The National tribune., 1910-04-14

From 1850 to 1854 1 was 'jour"
printer in the State Register office, on
Illinois street, opposite Lincoln & Ed.
wards's law office in Springfield. l saw
Mr.. Lincoln quite often going in and
out.
The Charleston Qll.) Courier, in its
issue of Sept IS. 1909. devoted the en-
tire edition of that date to the repro
dnction of the occurrences and speeches
IN the Joint debate between Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. Douglas, which took place at
Charleston so years before, when those
men of giant intellects were candidates
for the United States Senate.
Mr.. Lincoln was a lifelong admirer
of Henry Clay, and when the latter died
IN June. 1852, 1 was present in the over
crowded court house at Springfield,
where he delivered a most impressive
sulogy on the character and public SER
sices of the illustrious statesman.
At the Presidential election of 1852
Mr. Lincoln voted for Scott and 1 for
Pierce. Each claimed that the others
vote was nil, but finally agreed that it
Tas simply a standoff.
The night following election day ]
boarded F'rink & Walkers mail coach
% visit my former home at Charleston.
Mr.. Lincoln was also passenger on
the same coach, bound for ShelbyvilIe
to attend the Fall term of the Circuit
-
on the entire trip. When nearing re-
lay station the drivers announced the
fact by vigorous blasts on their tin
horns
Telegraph offices were maintained at
the relay stations. When the agents
opened the coach door for us to alight
we would go sprinting for the latest
election news, but Mr.. Lincoln, having
the longer legs, invariably reached the
bulletin boards first
When bidding him good-by at Shelby
VILE he laconically remarked: Young
man, from the tenor of the election re-
turns at this time / think your candi.
date has won"
few years later was present wher
the celebrated Rock Island Bridge case
was being argued before the Supreme
Court of Illinois at Chicago. Mr.. Lin
coin appeared for complainants. Hi!
forceful presentation of its menace L
the navigation of the Mississippi Rive
was overpoweringly convincing. In ret
rospection / can even now see him al
he addressed the court in fiery yea
when detailing the many dangers tina
confronted every steamer or other Graf
that passed thru the death-trap draw
of the bridge, and presented long lis
of disasters that had occurred there, il
which scores Of human lives and mucl
valuable property had been sacrificed IL
consequence of the improper construc
tion of the bridge.
The court made an order Of removal
and the obstruction was soon thereafte
abated. 1t was the first bridge to spar
the Mississippi River.
Campaign for Senator.
At the Republican State Convention
held in Springfield June Is, 1858, Lin
coin was declared 10 be the first an,
only choice of the Republicans of Hi
nois for the office of United States Sen
ator Mr. Lincoln addressed the con
yention, and against the advice of III
friends took very radical and advance
grounds, upon the slavery question. On
paragraph of that speech was ofte
quoted and is as follows:
IA house divided against itself can
not stand ] believe this Government
cannot permanently endure half slav
and half free. / do not expect tn
Union to be dissolved; I do not expeC
the house to fall; but I do expect tina
It will cease to be divided 1t will bt
come all one thing or all the othei
Either the opponents OF slavery wi
arrest the further spread of it and plac
1t where the public mind shall rest
the belief that il is in the course {
ultimate extinction or its advocates wi
push it forward till it shall become alik
lawful IN all the States, old as well Z
new, North as well as South"
ne ldSl time i met MI Lincoln VIZ
in 1860, at Champaign, ILL.,. and only
few weeks before the Chicago Repui
lican Convention nominated him f
the Presidency. He was sitting in Il
Doane House waiting for an Illino
railway train, south bound, to return
his home. He looked more melancho
than ever before. with a peculiar e,
preston in his eyes, as if penetratir
the vail beyond the vision of mort
ken.
As an index to his greatness of sou
his open-handed, whole hearted pubI
and private life. l quote the last nar;
graph of his last inaugural messag
March 4, 1865, only six weeks before h
tragic death at the hands of a coward
assassin:
with malice toward none, with cha
1ty for all, with firmness in the right :
nod gives US to see the right, let US fiji