braska doctrine. Lincoln, through the influence of his friend Herndon, was given extravagant praise in the Journal of Springfield, but his speech created no widespread comment throughout the state such as Herndon would have us believe.'

[Illinois Journal, Springfield, October 5, 1854]

HON. A. LINCOLN'S SPEECH

Agreeably to previous notice, circulated in the morning by hand bill, Hon. A. Lincoln delivered a speech yesterday, at the State House, in the Hall of Representatives in reply to the speech of Senator Douglas, of the preceding day. Mr. L. commenced at 2 o'clock, P. M., and spoke above three hours, to a very large, intelligent and attentive audience. Judge Douglas had been invited by Mr. Lincoln to be present and to reply to Mr. Lincoln's remarks, if he should think proper to do so. And Judge Douglas was present, and heard Mr. Lincoln throughout.

Mr. Lincoln closed amid immense cheers. He had nobly and triumphantly sustained the cause of a free people, and won a place in their hearts as a bold and powerful champion of equal rights for American citizens, that will in all time be a monument to his honor. Mr. Douglas replied to Mr. Lincoln, in a speech of about two hours. It was adroit, and plausible, but had not the marble of logic in it.

[Illinois Journal, Springfield, October 10, 1854]

LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS

The debate between these two men came off in the State House on the fifth of October. The Hall of the House of Representatives in which the speaking was heard, was crowded to overflowing. The number present was about two thousand. Mr. Lincoln commenced at 2 o'clock P. M., and spoke three hours and ten minutes.

We propose to give our views and those of many northerners and many southerners upon the debate. We intend to give it as fairly as we can. Those who know Mr. Lincoln, know him to be a conscien

.....

"At this time I was zealously interested in the new movement, and not less so than in Lincoln. I frequently wrote the editorials in the Springfield Journal Many of the editorials I wrote were intended directly or indirectly to promote the interests of Lincoln."-Herndon's Life of Lincoln, II, 36, 38.

tious and honest man, who makes no assertions that he does not know to be true.

It was a proud day for Lincoln. His friends will never forget it. The news had gone abroad that "Lincoln was afraid to meet Douglas;" but when he arose, his manly and fearless form shut up and crushed out the charge. We will not soon forget his appearance as he bowed to the audience, and looked over the vast sea of human heads.

Douglas arose and commenced his answers to Mr. Lincoln-and his eloquence can only be compared to his person-false and brusque. He is haughty and imperative, his voice somewhat shrill and his manner positive;-now flattering, now wild with excess of madness. That trembling fore-finger, like a lash, was his whip to drive the doubting into the ranks. He is a very tyrant.—

When he arose he most evidently was angry for being bearded in the Capitol, and if we judge not wrongly, we affirm that he is conscious of his ruin and doom. The marks and evidences of desolation are furrowed in his face,-written on his brow.

I

Lincoln next followed Douglas to Peoria and replied to him at that point, October 16, 1854. A fortnight later elections were held for members of the state legislature who would choose in joint session a fellow-senator for Douglas from Illinois.

SENATORIAL ELECTION OF 1854

The legislative elections proved unfortunate for the indorsement of Douglas and brought a large number of antiNebraska men into the joint assembly. It seemed that Lincoln's senatorial aspirations were in a fair way to be realized; but at the last moment it was found necessary to elect Judge Trumbull, an anti-Nebraska Democrat, to prevent the choice falling upon Governor Matteson, who was not sound on opposition to the extension of slavery in Kansas.

Nicolay and Hay, Complete Works, I, 180.

[Illinois Journal, Springfield, February 9, 1855]
SENATORIAL ELECTION

Trumbull Elected-The Anti-Nebraska Sentiment of Illinois Vindicated The Senatorial election took place on yesterday. Abraham

Lincoln had by far the largest number of votes on the first ballot: but it having become apparent that he could not be elected, his friends to a man, with his entire approbation, united on a candidate that could be, and was, elected. Every vote Judge Trumbull received came from anti-Nebraska and anti-Douglas men. Thus has the State of Illinois rebuked the authors of the repeal of the Missouri restriction.— They have done it in a manner that will be felt, not only in this State, but throughout the nation. The Douglas party would have greatly preferred the election of Lincoln, William Ogden, Kellogg, or Sweet, to that of Judge Trumbull. They were most anxious to crush him for daring to be honest.

