Show we lincoln douglas by ELMO SCOTT WATSON of the radio it aul wul y ir be possible for millions of fal americans during the next 1 a two an one half months 6 to listen to herbert 0 hoover and alfred E smith the issues in the 1928 presidential campaign but it Is doubtful it the contest this year tor all the millions who will bear its various issues debated will excite the intense interest and have the far reaching results in our history that a senatorial campaign in illinois did just 70 years ago this summer for it was during that campaign that there took place the now famous series of lincoln douglas debates held in seven illinois cities in august september and october 1858 one of the most picturesque tur esque and important incidents in all american political history the opponents for the office of united states senator from illinois were stephen A douglas and abraham lincoln douglas was the democratic incumbent seeking election reelection re at the age of forty alv he was a national figure having served three terms in the house of representatives and 12 years in the senate only five teet two inches tall he was known as the little giant a mau of great per bonal charm with his clarion voice his dominating way of tossing his of curly black hair his napo iconic frown and his gift of oratory inherited from the school of daniel webster and henry clay he lad been a poor boy on a new england farm working his way up by his own in effort to a position of wealth and great influence he was the author of the kansas abraska eb bill which had reopened the old slavery dispute after it had apparently been settled by the compromises of 1820 and 1850 and this measure which biad an appeal to both northern and southern democrats he fondly hoped would make him the democrats next candidate for the presidency his republican opponent abraham lincoln apparently lacked everything which douglas had to make him a popular and appealing public figure at the age t forty nine he was a tall gaunt awkward appearing country lawyer who bad been a popular enough political speaker to have served in the illinois legislature and one term in congress but he was virtually unknown outside the borders of his own state and even two years later a new york was referring to him as a third rate western lawyer who cannot speak good grammar against the advice of seward and greeley the sadea in the newly formed party the illinois republicans had nominated him tor senator against douglas when he accepted the nomination in a speech at springfield he threw something of a bombshell bomb shel into his own political camp when against the ad vice of bis conservative friends he de charod A house divided against itself can not stand I 1 believe this government cannot endure permanently halt slave and halt tree I 1 do not expect the union to be dissolved I 1 do not expect the bouse to fall but I 1 do expect it will cease to be it will become all one thing or all the other either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and Ta place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it Is the courso of ultimate extinction or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become lawful alike in all the states old as 11 ell as new north as well as south As the campaign progressed lincoln began to trail douglas whose supporters with their bands and torch light professions processions process ions in the leading cities of the state were making a powerful impression upon the electorate dently douglas bad another powerful ally in his beautiful young wife a grandniece of dolly madison whose mere presence gained votes for her husband sometimes at the end of a douglas meeting lincoln would rise and announce when and where he would make his reply sometimes dodgers of the lincoln meeting would be handed out to the douglas crowd as it dispersed finally lincoln decided to challenge douglas to a joint debate and on july he wrote a note from chicago to douglas suggesting that they divide the time and address the same audiences during the campaign douglas did not want to debate with lincoln for from the speeches lincoln had already made in reply to his he realized the strength of honest abes logic but to refuse might lose the election so he agreed nor did Lincol ns friends view the idea with any particular en true lincoln had met and skillfully refuted all of douglas ments but they were fearful that in a joint debate in which the voters would have a cliance to see the two men side by side their candidate would show to but poor advantage when compared to the brilliant douglas however the were made according to douglas terms for seven debates one in each of the seven congressional districts douglas was to speak one hour at the first lincoln to reply for an hour and a half and douglas to close with a half hour rebuttal at the second lincoln was to have the opening and closing speeches and so on alternately and although this arrangement gave dou glas the advantage of four openings and closings to lincoln s three alln coin agreed to the terms for as he said humorously my consenting to it was not wholly unselfish for I 1 suspected it it were understood that the judge was entirely done you democrats would leave and not hear roe but by giving him the close I 1 felt confident yon would stay for the fun oi hearing him skin me the debates were held as follow ottawa lasalie county august 21 1858 freeport stephenson county august 27 jonesboro Jone union county september 15 charleston coles conn ty september 18 galesburg knox county october 7 quincy adalu county october 13 and alton madl son county october 15 As the debates progressed it jooa became apparent how groundless were the fears of Lincol ns friends that he could not hold his own with the latla giant the humor which bad nada honest abe such a favorite when hi was riding the circuit was used time and again with telling effect against his opponent on one occasion after douglas had thrilled and swayed hla audience with his oratory and sat down amid a storm of applause lla coin rose and drawing himself to alla full height slowly took off bis coat gesture which in the pioneer settlements meant business handing it to some of his friends he said here boys I 1 hold my raiment while I 1 go to and stone stephen I 1 amid a gale ri laughter from those people who kaew their bible he did stone stephena alth facts 1 long before the debates were over it was apparent to all who beard them that tor once douglas bad met ab nb match through all the windings and turnings of the debates there shone forth the fundamental tact that dougla was the disciple of expediency and cl trimming and that lincoln was the exponent of protest against wrong and the proponent of the right at the iw ond debate the one at freeport douglas sealed his political fate W coin forced douglas to quibble on W effect of the dread scott decision ana the south labeled him a double dealer whom it could not trust although douglas eventually won the election to the senate he had kl his chances for the presidency in lincoln had lost the lesser prize u 1858 but he won the greater one tiro bears later one of the things helped him dj it was his part to t historic lincoln douglas debates led some to prophesy even then ts they had sounded the death 1 neu slavery and the way for v of lincoln to the of the united states w |