mr. lincoln had served a term in the house of representatives with credit to himself and profit to the country. he was regarded as a rising man, and every year made him more prominent. it is not strange that his ambition should have coveted a seat in the senate. in 1855 he was a candidate before the legislature to succeed general shields, but, failing to get the required number of votes, he counselled his friends to vote for judge trumbull, who was elected. it was a personal disappointment, for he wished to be senator, but in the end it proved to his advantage. a seat in the senate would have stood in the way of his later triumph, and some one else in all probability would have been nominated and elected president of the united states in 1860.
i have already spoken of mr. lincoln’s opposition{148} to slavery. he was not an extreme man, and he was never classed with the abolitionists—that intrepid band who worked early and late, and for years almost without hope, against the colossal system of wrong whose life seemed so entwined with the life of the republic that it looked as if both must fall together. abraham lincoln moved slowly. he was not an impulsive man, but took time to form a determination. even in the war there were many who blamed him for what appeared to be his slowness, but after a while they were led to see that if slow he was sure, and struck only when the time had come.
the ten years before the war were years of political commotion. the “irrepressible conflict” between slavery and the spirit of freedom had commenced, and abraham lincoln arrayed himself among the champions of freedom. there was a desperate struggle to introduce slavery into the territories, so that in course of time more slave states might be added to the union, and thus the slave system might be strengthened and continue to retain the political ascendency it had possessed for years. the rapid growth of the{149} free northwest alarmed the slave power, and a counterpoise was required. northern statesmen who cherished an ambition to be president had notice served upon them that they must help the slave power or forfeit its support. among those who weakly yielded to this arrogant demand was stephen a. douglas. he favored the principle of “squatter sovereignty,” permitting the inhabitants of any territory to establish slavery within its limits if so disposed. in the year 1854, mr. lincoln, in a public debate with mr. douglas held at springfield at the state fair, used this significant language:
“my distinguished friend says it is an insult to the emigrants to kansas and nebraska to suppose they are not able to govern themselves. we must not slur over an argument of this kind because it tickles the ear. it must be met and answered. i admit that the emigrant to kansas and nebraska is able to govern himself, but,” the speaker rising to his full height, “i deny his right to govern any other person without that person’s consent.”
this was but a preliminary skirmish. four years later came the memorable series of debates{150} between lincoln and douglas, each being the nominee of his party for the united states senate. the platform on which lincoln stood contained two significant planks, and these furnished the key-note for the speeches called forth by the campaign. i quote them both, and i hope that my young friends will not skip them.
“3. the present administration has proved recreant to the trusts committed to its hands, and by its extraordinary, corrupt, unjust, and undignified exertions, to give effect to the original intention and purpose of the kansas-nebraska bill, by forcing upon the people of kansas against their will, and in defiance of their known and earnestly-expressed wishes, a constitution recognizing slavery as one of their domestic institutions, it has forfeited all claim to the support of the friends of free men, free labor, and free rights.”
“5. while we deprecate all interference on the part of political organizations with the action of the judiciary, if such action is limited to its appropriate sphere, yet we can not refrain from expressing our condemnation of the principles and tendencies of the extra judicial opinions of a majority of the judges of the supreme court of the{151} united states in the matter of dred scott, wherein the political heresy is put forth that the federal constitution extends slavery into all the territories of the republic, and so maintains it that neither congress nor people, through their territorial legislature, can by law abolish it. we hold that congress possesses sovereign power over the territories while they remain in a territorial condition, and that it is the duty of the general government to protect the territories from the curse of slavery, and to preserve the public domain for the occupation of free men and free labor. and we declare that no power on earth can carry and maintain slavery in the states against the will of the people and the provisions of their constitutions and laws; and we fully endorse the recent decision of the supreme court of our own state which declares ‘that property in persons is repugnant to the constitution and laws of illinois, and that all persons within its jurisdiction are supposed to be free; and that slavery, where it exists, is a municipal regulation without any extra territorial operation.’ ”
with the other points of difference we are not concerned. whether slavery should or should not{152} be allowed to extend its blight over the virgin soil of the new territories, and thus make its final extinction well-nigh impossible: that was the all-important issue, and not illinois alone, but the country at large, was profoundly interested in the arguments of the two contestants.
which was likely to win?
it might have been supposed at the outset that lincoln would find himself overmatched. he was hardly known outside his own state, though he had served two years in congress. douglas was a statesman of national reputation. for fifteen years he had been in the thick of the conflict. he was a recognized leader of his party, and already he was looked upon as a probable president at no distant period. in scholastic training he was far ahead of mr. lincoln. he was a forcible speaker, an adroit and experienced politician, and his recognized position lent a certain weight to his words which his opponent could not claim.
but, admitting all this, mr. douglas found himself confronted by no inferior antagonist. abraham lincoln had a strong logical mind, quick to detect sophistry and bold to expose it. he had a fine command of language, a clear and pleasant{153} voice, and a power of sarcasm which he used with powerful execution at times. this is the way in which an intelligent correspondent speaks of his speech at galesburg:
“for about forty minutes he spoke with a power which we have seldom heard equalled. there was a grandeur in his thoughts, a comprehensiveness in his arguments, and a binding force in his conclusions, which were perfectly irresistible. the vast throng was silent as death, every eye was fixed upon the speaker, and all gave him serious attention. he was the tall man eloquent; his countenance glowed with animation, and his eye glistened with an intelligence that made it lustrous. he was no longer awkward and ungainly; but graceful, bold, and commanding.
“mr. douglas had been quietly smoking up to this time, but here he forgot his cigar and listened with anxious attention. when he rose to reply he appeared excited, disturbed, and his second effort seemed to us vastly inferior to his first. mr. lincoln had given him a great task, and mr. douglas had not time to answer him, even if he had the ability.”
yet there were many points of resemblance between{154} the two contestants. both had been cradled in poverty, and had fought their way upward from obscurity to distinction. douglas had climbed the higher, but the topmost round of the ladder on which he had for some time fixed longing eyes, he was destined never to mount. he had sacrificed much to reach the crowning distinction, but it was not for him. his awkward, ungraceful opponent, obscure in comparison with him, was destined to stride past him and sit in the coveted seat of power. but the smaller prize—the senatorship—was won by douglas, though lincoln carried the popular vote.
