Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1901-02-13

the assault VSS~SSS w
upon him by John Wilkes Booth. Yes
terday the anniversary OF his birth was
celebrated all over the state of Wash.
ington.
The boyhood OF Lincoln was little
different from that OF most settlers
sons in the new and llttle-inhabited
district along the Ohio valley. The
family was miserably poor, and after
successive migrations through Indiana
finally settled near Decatur, Illinois.
Nancy Hanks, his mother, died when
he was 8 years old, but Sally Bush
johnson, the second wife of Lincoln
pere, looked after the boy with the
tenderness she bestowed upon her own
children. His early education was
most desultory, as he was withdrawn
from school on all occasions to assist
in the farm work and he was known
as the lazy lad who, however, was
busy at all spare moments in the
study OF grammar and numbers. The
Bible and Aesop's Fables was his little
library, and he read them voraciously.
Later when law interested him, he
borrowed books sufficient to give him
Il basic knowledge OF Jurisprudence;
and so thoroughly was his mastery Of
the subject that his advancement
brought him into recognition as q
lawyer with few equals in America.
In early manhood he was employed
as storekeeper and as village post
master. Incidentally he made a trad
ing trip down to New Orleans, and it
Was then that he first realized the
horrors of slavery.
1t was while postmaster at New
Salem that he first went regularly
into the practice OF law, and the repu-
tation which he then earned for hon
esty and intelligence was frightened
with each succeeding year OF his life.
Scorning all trickery and chicanery,
he sought only for the vindication Of
right through the courts. His con-
science would not permit him to de-
fend a criminal or cause in which
he had not faith, and he would sur
render trial in the very midst of it
when persuaded that he was in the
wrong.
When 25 years old he was elected
as a wing to the legislature, and for
the first term took little part in pub
lie affairs. Later, ON a Characteristic
platform, in which he incidentally
advanced woman's suffrage, he was re-
elected at the head Of his ticket.
In 1916 he was elected to congress,
despite the charges of infdelity, cir
culated against him by his opponents.
That position lost him his chances OF
reelection. He was offered The COVER
norship OF Oregon. He refused it,
however, on the advice of his wife,
formerly Miss Mary Todd, whom he
had married in 1912. He returned to
Illinois, and continued in the practice
OF his profession, and took but per-
functory interest in politics, until the
slavery question was first agtated in
1854.
When Douglas term us senator was
expiring, Lincoln was nominated to
oppose his return, and the campaign
was one OF the most momentous in the
history of the middle west. The two
contestants held joint debates all over
the state, and their profound argu-
ments attracted the attention CT the
whole nation.
His rise then made him a towering
presidential possibility, and at the re-
publican convention in Chicago in
May, 1860, he was pitted against Will
liam Ii. Seward, Salmon p. Chase
Simon Cameron and Edward Bates
On the third ballot he was nominated
for the presidency. The ensuing
campaign was a critical one. The
democrats nominated Douglas, but he
was rejected by the southern wing ol
the party, who named j. G. Brecken-
ridge as its leader. Against the divid-
ed opposition Lincoln was gloriously
successful. Lincoln received popu.
lar vote OF 1866, 452, and an electoral
vote OF $50; Douglas, with 1851
popular votes had only IL electoral
ballots, and Breckenridge, the south.
ern candidate, had S47,953 popular
and y electoral votes.
The situation on his entering office
was a most critical. The southern
states had been busy for four months
in planning to cripple all the resour-
cas pf tho oovarpp,art ,,,I 80. Al HI