Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-08-21
IN HONOR OF LINCOLN.
Illinois to Live Over His Great
Debates With Douglas.
SEVEN CITIES TO CELEBRATE.

Features Of Golden Anniversary OBJ
servance Of Historic Debates Be-
twsen the Two Intellectual Giants.
Old Campaign Songs to BE Sung.
From now on and continuing until
the middle of October Illinois will live
over again the days of the historic Lin
coln-Douglas debates. 1t is the golden
anniversary of the celebrated contro-
versy, and the Illinois Historical So
ciety has planned celebrations in each
of the cities where the debates were
held. These places are:
Ottawa, Aug. q.
Freeport. Aug. q.
Jonesboro. Sept. Is.
Charleston. Sept. 49,
Galesburg. Oct. z.
Quincy. Oct. 13.
Alton. Oct. IS.
There were but seven of these noted
debates. all occurring In 1858. In
Quincy. ILL.,, where the political giants
pleaded their cause, granite stone
marks the spot, says Quincy special
dispatch to the st. Louis Globe Demo-
crat. For ages this stone has rested
in ravine In MelrOse township,
Adams county, about six miles south
east Of Quincy. 1t is fifty-three inches
thick, sixty inches wide and seventy
inches long. 1t weighs about six tons.
On the evening of the first day Of
the year 1906, most desolate night,
when cold, wintry rain was falling
In torrents. men and horses by violent
exertions splashed their way through
half frozen mire and deposited the
granite b0wlder in the southeast cor
ner of Washington square, Quincy.
About one-third of the bowlder was
submerged below the surface of the
earth. Later on the committee, con-
sisting of DR.. ]. B. Shawgo, DR.. Jo-
seph Robbins and George NJ. James,
acting for the Historical society of
Quincy. had the legend, Lincoln
Douglas Debate, Oct. Is, 1885," CHS
eled on the. top of the bowlder.
In two other places outside of Quincy
q granite bowlder has been selected as
marker in commemoration Of the de-
bates which, by reason Of the national
principle they Involved and the mag
nificent intellects of the debaters, are
Of such enduring memory to the Amer
lean people as to make granite pecul-
farly appropriate material for a me-
mortal.
The historical value of the debates
has also been brought to the direct at
tention Of the rising population by
means Of forty page pamphlet pre-
pared by committee from the advi-
sorry commission to the board Of direct
ors of the Illinois state historical libra
ry. The pamphlet has been issued by
F. G.. Blair. state superintendent of
public instruction. The object Of the
pamphlet Is to furnish material for
programmes for the schools of the
state at the time Of the anniversary
celebrations this summer and fall and
also to provide material for the pupils
for essays In connection with the cele-
bration or In token Of the debates.
One Of the leading features of the
anniversary celebration at Ottawa,
where the original debate took place
Aug 81. the first of the series, will be
the marking OF the site where the de-
bate was held by means Of huge
granite bowlder The speakers will be
William E. Mason. George Edmund
Foss, j. Hamilton Lewis and Samuel
Alschuler. The programme will In
clude civic and military parades, his
torical floats and special chorus of
several hundred voices.
The speakers ut the Freeport celebra-
ton will be Senator Dolliver, Colonel
w. T. Davidson and Frank o. Lowden
There will be parade and a home
coming celebration. The site of the
debate is marked by granite bowlder.
placed there by the Freeport Women's
club and dedicated by President Roose-
welt in 1908. 1t was at Freeport that
Lincoln submitted his famous question
No. to Douglas-namely:
Can the people OF a United States ter
ritory in any lawful way, against the
wishes of any citizen Of the United States.
exclude slavery from its limits prior to
the formation Of a state constitution?
To which Douglas replied:
1t matters not what the supreme court
may hereafter decide es to the abstract
question whether slavery may or may not
go into territory under the constitution.
The people have the lawful means to in
troduce or exclude 1t, as they please. for
the reason that slavery cannot exist a
day or an hour anywhere unless 1t is
supported by local police regulations.
At Jonesboro. where the debate was
held Sept. 10. on the fair grounds, ar
engagements are being made for a suit
able celebration of the event. Most Of
those who heard the debate at Jones'
boro were partisans of Douglas and
Breckinridge.
At Charleston. the county seat of
Coles county. the debate took place on
Sept. 1S. and, while the programme has
not been announced as yet. the ami
versary will be fittingly celebrated At
Galesburg Oct. Z has several times in
recent years been celebrated. and the
anniversary will be observed this fall
more deliberately than ever The de-
bate at Galesburg took place in front
Of Knox college. and the building is
adorned by Lincoln-D Douglas me-
mortal tablet which was unveiled at
the celebration in 1896.
The programme for the anniversary
celebration at Quincy Oct. 10 is yet In
formative stage, but distinct organ
ization has been formed for the pur-
pose of arranging for the celebration
and is hard at work. The name of the
DC 10 thn T 10