Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1907-04-02

some pesssons Well informed that be-
tween Lincoln. Logan. Baker and Har-
din. four very conspicuous Whig lead
ers. there was q secret personal under
standing that they four should rotate"
in congress until each had had term
Baker succeeded Hardin in 1914. Lin
coin was elected in 1876 and Logan
was nominated. but defeated. in 1S43
Lincoln publicly declined to contest
the nomination with Baker in 1874.
Hardin did the same for Lincoln in
1916 (although both seem to have act
ed reluctantly. and Lincoln refused to
rI!n against Logan in 1S4S. Colonel
Matheny and others Insist. with great
show of reason. that the agreement
actually existed. and If such was the
case it was practically carried out. al
though Lincoln was a candidate
against Baker and Hardin against Lin
coin as long as either of them thought
there was the smallest prospect OF sue
cess. They might have done this. how
ever. merely to keep other and less
tractahle candidates out of the field
That Lincoln would cheerfully have
made such bargain to insure himself
Il seat in congress there can he NJ
doubt. but the supposition that he did
do it can scarcely he reconciled with
the feeling displayed by him in the con-
dict with Baker or the persistency of
Hardin to very late hour in the con
test Of 1876
At all events. Mr.. Lincoln and Gen
eral Hardin were the two and the only
two. candidates for the Whig nomina-
ton in 1876. The contest was mt,ch
like the one with Baker. and Lincoln
was assailed in much the same fashion.
He was called deist and an infidel
both before and after his nomination
and encountered in a less degree the
same opposition from the members of
certain Religious bodies that had met
him before. But with Hardin he main
tanned pers onal relations the most
friendly. The latter proposed to alter
the mode of making the Nomination,
and in the letter conveying this desire
to Mr.. Lincoln he also offered to stipu-
late that each candidate should remain
within the limits of his own county.
To this Mr.. Lincoln replied. Gas to
your proposed stipulation that all the
candidates shall remain in their own
counties and restrain their friends to
the same. it seems to me that on re-
Election you will see the fact of your
having been in congress has in various
ways so spread your name in the dis
trict as to give you decided advan-
tage in such stipulation. I appre-
ciate your desire to keep down excite
ment, and l promise you to keep cooF
under the circumstances"
On the 2Gth of February. 1916. the
Journal contained General Hardin's
card declining to be "longer considered
a candidate" and in its editorial COM
ments occurred the following: 1--WE
have had and now have no doubt that
he Hardin has been and now is
great favorite with the Wings of the
district. He states in substance that
there was never any understanding on
his part that his name was not to be
presented in the canvasses of 1914 and
1916. This, we believe. is strictly true.
Still, the doings of the Pekin conven-
ton did seem to point that way, and
the generals voluntary declination as
to the canvass of 1914 was by many
construed into an acquiescence on his
part. These things had led many of
his most devoted friends to not expect
him to be a candidate at this time.
add to this the relation that Mr.. Lin
coin bears and has borne to the party,
and it is not strange that many Of
those who are as strongly devoted to
General Hardin as they are to Mr.. Lin
coin should prefer the latter at this ]
tine. We do not entertain a doubt
that if we could reverse the positions
Of the two men a very large portion of
.cc-e who now have supported Mr..
lincoln most warmly would have sup
ported General Hardin quite as warm
"" This article was admirably calcu-
lated to soothe General Hardin and to
win over his friends. 1t was wise and
timely. The editor was Mr.. Lincoin's
intimate friend. 1t is marked by Mr..
f-incoln's style and has at least ons
expression which WAS peculiar to him.
in it's issue of May the journal an
nounced the nomination as having been
made at Petersburg on the Friday pre-
vious and said further: This nomina-
ton was, of course, anticipated, there
ieing no other candidate in the field.
Mr.. Lincoln, we all know, is a good
Whig, a good man. an able speaker.
and richly deserves, as he enjoys. the
confidence of tho Wings Of this district
and of the state.''
Peter Cartwright, the celebrated pio-
neer Methodist preacher, noted for his
piety and combativeness, was Mr.. Lin
coins competitor before the people.
We know already the nature of the
principal charges against Mr.. Lincoln's
personal character, and these, with the
usual criticism upon Whig policy,
formed the staple topics Of the cam
paign on the Democratic side. But
pato,: hiraSolf did not -5rith thaf