The National tribune., 1900-02-22

Lincoln aimed at permanent conviction.
Sometimes, when Lincolns friends urged
him 10 raise a storm of applause, which he
could always do by his happy illustrations
and amusing stories, he refused, saying:
The occasion is too serious; the issues are
too grave. / do not seek applause. or to
amuse the people, but to convince them
1t was observed in the canvass that while
Douglas was greeted with the loudest
cheers, when Lincoln closed the people
seemed serious and thoughtful, and could
be heard all through the crowd, gravely
and anxiously discussing the subjects on
which he had been speaking"
WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF EACH OTHER.
Soon after the arrangements for the de-
bate had been made, Senator Douglas
visited Alton, Ill. A delegation of promi-
nent Democrats there paid their respects TO
him and during the conversation one of
them congratulated Douglas on the easy
task he would have in defeating Lincoln;
at the same time expressing surprise at the
champion whom he had selected. Douglas
replied: Gentlemen, you do not know Mr..
Lincoln. have known him long and well,
and know that shall have anything but
an easy task. / assure you / would rather
meet any other man in the country in this
joint debate than Abraham Lincoln"
This was Douglass mature opinion of the
man of whom, years before, he had said, in
his characteristic may: "Of all the -
Wing rascals about Springfield, Abe Lin
coin is the ablest and honestest." On
another occasion, Douglas said: 81 have
known Lincoln for nearly 25 years. There
were many points of sympathy between us
when we first got acquainted. We were
both comparatively boys, and both strug-
CLING with poverty IN strange land. Twas
a school teacher in the town of Winchester,
and he iourishing grocery-keeper in the
town of Salem. He was more successful
in his occupation than was in mine and
hence more fortunate in the worlds goods.
Lincoln Is one of those peculiar men who
perform with admirable skill everything
they undertake. i made as good a school
teacher as / could, and when a cabinet
maker made as good bedsteads and tables
as could-although my old boss saws that
] succeeded better with bureaus and secre-
taries than with anything else. Butt believe
that Lincoln was always more successful
in business than l, for his business ena bled
him TO get into the Legislature. met him
there, however, and had a sympathy with
him, because of the uphill struggle we both
had had in life. He was then Just as good
al telling an anecdote as now. He could
beat any OF the boys in wrestling or running
a foot-race, in pitching quoits or pitching q
copper; and the dignity and impartiaiity
with which he presided at horse race or
fist-fght excited the admiration and won
the praise of everybody that was present.
j sympathiZed with him because he was
struggling with difficulties, and so was |.
Nr. Lincoln served with me in the Legisla-
ture OF 1896, when We both retired, and he
subsided, or became submerged and was
lost SIGHT OF as a public man for some
years. In 1S46, when Wilmot introduced
his celebrated proyiso, and the abolition
tornado swept over the country, Lincoln
again turned up as a member of Congress
from the Sangamon District. / was then
in the Senate of the United States, and was
glad 10 welcome my old friend"
Mr.. Lincoln, in speech delivered two
years before the joint debate, had said of
Senator Douglas: twenty-five wears ago.
quainted; we We're both young then-he a
trifie younger than ]. Even then, we were
both ambitious-I perhaps quite as much
as he. With me, the race of ambition has
been failure-a fiat failure; with him, il
has been one of splendid success. His
name fills the Nation, and is not unknown
even IN forelgn lands. affect no contempt
Tor The hlgh eminence he has reached: so
:eached that the oppressed of my species
might have shared with ME in the elevation.
would rather stand on that eminence than
wear the richest crown that ever pressed a
monarch's brow"
A few days before the first discussion was
TO take place, Lincoln, who had become
conscious.that scme of his party friends dis
trusted his ability TO meet successfully a
man who, as the Democrats declared and
believed, had never had his e1uaI ON the
stump, met an old friend from Vermilion
County, and. shaking hands. inquired the
news. His friend replied "Iall looks well;
our friends are wide awake, but they are
looking forward with some anxiety to these
Approaching joint discussions with Doug
las" A shade passed over Lincoln's face,