Show O r i t aI t n i I 1 A d Q U i I l ep ry r- r y j ii at Ehe Jt o rc k h- h r a. a f. 7 7 T d A a r 7 7 I d PiNC a A- A A 4 a- a i 7 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON I i 4 BE liE LINCOLN t the e Rail noli Split Split- r A ter Honest Abe Lin r euln tilt the New Salem storekeeper store store- keeper beeper A. A Lincoln the 1101 i riding Circuit lawyer and atu orator of Lincoln s debute fume fame and nud most of nil all Abraham Lincoln j 7 the President of the United St Elates Stales all t ell s-ell all ore are familiar figures ngun's In American history and well known to most Americans Hut But there Is another another an nn- other Lincoln which Is If unknown and Unit that Is Lincoln the legislator That Thul little h Known period In Lin rains Ins lif life Ife has been heen recalled r. recently In the discovery cry by hy Miss lIss Margaret 0 C superintendent of the archives s of the lie Illinois state library li- li li library at al Springfield of or the original m of a II piece of ot legislation by Lincoln a resolution reproduced shove above which he lie Intro lutro lucid Into Inlo t the he lower house of the Illinois Illi 1111 nail nois Mate assembly on Decem December er 2 18 10 It II rends reads as os s follo follows That the Committee on Education be Instructed to Inquire Into the Ine of providing by law taw for the lamination ns nB to their tio ne of offering themselves as aa teachers chool teachers and that no teacher her hall all receive any part of the Public R School hool funds who shall hall not have cue uc- passed such examination and that HIM they report by bill or otherwise otherwise- III hi view JEW of or the tile astounding rise of I from front the Hie obscurity of the 1111 Ms tots to the Presidency of the United Suites Slates and his su subsequent sequent d deathless fame It Is Interesting to flute that his first 1 attempt to win WiD on an onice ce met Inet with failure On ill l IJ 9 there had hod appeared on onie the ie of I the he little town of New Solem em III a printed crudely-printed handbill circular announcing the Ule candidacy of A A. A Lincoln the clerk In Offutt's store fur w the legislature from Sangamon county Although he lie was running as os n 0 Whig at 81 a 8 time lime when Andrew Jackson was reside president and the Democrats were the Intolerant majority In Innis Illinois nis as ns la In other parts of the naJ na- na thin Lincoln J mode made no reference to onal lonal In his hia announcement Must of his statement was confined to t I I of 1 plans luns for Proving improving the D of the Sangamon A. A vi then thell II a l PI pet et topic PC In ln bis his Is district JJ hone UUIe Nicolay md lillY Hay his biographers Pointed out however howe Lincoln's was weil u a cir cir- tad Ind w r reina I able Kuble for Its soberness ind d limited reserve resene when we consider the age oge In itt 1 of the writer IS especially Interest Interest- In- In It rend flUt as liS follows tr d. d the thle i subject c of which I J have hn e lh Ito spoken ai as 1 I have i 1 mil may y be wrong In regard to A resolution In Lincoln's handwriting which he Introduced In the Illinois house of representatives December 2 1840 From a photostat of the original In the Illinois archives and never before published any or all of them but holding It a n sound Bound maxim that It la Is better only sometimes to be right than at all times wrong BO eo soon as 1 I discover er my opinIons opinions ions Iona to be erroneous I shall be ready to renounce them L Every very ery man manIs manIs Is le said to have his peculiar ambitions us Whether It Is true or not I 1 can say for one that I 1 have havo no other so co great as that of being truly esteemed by my men fellow by rendering my myself elf worthy worthy wor wor- thy Ihy of their esteem How flow far I 1 shall succeed In gratifying this ambition Is yet yH to be developed I am nm young and unknown to many of you I 1 was born bornand bornand bornand and have ever remained In the most moat humble umble life I 1 have no wealthy or powerful relations or friends to recommend rec om mend me sly lily case Is thrown ex exclusively ex elusively up upon n the Independent voters of the county and If elected they will have conferred a favor upon me for which I shall be unremitting In my la labors labors la- la bors hors to compensate But Dul If the good people In their wisdom shall see fit at to keep me In the background I shall be too 0 familiar with disappointments to tobe tobe tobe be very much chagrined Before the prospective e legislator could begin campaigning campaign In however er Governor Reynolds of Illinois culled for volunteers to drive