Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-02-09

embodied the terms of an inexorable
logic With an Illuminating force, which
was also tolerant and fair minded. If
any one ever united the '%'suaviter in
modo' with the 'fortiter in re-" it was
that glorified country pumpkin" as
many OF his opponents were in the habit
Of calling him.
The audience numbered some thou
sands who had streamed in from the
contiguous portions OF three counties,
for there was TO be a grand barbecue
after the platform exercises; and the
beautiful green was alive with happy
folk attired in all styles from broad
cloth to jeans and cowhide boots. with
their women folk in progeny. Horses
and mules picketed at a great Gordon
of Conestoga wagons lent their accent
to the human din.
When Mr.. Lincoln upheaved his
awkward length from the chair where
he sat coiled up, it was with a tense
and active spring n Il face beaming
with smiles which TRANSPORTED it.
Through the general clamor hundreds
OF voices cried "Howdy-Abe" with a
more specialized welcome. The speak
ers voice at the outset was d shrill
falsetto, that cut like a knife; but after
talking a few minutes-for indeed it
was rather an informal talk han an or
ation-it steadied into a strident. COM
pelling tone that. never ceasing to be a
little harsh, obsessed attention and
TRANSMITTED d~iSsonance into a more SUBJ
tile music. One could wish to have re-
membered and quoted. for the address
bristled with homely epigrams and tel
ling stories. But a half century OBJ
literates detail in such matters, and
only two little episodes stand Out clear.
Though the speech was largely non-
political, addressed to familiar every day
interests as they had grown out OF the
evolution of the nation for t~hree-quart-
ers OF a century~ he made some preg-
nant illusions to Senator Douglas, many
of whose admirers We're in the audience.
began to bray. There was a laugh at
the Interruption. and a LOUD voice
shouted satirically That's your answer
Abe" Very Welt" responded the or
ator, 1T seems to me the mules hee-
haw is about the only answer that can
Steve tried to do 1t last year and
couldn't" The audience roared.
An Illustration that Mr.. Lincoln used
stuck fast in memory. Farmers were
everywhere then sinking artesian wells
in a state where good water was a
problem. That's the way" said
he, that the plain people of the country
will meet their troubles: drill down to
where the truth stands on a steady level
unchanged by rain or shine. winter or
SuIliillcT. we uOn I WduI any more sup.
ply from the surface" Everybody, Of
course. recognized the illusion to the
doctrine of "Squatter Sovereignty
that shallow n delusiv panacea
which had been the main issue in the
great battle which Lincoln had fought
with Stephen A. Douglas, the year be-
fore. More came out on this fascinat-
ing subject after the speaking exercises
We're over and the barbecue side Of the
celebration with its jovial noise and
free chat ruled the roast.
"Abe"-thus was Mr.. Lincoln adj
dressed by some of the group among
whom the writer was standing-said
one of them. Il wish you had told us
more bout that Freeport speech OF
yours last year." The readers of to-
Cay may be reminded that in that
speech Mr.. Lincoln put the query to
his brilliant antagonist, the answer to
which proved in it's effect to have had
as much to do in precipitating the civil
war as did the John Brown raid. The
Lincoln question was whether on the
popular sovereignty theory the legal
possession of slaves in a territory
could be averted by any possible
means. His friends adjured him not
to put that propositions; that if Doug
las answered it to the satisfaction OF
J Illinois audiences. he would be re-
) feated in his effort to obtain the prize
Ny. Lincoln insisted and flung out that
challenge. He justified it on the
ground that the answer might secure
the senatorslaip; but that almost GER
l tainly it would defeat the candidac.
of Douglas for the presidency at the