E457 .W55 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 11 DDDDt,]i4b74D 4 V «*. - ■ - ^v .^^^ov V >„..*" .-ifM^'. %.,<^ :'^-: \ >■*' . ^% "- .^^V^;:-^-^- ^°^!^^^°- /-^a;;;:^^ / (C^o^ .1 ■>^ . t • v^^.^ij^^ "^c^ '■\.o'^ •'.vo* ^^ "■ V^"" •r^'/'^o ^'%''j^(P/ .■5?'"\ ''JW.\'^^ % -.^K-* .«^'"\ °'?1P^-' r '-^^.^^ -1 -^^.^ C\- * V* ♦i.^L'4, c^ -^-' > v^^ <* ^'TVi* ,0 O. 'o , » >» J-^-^K V ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAY, 1911 LINCOLN and The Beginning of the Republican Party | in Illinois. BY O. p. WHARTON. AN ADDRESS Read Before the ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY at its Annual Meeting, Evanston, 111., May, 1911 'h^^'h 3 H / ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAY, 1911 LINCOLN and The Beginning of the Republican Party in Illinois. BY O. p. WHARTON. AN ADDRESS Read Before the ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY at its Annual Meeting, Evanston, 111 , May, 1911 Springfield, III. Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers 1912 LINCOLN AND THE BEGINNING OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN ILLINOIS. BY 0. P. WHAKTON. To write a chapter of my knowledge of, and acquaintance with, Abra- ham Lincoln is to make it principally marked by brevity. I bought the Kock Island Advertiser, a Whig newspaper, early in September, 1853, and then first heard of him as the acknowledged leader of that party in Illinois, a man of marked honesty and sincerity of purpose, utterly devoid of demagoguism and trickery in politics. The year following the Rock Island railroad was completed through to the Mississippi river at Eock island and a bridge across that river was built in 1855 and I was secre- tary of a meeting to lay the corner stone of the drawpier of that bridge. As soon as it was finished the St. Louis Merchants Association brought suit against the Bridge Company to compel the removal of the bridge as an obstruction to navigation. The suit was tried before Chief Justice McLean of the Supreme Court of the United States at Chicago. Abra- iiam Lincoln was chief attorney for the Bridge Company and I was a witness in behalf of the Company, having been requested by Joseph Ivnox, resident attorney for it at Eock Island, to act in that capacity by assisting in testing the current of the- river through the draw for tbe passage of boats. In this way I got more knowledge of the character of Lincoln, who conducted the case for the Bridge Company with such masterly ability that the opposition had no show of any consequence for its contention against the right to bridge the Mississippi river at any point where the interests of transportation east and west required such a structure. But in 1856 I first became personally acquainted with Abraham Lin- coln. The Whig editors of Illinois found themselves rather destitute of a party, and sought a way to get a new organization of one to fight the repeal of the ]\Iissouri Compromise with its design to extend slavery into Kansas, and, in fact, to make the holding of negroes as slaves in all tlie states of the Union legal, as the act of the Dred Scott decision of tbe Supreme Court of the United States declared that no negro could bring a suit in any court to gain his freedom from slavery because he was not a citizen entitled to sue in any court. So the Whig editors of Illinois, to further their purpose of organizing such a new party, called a convention of themselves at Decatur ijj that State and invited Mr. Lincoln over from Springfield, his home, to meet with them for consultation and advice. I attended that convention, was put on the Committee on Eesolutions, thus being brought into direct contact with Lincoln, who^oved a^ very ^ ^^^^l^^t^ indeed. If I remember rightly he ^^'^^ }^ f^^'^^^J^ ^^^^ pleased with Plank of the platform we ^^-^y/'l'' / '^ .onveXi o^Jmlnate a state years after the Bloomington ^^ommation 1', i^n^ly dSed and nomi- Llegates met, ^^^^T^^^t^J^'t^Z^ celebrated natedLmcolnhmsef^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^,,,,,^ Compro- campaign agamst Stepheoi A IJoug -, Convention in 1858 that mise repealing act. It was at the ^PJ^n^^^^^ . ^ ^^ scriptural quota- Lincoln made his memorable speech ^^g^^^^^^^ J,f J^^ ,\tting on the tion "A house divided against ^t!^;^ ^,^^, he spoke, and at steps of the rostrum of the Senate ^'^^ J^bei Irom ^ ^ i ^^^^^ ^^ the conclusion of his speech he ^^,* j^" ^^^X^'^f ^f Of course, I felt my surprise demanded to know what J, ff^;;:f.f,\is speech ind its rather taken aback 1^^^^.^"^f X^ad sniSn too blf^^^^^^^ l^e had sudden conclusion, I ^-^P^ied that he had pol^n too M y made a brave speech, patriotic ^f P^^J^^^^.^' ^f ^^^ t and acted as though for his audience which appeared rathe ^^'^^f J^^^f -X it. It was plain he had not said enough nor put ^:^^^]^^ ^^^^^ the assembly that he should have said more ^o^^^^^ ,^,^^^ ."^^^^^ I,,, eritic.sm was per- away in a better humor. Lincoln ^'^'^P" \^, ;;^^^^^^^^^^ that if I would haps correct as the audience did appcaiailK.^^^^^^^ alt ^^^^^ write a resolution commendmg the ]^}'':^^^^^^ 'J^'^e would olfer it the acts of the party during its ^^^'f .!^^^^t;\^^'';,,;,eemed to require, himself and make such further mnaAs as the case seem ^^^^ J^^^ .^ I wrote the resolution reques ed ^ J 7' .^^ e^ed aesired and all went with some Lincoln-like ^•^''1^'^%:'^'}^^^^^^^ that he had off apparently well satisfied ^^^^,:'^a they had strongly submitted his speech to some of ^f P^^;^;'^ °"' ^f l,e did Douglas would advised him against making ^^^^h a sp ech, ^o^ ^^ ^^^s not then at that carry the state and wm tl^« Senator hip. ^^'I2e7,\i Illinois and his if they were to remain united. Lincoln was l^eaten for the S- Knox"?!;/ fSd^cacy abojU f^^^^!^:^ ^ Mr. Lincoln would ^f "°™;f ^tfr^^^^ ;^Ttu0^^ Wt^rly 'o;;stririncraJl a1 /ofXVhig party, and .a. in fact, chief tarth and ech,cafio„ and ah,",'' oroo^rt L T'"' "^ .M^'^adio^etfa the repeal of the Miss„„ri (■bmpromi.T I fa'??''™, <'//'''™'% ami April 14, 1911. ^^^" '■*^'''ej Ave,, Los Angeles, Cal. I-.0. s.../5xra-s™ p.,._ $ y \^ .-^V. ^^^. .^' -o >^\c:;^%\. /.^J^l>'^°o .*^\.1^^%V ^0^ A^ A «>uvV ^75^,-. '*i^^^^- oV'^^'. '^^^^ .♦jw/^'. -^^ '• '^^ ^-^ *:^ / -o^^^/ ^;^-\/ V^^/ \ ^.. \. «'°.-^^->- ./\c:^/''^^ c°^.'j^'.% ..*^ 'bV At. * ^* ^..,., %^_^ ^qV ,..-../^o '" A.*^^ ..^'•. \ ^oV *bV" % ^^..^^ -^^J&l&^o V,/ :m^^ %,^^ /^V^-^ -^^^^ c^^ v^^ •~ v..^ '"^'O^ '*.„<" .v^l^-. '■^i.-f :il^. "^o*" '-^iB'-. •^ov* jP-?*-, VVT* A : ^^o« o^ :•. %.<^^ /^ ''«. c-^" ^.c^" ; ^ ^.^ ^^