Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-08
LINCOLN and
DOUGLAS
Incidents of the Famous Political
Campaign Debate Of 1853.
ny CHARLES p. BUTTON.

Copyright, 1902 by Hamilton Musk)
The rival senatorial candidates Lin
coin and Douglas did not travel In
company, but occasionally met on the
way bound for the same destination.
once, each with large following my
self among them IN the Douglas crowd,
they steamed down the Mississippi on
a little stern wheeler belonging on
White river
As we went down stream Mr. Lin
coin took his stand in the bow Of the
boat, seeming to look intently ahead,
though from the speculation in his eye
| saw he was thinking deeply. He did
not rouse until some one called out,
Say, Mr.. Lincoln doesn't this remind
you OF old tmes?" He smiled remit
nscently and nodded saying, with a sly
look at Judge Douglas, Eyes, It was on
this river / learned how to keep from
striking snags," We understood that
he meant the argumentatiye pitfalls
Douglas had SO often set for him,
The debate was wearing all allevia-
lions Of chance and change and per-
sonal encounters to the contrary not
wthstandAg. The debaters themselves
felt it-more. | think, than any OF their
immediate followers. On one notable
occasion, when Il fell 20 Douglass lot
to close, / saw Mr. Lincoln during the
last speech slip almost unnoticed from
the platform / met him at the steps,
Douglas had Just said something
which caught the crowd and set II Yell
Ing It's loudcst. This seems to be
something Of a Douglas crowd" MIR,
Lincoln said as he saw me. I'm
going to steal of for a little rest as
am far from feeling WE'LL
Let me 20 with YOU" | answered
SO together we tramped at least -four
blocks, and though the town seemed
10 DE deserted 1t struck me as some
what strange that In all that distance
not q human being appeared TO recog
nize my champion, although he was
so marked figure and the foremost
man of his party, lie reached the ho-
tel utterly exhausted In an hour, al
the outside, the meeting would be over
and crows trOoplng TO see him. AZ
my suggestion he asked for another
room than the suit engaged for him.
/ There was none vacant. but the clerk
upon finding out who wanted it Obllg-
| ingly put his room al MI Lincolns dis
| posal. / helped him 90 IL. Then he
| got his boots on, bound q wet towel
| around his head and stretched himself
on the bed with sigh OF relief After
| thanking me warmly he saida Tell
| them not 10 disturb me, ! win be
| down stairs as soon as ] am rested "
| I knew, however that that would be
! futile and acted on my own Judgment.
! Going outside, ! locked the door. then
| flung the key back over the trauaoin
! lntI he himself chose to reappear, re-
freshel and ready only the clerk and
! us two knew Of hin whereabouts. al
though as may be guessed q pretty
! puthrr set mp when people found his
! regular rooms wide open and himself
! coUspicuously absent
AZ Alton, oct n, the great debate
came to q s0la ending. ! can make no
! approximation even 90 the number
| of people who saw g. They were there
/ M WyrIaJs. ln clouds IL seemed ST.
! Louis, but "a little way of, sent teem-
| Ing thousands Every city every con.
| siderable town even, of Illinois fur
| nIshed delegations OF both parties to
swell the swarm There were many
likewise from the Missouri towns, and
| from Indiana and Kentucky.
Both Lincoln and Douglas were like
schoolboys who have finished TO their
own complete satisfaction some extra
wearing task They met when the
last sneech was made at the home OF
r'"tuai friend, the Hon, Robert
Smith.