Lincoln made a political speech at Pappsville, Illinois, when a
candidate for the Legislature the first time. A free-for-all fight began
soon after the opening of the meeting, and Lincoln, noticing one of
his friends about to succumb to the energetic attack of an infuriated
ruffian, edged his way through the crowd, and, seizing the bully by the
neck and the seat of his trousers, threw him, by means of his strength
and long arms, as one witness stoutly insists, “twelve feet away.”
Returning to the stand, and throwing aside his hat, he inaugurated his
campaign with the following brief but pertinent declaration:
“Fellow-citizens, I presume you all know who I am. I am humble Abraham
Lincoln. I have been solicited by many friends to become a candidate for
the Legislature. My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman’s
dance. I am in favor of the national bank; I am in favor of the
internal improvement system and a high protective tariff. These are my
sentiments; if elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it will be all the
same.”