Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06

open question. Clark F.. Carr, one of
his contemporaries. reports him at an
Informal gathering of friends as ex-
pressing the belief that ii had injured
his prospects.
Carr quotes Lincoln as comparing
himself to 1.-The man who opposed the
war of 1912. and, finding how unpopu-
lar it made him. declared that here
after he would be for war. pestilence
and famine"
Lincoln. however did not oppose car
rying on the war once il had been en-
tered upon. During the debates with
Douglas at the meeting at Charleston.
in southern Illinois. the Little Giant"
made the definite charge that Lin
coin had voted against supplies Tor the
soldiers in Mexico. many OF whom Were
from that section.
On the platform was Orlando b. Flick
lin. one of Douglas supporters. who
had been in Congress with Lincoln.
Lincoln's long arm shot out and
caught Ficklin by the coat collar. Ac-
cording to the recollection of some of
the very old men Of the present gem
simply asked Ficklin to tell the truth
about his votes. and Ficklin, reluctant
~ but audibly, told the crowd: MY
friend Douglas is mistaken.
AT this meeting Lincoln made no fur
Their reference to Douglas charges. Al
other meetings. where there was no
joint debate. he said that he had al
ways voted for supplies. but that when
they tried to get him to vote that
Folks war" was a righteous one he
had refused.
There are today in southern Illinois
perhaps half dozen men who heard
what it has been maintained was Lin
coins original speech fixing slavery as
the inevitable issue. This speech was
1t was after the repeal of the Kansas
Nebraska act and the Endorsement of
popular sovereignty as expounded by
Douglas. Lincoln sent word to some
of the leading wings that he would be
glad to come and make them his first
anti-Nebraska speech, in order to check
the aggressive pro-slavery sentiment.
One paragraph Of that speech has been
preserved by one of those who heard it:
IF opening large territories and
states to human slavery is popular SOW
ereignty and equal rights, | would like
some one with compass and pointer dog
to show me a freeman's right
After the meeting Lincoln went with
a group of his supporters to the hotel.
They were not very expressive in their
comment. Finally. Lincoln asked them
bluntly what they thought of the
speech. There was hesitation, but final
~ one of them, known Joab Wilkin-
son. the bridge builder. spoke out:
We'll, Abe. ii was a good speech, and
YOU made some strong points. and I am
for them myself but they will bust the
whig party wide open The bridge
builder was right
Four years later Lincoln again Wis
tied Winchester and addressed a re-
publican meeting. One of the incidents
of this trip he told with great glee.
after his return to Springfield. The
morning following the speech, while he
was on his way to the barber shop.
citizen of Celtic extraction stopped
him and remarked: That was fine
speech yesterday, Mr.. Lincoln. I never
heard the likes of it,"
Lincoln expressed his satisfaction in
terrogatively doubling whether it
was such a fine speech. ut was
grand one. a grand one" insisted the
enthusiast, land now, Mr.. Lincoln. could
you loan me half dollar" A silver
half dollar was handed over.
AS Lincoln was leaving. the Pike
county delegation. with the Griggs-
vile band, came to see him off When
the band was done. the delegation gave
three very hearty cheers for Lincoln.
After they had died down a voice with
marked Hibernian accent came from
the outer rim of the crowd. And now
three cheers for Douglas" 1t was the
borrower of the half dollar.
While the Winchester speech was
maintained by his admirers there to be
the germ of the speeches in the debate
with Douglas. the generality OF I'LL
nois men saw it more clearly in the ad-
dress at the Bloomington state con-
vention of 1856. This was when the
anti-Nebraska men of the whig and the
democratic organization met and form
ed the republican party Of Illinois, and
placed Lincoln at the head of the cleo
toral ticket.
1t was on this occasion that Lincoln
delivered the address which became
celebrated as the lost speech. because
no authentic record of 1t was pre-
served. Former Senator William Pitt
Kellogg of Washington is one of the
few men still living who was dele
gate to the Bloomington convention
and heard 1.-The lost speech.
With a presidential campaign I'M
pending. some of Lincoln's ideas on the
shaping of issues and the molding of