Legislature at the old executive mansion; the removal of the State capital from the ancient French village of Kaskaskia to Vandalia, and near two decades later to Springfield; the memorable contest for Congress between Cook and McLean, each possessing in large measure the rare gift of eloquence, and both dying lamented in early manhood; the organization of two splendid counties that will keep the honored names of Cook and McLean in the memories of men to the latest posterity; the Black Hawk War and the final treaty of peace which followed the defeat and capture of the renowned Sac chief; the riots at Alton and the assassination of the heroic Lovejoy while defending the right of free speech and of a free press; the advent of the prophet Joseph Smith, the rapid growth of the Mormon Church, its power as a political factor in the State, the building of the million-dollar temple at Nauvoo, the murder of the Mormon prophet, and the final exodus of his adherents to the valley of the Wasatch and the Great Salt Lake; the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, the precursor of grander material achievements soon to follow; the bravery of the Illinois troops during the war with Mexico; the wonderful tide of immigration flowing in from the older States and from Europe; the invaluable services of Senator Douglas in securing the celebrated land grant under which the Illinois Central Railroad was constructed, and Chicago brought into commercial touch with the River Ohio and the States to the southward; the dawn of the era of stupendous agricultural development, and of marvellous activity on all lines, and through all channels of trade; the wonderful growth of Chicago, springing with giant bound, within the span of a single life, from a mere hamlet to be the second city upon the continent; the unparalleled railroad construction, giving Illinois a greater mileage than any one of her sister States; the immense development of its untold mineral resources, and the advance by leaps and bounds along all lines of manufacturing; the impetus given to the higher conception and purpose of human life by the creation of a splendid system of public schools and universities; the establishment of institutions and asylums for the considerate care and relief of the unfortunate and afflicted of our kind; the building of homes 'for him who hath borne the battle and for his orphan'; the masterful debates between Lincoln and Douglas, the prelude to events destined to give pause to the world, and to change the trend of history. And, to crown all, how, when the nation's life was in peril, Illinois, true to her covenant under the great Ordinance that had given her being, gave one illustrious son to the chief magistracy of his country, another to the captaincy of its armies, and sent her soldier heroes by myriads along every pathway of danger and of glory. "As one standing, alas, 'upon the western slope,' let me adjure the young men of this magnificent county - my home for more than half a century - to study thoroughly the history of our own State, and of the grand republic of which it is a part. Illinois, in all that constitutes true grandeur in a people, knows no superior among the great sisterhood of States. Her pathway from the beginning has been luminous with noble achievement. It is high privilege and high honor to be a citizen of this grand republic. It is in very truth a government of the people, in an important sense a government standing separate and apart; its foundations the morality, the intelligence, the patriotism of the people. Never forget that citizenship in such a government carries with it tremendous responsibility, a responsibility that we cannot evade. Study thoroughly how our liberties were achieved, and the benefits of stable government secured by the great compact which for more than a century, in peace and during the storm and stress of war, has held States and people in indissoluble union; and how, during the great civil conflict- the most stupendous the world has known - human liberty, through baptism of blood, obtained a new and grander meaning, and the Union established by our fathers was made, as we humbly trust in God, enduring for all time." THE END A INDEX Abbott, Governor, 242 Adams, John Quincy, 14, 31, 76, Alien and Sedition Laws, 79 Allison, Senator, 227 Alschuler, Hon. Samuel, 302 Ames, Fisher, 159 Amnesty Bill, General, 12, 19, 23 Archer, Representative, 39 B Bainbridge, Captain, 149 251-255| Baker, Senator E. D., 93, 96, 167, Baldwin, Judge, 41, 183, 311, 386, Beauregard, General, 101 385 Belknap, General, 13, 79 Bingham, John A., 263, 266, 267 Black, Judge, 13 Blackburn, J. C. S., 18, 36-38 Blaine, James G., 12, 18-21, 23, "Blind Preacher," see Milburn, Blodgett, Judge, 205 Bloomington, Ill., 401, 414-417 Blount, Representative, 159 Boggs, Governor, 205 Bonaparte, Napoleon, 84, 85, 88 Bond, Governor Shadrack, 171, 184 Booth, Wilkes, 303, 304 Boutwell, George S., 263, 265 Branch, John, 141, 143, 144 Breckenridge, Senator John C., 36, Breckenridge, Rev. Dr., 407 Breese, Sidney, 98, 102, 104, 339 Brown, Welcome P., 379 Browning, Hon. Orville H., 93, 96, Bryan, William J., 315-317 Buena Vista, battle of, 95, 171, 214, Bullock, Rev. Dr., 29 Burgess, Tristram, 55 Burns, John, 274 Beck, Senator James B., 36, 384, Burr, Aaron, 60, 63, 75, 76, 79, Bell, John, 102, 194, 339 Benjamin, Senator, 114, 423 Bennett, William, 170, 185, 186, 431 Berrien, J. M., 141, 143, 144 158, 160-166 Burr, Rev. Aaron, 161 Burr, Mrs. Edith, 161 Burr, Theodosia, 166 Butler, Benjamin F., 80, 125, 263, Butler, Rev. Dr., 37 Butterfield, Justin, 408-410 Butterworth, Hon. Benjamin, 52, | Collins, General, 285 53 Bynum, Representative, 151 C Cadwallader, Colonel, 156 Calhoun, John C., 61, 102, 104, 143, Cannon, Hon. Joseph G., 23, 24, Carlin, Governor, 195 Carlisle, Representative, 53, 54, Carpenter, Hon. Matthew H., 13 Cartwright, Peter, 229-238, 290, Cass, Senator, 154, 194, 224, 339, Caton, John D., 97 Chandler, Senator, 37 Charleston convention of 1860, 108, Chase, Justice, 79 Chase, Senator, 114, 339, 423 Chickamauga National Park, 376 Cilley, Jonathan, 150, 151, 152, 153, Clark, Daniel, 136 Clark, George Rogers, 84, 356, 428 Clay, Henry, 6, 19, 31, 36, 54, 75, 86, 94, 95, 97, 98, 103, 104, 106, Cleveland, Grover, 51, 54, 239-245, Clinton, DeWitt, 157, 158, 159 Cobb, Howell, 98 Code of honor, the 146-173 Colquitt, Senator, 66 Columbus, Christopher, 342, 343,364 Conger, Representative, 32 27th, 130-134 44th, 1st Session, 12, 13 44th, 2nd Session, 13-46 46th, 47-56, 128 Constitution of the United States, the, 67, 69-73; twelfth amend- Convention of 1787, 67, 69-72 Covert, Hon. James W., 48, 49 Crawford, William H., 76, 94, 139, Crisp, Speaker, 334 Crittenden, Senator John J., 36, 97, Curtis, Benjamin R., 80, 264 D Dallas, George M., 61, 102, 129 Davis, Jefferson, 19, 102, 114, 171, 260, 266, 272, 325, 381, 423 Donnelly, Hon. Ignatius, 217 154, 205, 213, 226, 238, 246, 247, Drake Constitution, 295–301 |