The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-11

Stephen A. Douglas, a no LII
coin said he was the least man
he ever saw; but as the years
went on, he ceased to think this
way about Stephen A. Douglas.
About this time a great sorrow
came to Lincoln. He was In love
with pretty girl in New Salem,
named Annie Rutledge, and when
she was taken sick and died 1t
made Lincoln so sad that his
friends feared he would go insane,
,Rnd Bowling Green had to take
him to his home and nurse him
back to health. This loss made
h deep impression on him. and all
his life he had spells of blacklist
melancholy; but it made him
gentle, too, and filled him with
pity for all who suffered.
=, In 1886 he was reelected to the
legislature. His announcement,
with it's clear statement of the
theory of representative govern
ment, showed that he understood
the American ideal The cam
paign was exciting. One day he
made a speech in Springfield near
the home of George Forquer.
whose house, the finest in town.
was noted for it's lightning rod,
Springfield had never seen a
lightning rod before. When Lin
coin finished speaking, Forquer
said he would have to take the
young man down." and made a
speech against him. ForQuer had
been whig, as Lincoln was then,
hut had recently joined the demo
cratic party and been appointed
register of the land Office. When
Lincoln replied, he said: THE
gentleman has seen fit to allude
TO my being young man; but he
forgets that am older In years
than | am in the tricks and trades
of politicians. | desire to live, and
I desire place and distinction, but
4 would rather die now than. like
the gentleman, live to see the day
that would change my politics
for an Office worth $4,000 a year
and then feel compelled to erect
a lightning rod to protect guilty
conscience from an offended God.
However. when Lincoln got to
Nandalia he showed that he did
know a good deal of the tricks and
trades of politicians. The nine
members from Sangamon county
were each over six feet tall, and
Lincoln was the tallest and smart
est of them all They were called
the Long Nine" and Lincoln was
their leader He favored big
scheme for public improvements;
railroads and canals were to be
constructed all over Illinois. and
to do this the state borrowed
$4,000, 900. Lincoln told friend
that he was going to run for gov
ernor and become the Dewitt
Clinton OF Illinois. He helped to
put this wonderful scheme through
and nearly bankrupted the state.
But an incident occurred which
showed how true he was to moral
principle. The abolitionists We're
Just then beginning their opposi-
ton to slavery, and like all men
In advance of their time, they
were hated and reviled. The lie.
gislature adopted resolutions
''highly disappearing" of "the for
nation of abolition societies and
the doctrines promulgated by
them; but Lincoln voted against
these resolution. drew up pro.
test, got his colleague, Dan Stone,
to sign the protest with him, and
had 1t entered upon the journal
for March 3, 1887. This protest
declared that 1.-The institution of
slavery is founded both on injUs-
tice and bad policy"
Then. having been admitted to
the bar. he went to Springfield to
practice law. In 1888 he was elect
ed to the legislature again. The
panic of 1887 had brought to
Illinois the hour of reckoning for
the internal Improvement bubble,
and Lincoln admitted his share of
the responsibility In the present
CRISIS" and said he was mo finan-
Cier." In 1910, the year of the
gay campaign for "Tippecanoe
and Tyler, too" he was again
elected to the legislature. He was
candidate for presidential elector
con the whig ticket, as Douglas was
on the democratic. and had many
encounters with Douglas and
others.
One night Jesse B. Thomas, a
democrat. made speech attacking
the Long Nine" Lincoln especial
ly. Lincoln had great power of
mimicry and when he replied to
Thomas he ridiculed him. mimick-
ed him In voice and manner, until
the crowd roared with delight, and