Show ah L arm I 1 99 D abak adak ah alk amick mew loom A h 4 X vw V A NV 1 41 A 71 I 1 al j oaf tr ot o t by ELMO SCOTT WATSON of the radio it will be possible for millions of americans americana during the next two and one half months to listen to herbert 0 hoover and alfred B E smith discuss the issues in the 1928 presidential cam campaign palin but it Is doubtful it if the contest this year bearr tor for all the millions who will hear its various issues debated ahl excite tho the intense bi tense 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 lin coln coin douglas debates held in seven illinois cities an n august september and october 1858 one of the most picturesque tur esque and important incidents in nil flu american political history the opponents for tile the office of united states senator from illinois hum harn lf lincoln LIn coIn db douglas u gin WM 1 was tile the 9 democratic emo incumbent seeking reelection election re at the age of forty five he was a national figure having served three terms in the house of representatives and 12 years in the senate only five feet two inches tall ho he was known as the little giant a man of great personal charm with his clarion voice his dominating way of tossing his mane of curly black hair his napoleonic leonle frown and Ms hla gift of oratory inherited from the school of daniel webster and henry clay he had been a poor boy on a new england farm working ills his way up by his own indomitable effort to a position of wealth and great influence he was the author of the kansas nebraska a bill which land had reopened the old slavery dispute after it had apparently been settled by the compromises of 1820 and 1850 50 and this measure which had an appeal to both northern and southern democrats he fondly hoped would make him the democrats next candidate for the presidency ills ilia republican opponent abraham lincoln apparently lacked everything which douglas had to make him it a popular and appealing public figure at tile the age cf f forty nine he was a tall gaunt awkward appearing country lawyer who had bad been a popular enough political speaker to have served in the illinois legislature and one term in congress but he be was virtually unknown outside the borders of his own state and even two years later a new york paper was referring to him as a third rate western lawyer 1 who cannot speak good grammar against the advice adelco of seward and greeley the sages in the newly formed republican party the illinois republicans had bad nominated him for senator against douglas dougl when he accepted the nomination in a speech nt at springfield eld he threw something of a bombac into hla his own political camp when against the advice of ills his conservative fi friends lends he declared 1 A house divided against itself cannot stand I 1 believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free I 1 do not expect the union to be dissolved I 1 do not expect tile tie house to tall fall but I 1 do expect it will cease to be divided it will become all one thing or till nil the other either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it nod and st louis university football authorities have started negotiations for contests with the university of pittsburgh and indiana university for 1029 1929 battling levinsky ex lightweight tham champion plou holds a record of of having fought 59 times 1 in one year a mark which probably will never be equalled equal led james alliton AI Ilton who la Is the official starter at all of Ma Mil rylands mile millrace mi lerace race tracks has baa never wagered a single panny on a horse since he become became as euc with the sport of kings kinga 7 11 1 1 F A YA ar af T lox E ll 11 C L J W 44 A ao 7 ji aloro 0 4 ahn jh ho A canil rest in the bellef belief that it Is the course of ultimate extinction or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become lawful alike in all the states old as well us as new north as well as south As the campaign campal gri progressed lincoln began to trail douglas whose supporters with their bands and torchlight processions professions process ions in the leading cities of the state were making a powerful impression upon the electorate dently douglas had 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 lie 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 fiote from chicago to douglas suggesting that they divide the time and address the ahe same audiences during the campaign c am paig n douglas did not want to debate with lincoln for or from the speeches lincoln had already made in reply to his he realized the strength of honest abes abels logic but to refuse might lose the election so EO he be agreed nor did Lincol ns friends view the idea with any particular enthusiasm thusia sm true lincoln had met and skillfully refuted all of douglas arguments but they were fearful chrt in a joint debate deba tein in which the voters would have a chance to see the two men side by side their candidate would show to but poor advantage when compared to the brilliant douglas however the arrangements arrange menta were made according to douglas terms for seven debates one in each of the seven 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 douglas the advantage of four openings and closings to Lincol ns three lincoln agreed to the terms for as lie he said humorously sly my consenting to it was not whole wholly unselfish for I 1 suspected if it were understood that tile judge was entirely done you democrats would leave and not uw me manager bill mccorry of the albany senators has released jimmy ilcken aleh en as second string catcher taking taic on gus stedmon Re dinon who had find been recently made a free agent by nashville of the llie southern dengue pr president eside rif lier nian J reed jells umpire gene cene after th latter had dad in a fist ast fight fiet with will manager uger billy stewart of the waterbury team pep fasce a young C collegian oll eglan who did aid some good work last year was appointed POInted OP in sullivans Sulliva nl place j tn shut hy alving him film the close I 1 felt confident conr you would stay 16 for r the fun ot hearing him skin me the debates were held as follows ottawa lasalle county august 21 1858 freeport stephenson county august 27 jonesboro Jone union county pep september 15 charleston coles county september Septem boer 18 galesburg knox county october 7 quincy adams county october 13 and alton alada son county october I 1 15 5 As the debates progressed it soon became apparent how groundless were the fears of Lincol ns friends that ho he could not hold his own with the little giant 11 the humor which had made honest abell abe such a favorite when he was riding the circuit was used time and again with telling effect against his opponent on one occasion after douglas had thrilled and swayed his audience with ills his oratory ory and sat down nold in a storm of applause lincoln rose and drawling drawing himself to his full height slowly took off his coat a gesture which in the pioneer settlements meant business handing it to some of his frien friends he said here boys I 1 hold my raiment while I 1 go lo in and stone atone stephen Step henl t amid a sale gale of laughter from those people who knew their bible he be did stone stephen with facts I 1 long before the debates were over it was apparent to all who heard them that for once douglas had met ills his match through all the windings and turnings of the debates there shone forth the fundamental tact fact that douglas was the disciple of expediency and of trimming and that lincoln S was tho the exponent of protest against wrong and the proponent of the right at the second debate the tha one at freeport douglos douglas scaled his bis political fate lincoln i forced douglas dougla to quibble on the effect of the Dread satt scott decision and th the e south labeled him a double dealer whom it could not trust although douglas eventually won the election to the senate he had killed his chances ro for r the PresIdency in 1800 lincoln ld had lost the 06 lesser prize in 1858 but tie fie won the greater one two years later one ona of the things which helped him film dj di it was his part lu 16 the historic lincoln douglas debates which hach led some to prophesy even then that they had find sounded tile the death knoll knell of slavery and paved the way for tile the ele election cletion tion of lincoln to the presidency of tle the united states W |