The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-12
LINCOLN IN KANSAS.
His Speech Made at Troy in Autumn
of 1857.

written by late Albert D. Richardson-1
Late i'm the autumn of 1859 he visited
the territory for the first and last time
with Marcus J. Parrott. delegate i'm
congress, A. Carter Wilder, afterwards
Tepresentati and Henry Willard a
journalist, I went to Troy, in Doniphan
county, to hear him In the imaginative
language OF the frontier. Troy was a
tOwn-possibly a city-but save d
shabby frame court house, a tavern and
q few shanties. its urban glories were
visible only to the eye Of faith 1t was
intensely cold. The sweeping prairie
wind rocked the crazy buildings and cut
the faces of travellers like knife. MI
Wilder froze his hand during our ride
and Mr.. Lincoln's party arrived wrapped
in buffalo robes
Not more than forty people assembled
in that little bare walled court house
There was none Of the magnetism of d
multitude TO inspire the long, angular
ungainly orator, who rose UP behind a
rough table With little gesticulation.
and that little ungraceful. he began,
not to declaims but to talk. In a con-
versational tone, he argued the question
Of slavery in the territories. in the lam
Euage OF an average Ohio or New York
larme-. thought IF the ulinoisans
consider this great man their ideas
must be peculiar" But, in ten or fifteen
minutes, I was unconsciously and ire
slstiDly drawn by the clearness and
closeness of his argument. Link after
blacksmith's chain He made few as
seTtions. but merely asked questions.
Us not this true2 If you admit that
Iact, Is not this induction correct -
give him his premises and his conclu-
sl0ns were inevitable as death
Tlls fairness and candOr were very no
l1ceaDie- lie r1diculed nothing; bur
Iesqued nothing. misrepresented moth
ing. So far from distOrting the views
held by Mr.. Douglas and his adherents.
ne stated them with more strength pro
paply than any one Of their advocates
couid nave done. Then, very modestly
and courteouslys he inquired into their
soundness He was too kind for bit
terness, and too great for vituperation.
his anecdotes. of course. were felicit-
GUS and illustrative He delineated the
tortuous windings of the Democracy
upon the slavery question from Thomas
Jefferson down to Thomas Pierce.
Whenever he heard q man aVoW his de-
termination to adhere unsWervingIy to
the principles of the Democratic party
st reminded him. he said. of a little in
Cident in Illinois. A lad blowing upOn
the prairie, asked his father in what
direction he Should strike a new fur
row. The father replied. steer for the
yoke of oxen standing at the further end
OF the field The father went away and
the lad obeyed. But just as he started
the oxen started also. He kept steering
for them and they continued to walk.
He followed them entirely around the
held and came back to the starting
point having furr0wed a circle instead
Of a line
The address lasted an hour and three
quarters. Neither rhetorical. graceful
nor eloquent. it was still very fascinat-
ing. The people of the frontier believe
profoundly in fair play and i'm hearing
both sides. so they now called for an
aged kentuckian. who was the
heaviest slave holder in the territory.
Responding. he thus prefaCed his re-
marks. Il have heard, during my life,
"a
eminent statesmen of the past and the
present generation. and while I dissent
utterly from the doctrines of this adj
dress and shall endeavor to refute some
of them. candor compels me to say that
1t IS the most able, tho most logical
speech 7 ever listened to-