e Chief Mack Block Hawks Hawk's Sac and Fox warriors back across the Mississippi and one of the first to respond to the call was Lin fn coin coln lie Ill was chosen captain of one of ot the volunteer companies but hut his military career was wa n a short one and comparatively uneventful une Upon his discharge from the army and his return to New Salem he found that he had only about ten days before the August t elections elec eler- dons In which to carry on his cam cam- Ills tits first speech In the campaign made at ot lupps 11 miles west of Springfield was n a nery very ery brief one consisting con I of exactly 03 05 words lie He said sahl Gentlemen and ond fellow-citizens fellow I presume you jou OU all Know who I DIU am I nm am humble Abraham Lincoln I have been solicited by many friends to benine be- be nine mme n a candidate for the legislature My politics are short and sweet I 1 nm au amIn In fa favor faor or of the Internal Improvement ement system and u a high protective III tariff riff These are my sentiments and ond political principles If It elected I shall be thank thankful Cal ful If not It will be all the 1 Evidently at that time the good peo leo him In the pie lIe did see fit to keep background as his announcement had phrased It for he be was 08 defeated for ilK only time In la his life when It lay with the people to d decide He lie received only 07 votes otes the highest among the four winning candidates have been adequate adequate ade nde- 1127 hut but what must quate quote compensation for hIs defeat was the fact tact that among his friends and neighbors of ot the New Salem Solem precinct pre cinch he received votes oles out of the cast Undiscouraged by this tiLls reverse Lincoln Lin Lin- coin coln was again n a candidate In August 1834 and nud this time he lie won receiving the highest number of votes 1370 of any of nt the four successful candidates During his first session Lincoln occupied occupied pied pled no particularly conspicuous position position position tion write Nicolay and Hay flay lie He held his bia own respectably among the best One of ot his colleagues tells us ushe uslie lie he was not distinguished bed by any external external ex ex- ex- ex eccentricity that he wore according ac oc- according cording to the custom of ot the time a decent suit of blue Jeans jenns that he was known simply as a 0 rather quiet young man good natured and sensible Before Before Be ne- fore the session ended he had made mode the acquaintance of most mOEt of the members members members mem mem- bers and ond had hod evidently come to be looked upon more than thon ordinary capacity lie He Introduced a 11 resolution In favor of securing to the state slate a part port of the proceeds of the sales sull's of public lands within Us its limits j he lie took part purt In the organization tion llon of the ephemeral White party which was designed to unite all oil the Jackson anti elements under the leadership leadership leadership lead lead- of Hugh L. L White of Tennes- Tennes FCC ace he be voted toted with the tile majority In la lafavor favor of Young against Robinson for senator and nUll with the majority that passed the brink bank and canal bills which were received with such enthusiasm throughout Illinois and which were I. I only the precursors of those gigantic and ill advised schemes that came to maturity two jears years later and Inflicted in inflicted In- In filched such incalculable Injury upon the state Lincoln was re-elected re In 1830 and during this session of ot the legislature was one of the Long Iong Nine the nine legislators from Sangamon county noted In the history of Illinois partly for their stature and und partly for their I Influence In legislative matters Their Theira a average height was over six sit feet and I their total altitude was said to have ha lIe en 55 feet teet Their most noted piece I of legislation lation was that of getting the state capital removed from Vandalla I Ito to Springfield and ond It Is said that this this this' wa was wat accomplished by the adroit man man- management management of Lincoln I In Iii Lincoln was again elected i ito to the legislature by a greater majority ma Inn than ever er before By Ily this time he Im was US such a prominent figure that he waA the candidate for speaker but the line Democrats having a 0 a majority of otes elected their man mOD Again In 1840 1810 he was OS elected to the state assembly for the tile fourth h and ond last time By 81 now he had hind proved pro his ability In state affairs and the stage was twins being III set for hi hl hh entrance Into a n greater arena that of national 11 and International fame |