Of Mr. Lincoln, we need scarcely say, that though ambitious of the office himself,-when it was apparent that he could not be elected, he pressed his friends to vote for Mr. Trumbull.-Mr. Lincoln's friends can well say, that while with his advice they ultimately cast their votes for, and assisted in the election of Mr. Trumbull, it was not "because they loved Caesar less, but because they loved Rome more."

It has long been certain that there was an anti-Nebraska majority in the Legislature. The Douglas men were certain of this fact-and their anticipated "triumph," as announced by Mr. Moulton in the House, was based on the known popularity of Gov. Matteson personally, which would give their votes for him and which would ensure his election.

Although Herndon and Lincoln's other friends attempted in these complimentary terms to soften the blow of his defeat, he felt keenly the sacrifice he had been compelled to make for a man who had been until recently his political enemy, "I regret my defeat moderately," he wrote to a friend, "but am not nervous about it." Quite naturally he would be given a chance when the next senatorial vacancy occurred and that would be four years hence.

Nicolay and Hay, op. cit., 215.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1856

As the presidential year of 1856 came on, the old line Whigs and anti-Nebraska men were fused into the new Republican party through spontaneous conventions held in the different northern states. In Illinois, "People's" conventions assembled in the counties and named delegates to a state convention which was held in Springfield in May, representing "those regardless of party who oppose the further extension of slave territory and who wish to curb the rising pretentions of the slave oligarchy." Among the prominent men present was Abraham Lincoln, who spoke at the close of the convention. Reporters afterward testified that the spell of his simple oratory was so entrancing that they forgot their tasks and the speech went unreported. In later years it was written out from memory by one of the hearers and became known as "Lincoln's lost speech," being the subject of no little controversy.

[Illinois Journal, Springfield, June 3, 1856]
HON. A. LINCOLN

During the recent session of the State anti-Nebraska Convention, the Hon. A. Lincoln of this city made one of the most powerful and convincing speeches which we have ever heard. The editor of the Chicago Press, thus characterizes it:

Abram Lincoln of Springfield was next called out, and made the speech of the occasion. Never has it been our fortune to listen to a more eloquent and masterly presentation of a subject. I shall not mar any of its fine proportions or brilliant passages by attempting even a synopsis of it. Mr. Lincoln must write it out and let it go before all the people. For an hour and a half he held the assemblage spell-bound by the power of his argument, the intense irony of his invective, and the deep earnestness and fervid brilliancy of his eloquence. When he concluded, the audience sprang to their feet, and cheer after cheer told how deeply their hearts had been touched, and their souls warmed up to a generous enthusiasm.

In the Democratic national convention which met at Cincinnati, June 2, 1856, Douglas on one ballot received 121 votes, but the nomination eventually went to James

Buchanan. In the Republican national convention, which met at Philadelphia, two weeks later, Lincoln was given 110 votes on the informal vote for the vice-presidency, but Dayton was nominated. Lincoln headed the list of Illinois electors for Fremont and Dayton. During the campaign, Douglas took the stump for Buchanan and Lincoln for Fremont. After the defeat of Fremont, Lincoln said in a speech at a banquet in Chicago: "In the late contest we were divided between Fremont and Buchanan. Can we not come together in the future? Let bygones be bygones; let past differences be as nothing; and with steady eye on the real issue, let us re-inaugurate the good old 'central ideas' of the republic. We can do it. The human heart is with us; God is with us."

In June, of the following year, 1857, Douglas spoke in Springfield on current political topics and two weeks later Lincoln answered him at the same place.