Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-07-24
LINCOLN
AS Lawyer
ano Debater
By WARD HILL LA1oN.
Lincoln's Friend and Bodysuard

the little council of Mr.. Lincoln's i'm
mediate friends. 1t was therefore to
be expected that when a slow, eau
tious. moderate man like Mr.. Lincoln
came forward with it in this startling
fashion 1t would carry dismay to his
followers and a cheering assurance to
his enemies. But Mr.. Lincoln was
looking farther than this campaign.
He was quietly dreaming of the presi-
dency and edging himself to a place
in advance where he thought the tide
might take him up In 1860. He was
sure that sectional animosities, far;
from subsiding, would grow deeper
and stronger with time, and for that
reason the next nominee of the exclu-
sively northern party must be a man
of radical views. II think" says Mr..
Herndon. 'the speech was intended to
take the wind out of Stewards Sails"
and Mr.. Herndon is not alone In his
opinion.
A day or two after Mr.. Lincoln spoke
one DR.. Long anne into his Office and
delivered to him O foretaste of the re-
marks he vas doomed TO hear for sew
eral months. well. Lincoln" said
he, "that foolish speech OF yours will
kill you. will defeat you in this con-
test and PROBABLY for all offices for all
time to come. I I'M sorry, sorry. very
sorry. l wish it was wiped out of ex-
istence. Don't you wish 1t, nowT'
Mr.. Lincoln had been writing during
the doctors lament, but at the end of
1t he laid down his pen, raised his
head. lifted his spectacles and, with a
look half quizzical, half contemptu-
ous, replied, "Well, doctor. If | had to
draw a pen across and erase my whole
life from existence and l had one poor
gift or choice left as to what | should
save from the wreck | should choose
that speech and leave it to the world
INCREASED"
Leonard SWEET, than whom there
was no more gifted man nor a better
Judge Of political affairs In Illinois. is
convinced that "the first ten lines of
that speech defeated him." 'The SEN
timent Of the house divided against
itself seemed wholly Inappropriate"
says Mr.. SWEET at was a speech
made at the commencement of a cam
PhAsn anu apparently buadC " tAQ
campaign. Viewing It in this light
alone, nothing could been more
T61T0Ffunurs or lnapplopfiafe.s Ifwag'
saying first the wrong thing, yet he
saw that 1t was an abstract truth, and
standing by the speech would ulti-
mately find him in the right place. I
was inclined at the time to believe
these words were hastily md incon-
siderately uttered, but subsequent
facts have convinced me they were
deliberate and had been matured.
> . In the summer of 1859, when
he was dining with a party of his in
innate friends at Bloomington, the sub
ject of his Springfield speech was dis
cussed. We all insisted that it was
a great mistake, but he justified him
self and finally said, We'll, gentlemen,
you may think that speech was a mis-
take, but / never have believed it
was, and you wiz see the day when
you will consider it was the wisest
thing I ever said"
John T. Stuart was a family con-
nection of the Todds and Edwardses
and thus also of Lincoln. MI. G. G.
Brown married Mr.. Stuart's daughter
and speaks of Mr.. Lincoln as "our rel
ative." This gentleman says: "The
observation-disclosures family, with
preacher and priest, dogs and servants,
got mad at Mr.. Lincoln because he
made the house divided against itself
speech He hinched, lodged, said he
would explain and did explain in the
Douglas debates"
But 1t was difficult to explain. Elk
plantations of the kind are generally
more hurtful than the original offense.
Accordingly Mr.. Herndon reports in
his broad, blunt way that "Mr. Lin
coin met with many cold shoulders.for
some time-nay, during the whole can
vass with Douglas" At the great
public meetings which characterized
that campaign "you could hear from
all quarters in the crowd Republicans
saying: D-n that fool speech! 1t will
be the cause of the death of Lincoln
and the Republican party. Such follyl
Such NONSENSE! DIN it,"
Lincoln Douglas Courtesies.
Since 1910 Lincoln and Douglas had
appeared before the people almost as
regularly as the elections came round
to discuss the one against the other the
merits Of parties, candidates and prin-
ciples. Thus far Mr.. Lincoln had been
in a certain sense the pursuer. He
had lain in wait for Mr.. Douglas; he
had caught him at unexpected turns
and upon sharp points; he had merci-
lessly improved the advantage of Mr..
Douglas long record in congress to
pick apart and to criticise, while his
own was so much more humble and
less extensive. But now at last they
were abreast candidates for the same
Office, with q fair field and equal op-
p~ortunities. 1t was the great crisis in