"
In the campaign of 1840 Lincoln and Douglas came more frequently than
ever into conflict. At that time the local issues, which had formerly
engaged Illinois candidates almost entirely, were lost sight of in
national questions. In Springfield, where the leaders of the parties
were living, many hot debates were held in private. Out of these grew,
in December, 1839, a series of public discussions, extending over
eight evenings, and in which several of the first orators of the
State took part. Lincoln was the last man on the list. The people were
nearly worn out before his turn came, and his audience was small. He
began his speech with some melancholy, self-deprecatory reflections,
complaining that the small audience cast a damp upon his spirits which
he was sure he would be unable to overcome during the evening. He
did better than he expected, overcoming the damp on his spirits so
effectually that he made what was regarded as the best speech of the
series; and by a general request, it was printed for distribution. The
speech is peculiarly interesting from the fact that while there is
a little of the perfervid eloquence of 1840 in it, as well as a good
deal of the rather boisterous humor of the time, a part of it is
devoted to a careful examination of the statements of his opponents,
and a refutation of them by means of public documents.
Pages:
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79