Show I inin iI nin the Le i I z T pc- pc r 7 7 I h G 4 IZ 7 WA WAY h A Av r r C i Y 7 f fr fy fC v y I S 4 b y LIncon In 1640 I a Lincoln in 1 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON C CN N FEBRUARY 12 1833 the Illinois In session In the little littletown I 7 legislature town of Vandalla was In the last last- lastly I i ly minute rush o of finishing up cep It its Its C work before adjourning That day dayS one of Its members was twenty six years ears old but It Is doubtful If It he r 1 paid much attention to the anni annl- anniversary anniversary Nor or Is It likely that his legis fellow It if Indeed the they knew about It took the trouble trouble to congratulate him and wish him many many happy returns of ot the clay For he was just nn an obscure member of the lower house bouse from Sanga- Sanga mon Sanga mon county countr Ue lIe had been an nn honest but unsuccessful store store- storekeeper storekeeper keeper In the little hamlet of New Salem nn and n a captain of ot volunteers In the Black Hawk war be he had bad won on no particular distinction In that unimportant conflict nor had hal his brief military career helped him much politically An unsuccessful unsuccessful candidate for lor the legislature In the au- au autumn au autumn of 1832 he lie had split rails and done Ilone varIous other odd jobs to make a living while studying law Jaw by himself Chosen postmaster of New Sn- Sn Sa Salem lem em be he hat hail been heen successful In his second st-cond attempt to win a n sent seat In the general assembly but dur dur- durIng dur- dur during ing lag the session now v coming to a close he had done Ilone nothing to single him out amon among his fel- fel fellows fel fellows lows as a comer They knew him as ns a droll fellow who could set seta seta seta a group ofT off Into a gale of laughter with one of Ms his funny stories told In his pitch high pitched high ell sing sing- singsong singsong song nasal voice Yes Abe Lincoln was good company but there was no reason to believe that he be would ever er become famous lamous So the fact that February 12 was his birthday didn't mean meana mean a n thing to the men who sat beside him In a room Ie Ia the little two two-stor two story brick building In Vane Van Vandalla the dalia-the dalla the capital of the sovereign so state of Illi- Illi Illinois Illi Illinois nois If Jr they could have bae looked Into the future and seen hO how that date was observed in every part of the United States how their eyes would have hae bulled bulged with surprise S I Cant Can't you hear them exclaiming In honor of ot Abe Abc Lincoln Vh Why taint possible no howl I So the celebration of Lincoln's birthday a hundred years ago was no celebration at nt all for tor forthe forthe the very good reason that no one not even the theman theman theman man himself considered It of ot any Importance But It If Is worthy of remembrance for the reason that that his biographer Albert J Beveridge e has pointed out In ID this paragraph from his Abraham Lincoln Houghton Mifflin l company Finally by the dim light of candles the gen general eral cral assembly finished Its work and sometime before midnight February 13 1835 adjourned sine die Ills first legislative experience thus ended Lincoln went back hack to New Nev Salem and again took up his surveying and handling of the scanty mall mail The sum of ot his sojourn In Vandalla Van Van- Vandalla Vandalla dalla had bad been the making of friends lessons In legislative e procedure and manipulation and the acquiring of or basic procedure and constitutional constitutional constitutional principles Ue He had heard beard great questions discussed by able le and Informed men He lie had met cultivated women too and In short had vIsited a n new world Small wonder that when he bo reached New Salem ho he plunged Into study with such abandon that his health suffered and his friends thought him mentally affected Hence Hence- Henceforth henceforth Henceforth forth the log-cabin log hamlet on the Sangamon amon held little or nothing that was attractive e to the aspiring young Lincoln So perhaps It Is not too much to say that the greatness p that was to be Abraham Lincoln's dates fr from m that February day a hundred years ears ago when be he turned his back on the scene or of his first appearance on the stage of public affairs nt at- at fairs Neither the scene nor his appearance upon It were especially Impressive Beveridge has given us an excellent description of both Ue He writes rites Upon the west bluff of the Kaskaskia river sixty feet above high water stood In I 1 per per- r haps perhaps a hundred buildings All but two were of wood some of ot them frame structures but most of them log cabins A little frame Presbyterian church house without a steeple nestled on a asMe aside aside side street street while a still sUU smaller building served for tor all aU other religious denominations as well ell as for asfor school purposes and public gatherings Five Fire or six of the bigger houses were taverns ta or boarding hoarding places two of them would accommodate date thirty or forty persons though the