Boys' and Girls' Biography of Abraham Lincoln

by James H. Shaw

One of the political doctrines of Mr. Douglas was called "Squatter Sovereignty." It meant that in the new territories and states being added to the Union, that if they wanted slavery there, the people could vote to have it or they could vote not to have it. Mr. Lincoln was opposed to this, and wanted no more slave states added to the Union. He challenged Mr. Douglas, as the representative of Illinois in the United States senate to a joint debate. Mr. Douglas finally agreed, and they held seven wonderful debates in different parts of the state. Great crowds came from far and near to hear them. They were drawn by the fame of Mr. Douglas, who rode on special trains and had bands of music, and cannons fired off when he entered the town. Mr. Lincoln often rode in the caboose of a freight train or was hauled over-land in the wagon of some farmer friend. The people, when they had heard these debates, went home and talked them over, and it was seen that two wonderful men had met in the political battlefield. Mr. Douglas seemed just as able as Mr. Lincoln, and they said so; but they saw Mr. Lincoln was right, and standing by a principle, while Douglas was wrong, and compromising with a principle. Mr. Douglas did receive the Democratic nomination for president although his party split.

These debates and Mr. Lincoln's right stand made him suddenly famous. His fame spread rapidly over the whole country east and west. He was asked to go and speak in New York city in Cooper Institute, and delivered a wonderful address there and at other places in the East. He came to Bloomington, Illinois and delivered a speech in which he said: "As long as Almighty God reigns and the school children read, this foul, black lie of African slavery shall not continue; it shall not remain half slave and half free." Mr. Seward, of New York, a great statesman, who was the author of the famous "irrepressible conflict" expression was thought to be the man who would be nominated for president by the Republican party which had taken the place of the Whig party and was standing stronger against slavery. There were several others, like Mr. Chase, of Ohio, and Mr. Stanton, who it was thought might also receive the nomination. Some were advocating Mr. Lincoln for vice president; but he said he would not have that. The Illinois state convention met at Decatur, and in the midst of it, some men came in carrying a banner supported by two fence rails on which was this: "Abraham Lincoln, the rail candidate for president in 1860. Two rails from a lot of three thousand made in 1830 by Thomas Hanks and Abraham Lincoln, whose father was the first pioneer of Macon county." This created a wonderful excitement, and the vote of Illinois became in favor of Lincoln as the nominee for president.

A large, rough building was erected in Chicago, called the Wigwam, in which the Republican convention was held. Large delegations with bands of music came on special trains from all over the country. The excitement was great. Illinois sent thousands to shout for Mr. Lincoln. The hotels were packed with noisy people. Banners and mottes in profusion floated from the business houses and public buildings. But a small part of the crowd could get into the Wigwam, although it held several thousand. Mr. Seward, of New York, the author of "the irrepressible conflict" was the most popular and most noted of the candidates and it was thought he would receive the nomination. The Illinois men and Mr. Lincoln's friends started to work for Mr. Lincoln's nomination. They worked day and night, scarcely eating or sleeping. The first ballot showed Mr. Seward to be considerably ahead but not enough to win. Then breaking began on the following ballots from the smaller candidates to Mr. Lincoln, and he received a majority of the votes and was nominated as the Republican candidate for president May 16, 1860. A man was on top of the Wigwam; as soon as the result of the last ballot was announced he shouted to a man on the edge of the building, "Fire the salute, Lincoln is nominated." He passed it on to others. Soon the bells began to ring, cannon were fired and the people on the streets were wild with enthusiasm.

Mr. Douglas received the Democratic nomination, but that party split and Mr. Breckenridge was nominated by a few. There was now the direct conflict between the extension and non-extension of slavery. Mr. Lincoln became very much worked up on the slavery question, and talking to Dr. Bateman, whose room, as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, was next his in the capital at Springfield, he said:

"I know there is a God, and he hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm coming. I know that His hand is in it. If He has a place for me and work for me and I think He has—I believe I am ready. I am nothing, but truth is everything. I know I am right because I know that liberty is right, for Christ teaches it and Christ is God. I have told them that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and Christ and reason say the same and they will find it so. Douglas don't care whether slavery is voted up or down, but God cares and humanity cares and I care; and with God's help I shall not fail. I may not see the end, but it will come and I shall be vindicated and these men will find that they have not read their Bible right."

The election came off in November, and Mr. Lincoln found the people had read their Bibles' right on slavery and elected him by a tremendous majority.

March 4, 1861, Mr. Lincoln stood at the Capitol building to deliver his inaugural address as president of the United States. He did not see a place to put his hat and Mr. Douglas reached forward, took it and held it while Mr. Lincoln spoke.

Now you see the outcome of these two men. One compromised with this great principle, and, after thus holding the hat of his successful rival, who would not compromise with the principle, went out and died a few months afterward with a broken heart for his lost ambition. Before he died, however, Mr. Douglas became an outspoken defender of the Union and opposed to the war of the rebellion. On the other hand, Mr. Lincoln, true to this principle suffered defeat for many years, but in the end won the greatest honor and became the greatest president of our nation. It pays to be true to principle, no matter how unpopular it may be and though seeming defeat of our ambitions stare us in the face. "This above all things, to thine own self be true," was the wise advice of Polonius to his son in Shakespeare's play of Hamlet.

The preceding president had been favorable to the South and slavery and many of their men were in command of the military posts and other important parts. The navy was scattered to distant ports and large quantities of arms and ammunition were stored in the Southern forts. The election of Mr. Lincoln seemed to anger the Southern men beyond endurance and there were loud threats of secession. When he delivered his inaugural address he saw many scowling, angry faces in front of him. In great kindness he appealed to them and his last thought was very beautiful when he said:

"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, are the momentous issues of civil war.