before
the tribune of the people. 1t was contest
which history will not fail to record, and
some are yet living to tell of it's interesting
and thrilling story. 1t has been recited
around the family fireside, until, to the
people of Illinois, it has become a house
hold tale, inspiring love of liberty and devo-
tion to free institutions Here, therefore,
! are sacred memories which will be cherished
by this community for all time and are per-
manently Incorporated in the life of the ma
! tion. Lincoln and Douglas are inseparably
connected in the public mind. Their asso-
citation began in conflict and ended in CO.
operation. They were in antagonsm for
more than generation over the interpreta-
tion OF the constitution and were united at
last when the constitution itself was as
sailed. They might differ, as they did over
the meaning of some of it's provisions, but
when the crisis came they stood together for
its inviclability and for the inseparabiity
OF the union it established The one as
serted the right of slavery under certain
conditions to enter the territories-the other
disputed that right under any conditions
but both agreed that the slave power should
not divide the union.
THE debate was national and historical
1t commanded profound attention. 1t inter-
ested all sections. 1t was watched with deep
est anxiety by the followers of both 1t was
read and studied as no other public question
before or since. 1t presented the best of two
conflicting schools of thought. 1t was epoch
making and marked an epoch in our history
1t influenced public thought and purpose II
made the issue impossible Of escape it could
be no longer avoided or evaded. 1t united
| the friends of liberty, as well as those ot
slavery. 1t fastened the 'irrepressible con.
hict' 1t was not the beginning Of the agi-
tation, but 1t carried it into the lives and
homes of the republic, and no issue is evel
rightly settled until it is settled there II
Is no little source of satisfaction that upor
the great question presented in these de.
bates, while Douglas carried the legislature
Lincoln had a majority of the people, The
torch OF liberty was not lighted here, but II
famed forth with a broader, brighter light
as 1t was lighted up by the strong arm OF
Abraham Lincoln.
No Longer Divided.
Three years-only three years-intervenec
and the debate was removed from the aren;
of peaceful discussion to that of war ant
carnage. And then Lincoln and Dougla,
stood no longer divided, Sumter was fire:
on April ~, 1861. On the 18th of that mon Il
Lincoln issued his call for 5000 troops. TIL,
position of Douglas at this critical juncturt
was that Of a patriot Without hating o.
hesitation, he aligned himself upon the sid
Of the national government and threw tn
force of his great personality in support o
the executive. Upon the occasion of hi
memorable visit to Lincols Immediately afte
| n A n n A. A n A a A n A n n IA n m