they were not entirely finished children About eight hundred people including chil- chil chil dren lived In the town and the adjacent country was scantily settled but marriages were frequent fre fre- frequent frequent quent For tho the most part the surrounding land was heavily ben timbered but to the north and nud west rolling prairies stretched Into the tho horizon The rIver bottoms were covered thickly with great trees vines and all aU manner of rank vegetation vegetation- and from tills this tl s valley alley came at the seasonable time clouds of mosquitoes The streets of the village were el eighty ht feet In width deep with mud or dust dust according to the weather There were no sidewalks Two main roads ran through the place one the National road rond scarcely opened as yet et In this section from eighty Washington ton seven hundred and one eighty tulles miles distant to St St Louis two eighty-two miles to the southwest Malls from tram Philadelphia and other eastern cities were between two and antI three weeks on the way yay y State House r rz z d y at r a h 5 litter 6 Charles an 4 Such was Vandalla when on a winter day late In November ember 1834 1831 the regular stage coach was driven Into the capital of Illinois Among mong the passengers was Abraham Lincoln one of the newl newly elected representatives from Sanga Sanga- Sangamon Sangamon Sangamon mon county lIe He wore a It new suit which made by 11 a tailor In Springfield had bad cost him sixty sItty dollars Lin- Lin Lin Lincoln coIn coln had borrowed from Coleman Smoot two hundred dollars In order properly to equip him himself self nn and pa pay his c expenses while away from Irom New Salem on his first legislative adventure The loan Joan was whimsically declared Lincoln when asking Smoot for lor the money a kind of penalty upon I Smoot for ln ha having voted for him He lIe was better I attired and had more clothes than ever before In InI I his life I DurIn During thIs tills session Lincoln played a ver very small part and such measures as he be voted upon had ely little historical significance lIe He was appointed to one minor standing committee and later to two special committees The first bill he lie Introduced providing for a private ton toll tonbridge toll bridge bridge across Salt creek In Sangamon county was passed promptly But when he branched out Into larger fields of ot legislation he was not so successful The disposal of public lands belonging to the United States was an Important question at that time On January 10 1835 1535 Lincoln offered a resolution that our senators be be Instructed and OUT our representatives requested to use their whole influence In the congress of the United States to procure the passage of a law relative to the public lands b by the operation of which the state of Illinois would be entitled to receIve annually a sum of money not less In amount than 20 O per cent upon the amount annually paid Into the treasury of the United States for pub pub- public public public lic lands l lying lIng Ing within the limits of the said state of ot Illinois This resolution was laid ald on the table without roll call where It peacefully ex- ex expired ex expired Even Eren more Important than the public land question was the problem of the National bank the main Issue In the Presidential Pres campaign of 1832 1532 In which Andrew Jackson was re-elected re A resolution supporting Jacksons Jackson's stand on thIs question was Introduced In the Illinois legisla legisla- legislature legislature ture In January 1835 1535 and precipitated a rig vig vigorous orous dispute Says Beveridge fl For nearly three weeks Lincoln heard beard what was said on all phases of the National bank and the currency but It does docs not appear that he took part In the controversy But It if Lincoln played an nn Insignificant role durIng his first legislative experience he was WIlS to play an nn active and conspicuous part In the special special special cial session of ot the legislature which Gov Coy Joseph Duncan called the following De December ember This was vas the same Joseph Duncan who as one of Maj George Crogan's Crogan s boy boy lieutenants had bad won a vote of ot thanks from Irom congress for their heroIsm at the defense of Fort Stephenson during dur- dur durI durIng I I ing the War of ot 1812 1312 DurIn During this session the I state was re reapportioned the necessary legisla legisla- legislation legislation legislation tion for starting work on the Illinois and Mich Mich- Michigan Michigan lIch igan canal was passed as were ere the first of the flood bills providing for other Internal improve Improve- Improvements improvements ments which rose to such a high tide In the next legislature and played no small part In the panIc ot of 1837 1831 But nut more Important as regards Lincoln's career was the fact that during daring this time he was helping pave e the way for removing remo the capital to Springfield an nn Incident which brought him his first real prominence elected Re-elected to the thele le legislature In 1830 1816 at Its opening session In December be he became the Whig floor leader