"
Mr. Lincoln felt constrained to decline, although the office
would doubtless have been very agreeable to him, by reason
of some statements he had made when elected Governor that
he should not be a candidate for the Senate. Mr. Lincoln
might, without dishonor or even indelicacy, have accepted
the office in spite of those utterances. It was quite clear
that all the persons who might be supposed to have acted
upon them, desired his election when the time came on. But
he was a man of scrupulous honor and did not mean to leave
any room for the imputation that he did not regard what is
due to "consistency of character," to use his own phrase.
Now if Mr. Lincoln would have accepted the office it is likely
that he would have held it until his death in 1868. At any
rate it is quite certain that he would have held it until
the political revolution of 1851.
It is quite clear to me that the office of Senator was at
Mr. Lincoln's command. Observe that this was in 1827, and
was the election for the term of six years, ending March 3,
1833. That includes the period of Jackson's great contest
with Nullification, when Mr.
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