This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES Back during the days when Lincoln was a raw young legislator, in Vandalia, Illinois, he met another young fellow just earning his spurs in politics. His name was Stephen A. Douglas. Stephen was short, and Abraham tall, but Stephen was no mean antagonist in any contest, as ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... THE LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES Back during the days when Lincoln was a raw young legislator, in Vandalia, Illinois, he met another young fellow just earning his spurs in politics. His name was Stephen A. Douglas. Stephen was short, and Abraham tall, but Stephen was no mean antagonist in any contest, as Abraham soon discovered. The two learned early to respect each other, though they never became close friends. Douglas came of better social stock than Lincoln, and had been given more advantages. His star rose steadily and rapidly, and bade fair to eclipse that of Lincoln totally. By the time the latter had served one brief term in Congress and gone back to retirement, Douglas was senior Senator from Illinois and a figure of national prominence. It was openly predicted that he would one day be president; His friends called him the "Little Giant." If there was any envy in Lincoln's breast at this turn of fortune's wheel, he did not show it. He threw his whole energies back into the practice of law, and so interested did he become that it is likely, if he had been offered a local or state office, he would have declined it. For five years he thus worked, his law partner being at this time Herndon, of Springfield. The firm achieved a reputation that was statewide. But just then something happened which threw Lincoln neck-and-crop back into national politics--and this time "for keeps." A bill was introduced into Congress to repeal the Missouri Compromise. This Compromise was an agreement which the people of the United States had entered into some thirty years before, and which provided that all states above a certain latitude should be "free" states--that is, no slave-holding should be allowed in them. Now with the admission of other Western...
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