The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-12
"HOn Abe. Visited Kansas
During Fight of 1859.
Spent Several Days During
December of That Year.
FITTED into KANSAS LIFE
Met Pioneers With Complete
Understanding OF Problems.
First Address Was at ElWOOd
on December 1.

President Abraham Lincoln never
visited Kansas. But Hon Abe Lin
coin" as was his title in 1889, was on
the ground floor Of the fight which
made Kansas free state in the cleo
ton Of that year. when Kansas was
voting on the adoption of state con-
stitutiou and the election Of state
officers
Visited Here in 1889.
Lincoln spent several days in the
northeastern portion OF the state IN
December. 1853. and made several
speeches against slavery, and for t1e
Republican party.
that day. He had been pioneer him
self. and he was able to meet the plo-
ueers Of the state on their own pane
with a complete understanding OF tne1r
own problems and the coLol-ionA
which they were forced TO meet.
His first address on Kansas SOIL was
delivered at EIwOod. on December l.
of the year mentioned during N
first six DAYS OF that month ne spoke
at Troy. Doniphan- Slockton' Lea' n
worth and Atchisou-
ALREADY a national figure. Lincoln
advent into the state acquired a Sood
deal OF attention. and members OF ooLL-
the free and the pro-slaVery IacI-o.is
drove for many. miles across s eii7
frozen prafrfes to hear MS address,
Tire Republican presidential cau9l-
6ate and the party with him, droEs
from poirr TO point wrapped n o uL
|aIo robes. and Lincoln hirnseiL IIo@7
one of his hands while at Troy
difficulty in Atchison-
AZ Atchisou there was consldera ote
difficulty in securing pace , n
lincoln ruigh- speak The Metnoo-S-
church was finally selected, Dur y re-
CURED some very. persuasive eloquence
from the politicians to get the cnurch
suthoritfe5 TO permit the use OF the
building for a political meeting
While the Kansans whose guests ne
was were scurrying around looking
for a place for the address, Lincoln
vas sitting in the lobby of the old
Msssasoft house, swapping rern1Ills-
erras OF early Kentucky days with
Col. P. T Abel. who. like himself. nad
been born in Kentucky and nad l4ler
moved to Illinois Colonel Abel was
then regarded as the leader OF the pro
slavery faction Of the Kansas terri
tory
\ similar scene was enacted az
Tsa,-eri worth. where the coming pres1-
dent was gwen a room II the Pan
ter's hotel He left the hotel room
after he had finished his address and
wen. across the street TO a room &C
cuoied by one of the men who had
Welcomed him and they sat up half
the night. with two or three others
who dropped in, telling yarns and
just talking"
Burned Government Reports
It was a bitter cold night, and the
wood stove. VII ch was the accepted
heating plant for Kansas at that day,
which had been stored up for II
There happened to be stored in the
room several sacks OF reports from
the government patent office At
Washington. exceedingly dry affairs /
and bulky. Rather than skirrish for
more wood in the storm outside. the
participants IN the talkfesr set 70 burn
ing the reports. and when they were
all gone Lincoln returned to his room
and went 70 bed.
Following the accepted rule of pro-
cedure in such cases, the Atchisou !
committee desired to show Lincoln
the town" Il light be conceived that I
in 1853 that was not a task Of great
length. but Lincoln kept the team and
carriage which was to have carried /
him about the place waiting for two
hours while he told and listened TO
stories in the hotel
Talked About slavery.
Lincoln confined the subject matter
OF his addresses strictly to slavery at
all Of the Kansas towns in which he
spoke He declined u talk Of the
more local matters. saying that he did
not know enough about them to speak
ON than
There was no effort to be oratorfcal
in his speeches. which have been de-
scrfbed as just 4 clear. f0rCefuI. logical .
analysis of the slavery question. which
appealed TO pro-sIaverv and anti
slavery forces alike The Atchison
--Ssquatter Sovereign the only news
paper in AtchisOn at that time was
pro-slavery. and following the ostrich
like policy Of the old fashioned edf-
tor, forbore 10 mention SO much as
the fact that Lincoln had been in
town
But editorial policy was seldom
against the acceptation of lob work
from either side Of 4 political fight.
The 'Squatter Sovereign office ac-
Cepted The commission OF printing the
posters which announced the address
Topckan Attended Meeting.
Frank A Root. OF Topeka. then a
printer in the office OF the Squatter
Sovereign. had the work of setting I'D
the posters and running them off for
the Lincoln speech, and that night at
tended the address al the church.
Lincolu's presentation of the case
against slavery undoubtedly had a
heavy effect in the voting on the state
officers and the state constitution
which came the day after he had re-
turned TO Illinois.