the same audiences of the present canvass? Mr. Judd, who will hand you this, is authorized to receive an answer, and, if agreeable to you, to enter into the terms of such arrangement. Your obedient servant, A. Lincoln."

As a result of various circumstances, one of the participants in this mighty political contest, which involved only incidentally the senatorship, has lost much of the prominence that he then enjoyed, while the other has gained the very first place among the political leaders of that period. Later events, too, have justified the stand taken by Lincoln and few would now hesitate, if called upon to express an opinion on the relative merits of the two presentations. But we must be careful not to allow our view of the matter to be distorted by this change in the valuation of the two speakers. If Lincoln was the only debater of whom Douglas was really afraid, we must not overemphasize the positive side of Douglas's statement and ignore the equally important fact

that Douglas was not afraid of any one else except Lincoln. An impartial study of the Debates must lead to the conclusion that the two speakers were very evenly matched and that the immediate success of Douglas and the ultimate triumph of Lincoln were due in the main to conditions over which neither man had any control. The real character of Douglas, too, has been misrepresented by most writers, whose sympathies were for Lincoln. To speak of Douglas as an unscrupulous politician is far beyond the mark. Douglas's splendid support of Lincoln three years later is sufficient vindication of his character and of his patriotism. If a majority of Lincoln's party followers had been as loyal to the President as his former political opponent during the first three months of his administration, his anxieties and troubles would have been sensibly lessened. Chicago did well in erecting a splendid statue to Douglas as well as to Lincoln.

In 1860, the Debates were published in Columbus, Ohio, from short-hand notes, some

minor verbal corrections being made by the authors. In addition to the seven debates, this volume contains five speeches by Lincoln, from 1858 and 1859, and three by Douglas, from July, 1858, together with the correspondence between the two candidates. This book was prepared by the Illinois republican state central committee, from copy furnished by Lincoln and Douglas and it was freely circulated in the presidential campaign.

CHAPTER IV

FROM THE "COOPER INSTITUTE ADDRESS" TO THE "SECOND INAUGURAL"

DURING September, 1859, Lincoln made two long speeches in Ohio, the second one in Cincinnati and addressed in part to the people of his native state across the river. These were regarded as being of sufficient importance to deserve a place in the volume of 1860. This "Cincinnati Speech" opens with a statement that is of interest as showing a remarkable change in relative civic values since then. Although Lincoln had made a short speech in Chicago earlier in the same year he was quite within the truth in stating the following: "This is the first time in my life that I have appeared before an audience in so great a city as this." He had probably forgotten his speech in Boston, in 1848. Both speeches are

unusually free from ornament and each closes abruptly, like the Debates. They are both among the longest of Lincoln's speeches from this period.

The "Cooper Institute Address," of Febru- * ary 27, 1860, is undoubtedly Lincoln's most substantial contribution to political literature, though it is far from being his most brilliant rhetorical performance. With regard to imagination and literary finish the "Peoria Speech," of 1854, and the first "Springfield Speech," of 1858, are superior to it, as are, also, the two "Inaugurals." It contains, however, a few purple patches and its tone is elevated throughout. While much more finished than the Debates, it is, like these, a carefully prepared argument, bristling with facts presented in the most convincing manner possible. Indeed, in the whole range of English oratory there is probably no more successful specimen of argumentation, judged both by literary and logical standards. Only in the concluding sentence do we hear the high literary note so