eader und and was recognized on on all hands as a clever par par- parliamentary parliamentary parliamentary tactician and likely to become the manager In the house Ills His supreme purpose now was VIlS to achieve the removal of the capital to Springfield and upon the achievement of that design he concentrated every crery faculty during the next three months In 1833 the legislature had authorized u ref ref- referendum ref ref- referendum referendum vote ote by the people on the question of selecting a u permanent site silo for tor the capital but no majority was given ven for tor any leaders In tho voting oUng were Alton AIton Vandalla Gov GOY Joseph Josepn Duncan DUncaH Springfield Jacksonville and Peoria in n th tit tin order ordet named The citizens of Vandalla Vandalia didn't want to lose the capital so they raised and hope hope- hopefully hopefully fully be began an to build a new state house to re- re re- re replace re replace place the one In which Lincoln had first served as a legislator and which was now nov becomIng sadly dilapidated They little realized how the manipulations of ot some very clever politicians including lanky Abe Abc Lincoln were to doom them to disappointment By the reapportionment act of ot 1835 1833 Sangamon county had hind seven seren representatives es and two sena- sena senators sena senators tors the largest delegation In the legIslature Because of the height of all these men the aver aver- average average age was well over six feet they were called the theLong Long Nine The senators were Job Fletcher and Archer Herndon and the representatives were Abraham Lincoln John Dawson Dan Stone Ninian W Edwards son of ot a former governor WilHam It F Elkin It R L Wilson and Andrew Mc- Mc McCormick McCormick Mc Cormick They voted solidly together on all ques ques- questions questions questions and held belll out the bait of such an Important block of votes to backers of the Internal improvements Improve Improve- Improvements Improvements ments schemes In return for lor support of Spring Spring- Springfield Springfield field as ns the new capital Although Lincoln and the Springfield parti parti- partisans partisans partisans sans of whom he was In command strove to de- de delay delay de delay lay final action on the location of ot the capital capita until the passage of the Internal Improvement 1 bill they could not prevent frequent consideration tion of that Irritating and dangerous subject says Beveridge Sometimes they were on the very edge of defeat twice they were actually beaten benten Ills His colleagues were despondent hope hope- hopeless hopeless hopeless less but Lincoln never ne despaired In the dark darte darkest darkest est hours he called the tile Long Nine to his room In the tavern heartened them and devised plans for victory That victory came on February 28 1837 1831 Six days daJ's before Lefore adjournment after three months ot of management bargaining and Intrigue after the passage of the Internal Improvements bill with Its clusters of Improvident building Impossible improvements of Impracticable streams and ap- ap appropriations ap appropriations of cash to Importunate counties the general assembly In joint session chose Springfield as the permanent site of the state capital The husbandry of tile the Long Nine had yielded Its harvest After waging their successful fight tight to win the capital for their home county Lincoln and the theother theother other members of the Long Nine went back to Springfield In triumph He lIe was resolved resoled to make the new capital his home henceforth and to hang out his shingle as a lawyer awer there for the very day Ilay after atter his victory for Springfield he had obtained from the lute Supreme court In a certificate of ot admission to the bar of Illinois and was formally enrolled as an nn attorney On April 1 15 1837 1831 the Sangamon Journal car car- carried carried ried a 8 new professional card In Its advertising nd columns J J T Stuart A A Un Lincoln coIn Attorneys and Counsellors at Law will practice conjointly In the Courts of ot this Judicial Circuit Office No 10 J 4 Hofmans Hofman's Row now upstairs Springfield eight ty-eight years ears later to a da day the columns of this newspaper would appear with heavy heay black borders In mourning for tor one of ot these Attorneys and Counsellors at Law now DOW the Martyr President President dent Here lIere then was as Lincoln but twenty eight years old leader Jeader of his party In the house of representatives winner of the fight for tor Sprin Spring Springfield field fied as the state capital most talked of and best liked filmed of all the Whigs of Sangamon county and now nov partner of ot one of the ablest lawyers In 1111 Illi Illinois nois and the foremost Whig In the state Thus state Albert Ibert Astounding Beveridge Beveridge Astounding progress 1 J But yesterday pottering about New Salem In contact only with little things and crude surroundings s heavily hea In debt and with dim prospects for ad- ad ad advancement I today starting on ou the high road of 01 ambItion and achievement 1 I 0 e by Newspaper N pcr Union |