THE POLITICAL HERO OF NEW SALEM
The immediate occasion for the departure of Thomas Lincoln from Indiana
was the visitation of the mysterious ailment widely known as the "milk
sick." The scant progress made by the family in Spencer County
strengthened his desire to try his fortune in a new land,--a land that
in the distance held forth alluring promises of betterment.
They arrived in Illinois at the transitional period when the progressive
settler was putting on the clothing of civilization. The concentration
of population scattered the obstacles of progress. The wilderness was
subdued, and the worth of the prairie land proved. The howl of the wolf
ever growing fainter and fainter marked the hurrying advance of another
dominion.[43] Shyly but steadily style showed itself in the home, food
and dress. Through the surface it betokened the coming of a settled
community; it was the unfailing external sign of prosperity and of
fellowship with religion and education.
[43] Ford, 94-95.
The old pioneer mourned the change. He saw the loom put away, and
ribbons supplant the cotton frock. With saddened heart, he met the new
civilization. To him, it was the doom of the old hospitality, of his
freedom, the coonskin cap; the deer shoes; the log cabin built with his
own hands. "Hog and hominy" no longer waited on hunger. What his child
named progress did not compensate him for the flight of the companions
of his youth. The pioneer had in the name of civilization cleared the
land of the Indian, who could not adapt himself to its way, and now the
victor was in turn to yield to the same unrelenting monarch.
John Hanks was the path finder for the little colony. He selected a
place close to Decatur as a home for the wanderers. Lincoln took a hand
in making the cabin which soon housed his father and family. But rather
than engage in manual labor, he was alert to show his skill as a
speaker. "After Abe got to Decatur," says John Hanks, "or rather to
Macon (my county), a man by the name of Posey came into our
neighborhood, and made a speech; it was a bad one, and I said Abe could
beat it. I turned down a box or keg, and Abe made his speech. The other
man was a candidate. Abe wasn't. Abe beat him to death, his subject
being the navigation of the Sangamon River. The man, after the speech
was through, took Abe aside, and asked him where he had learned so much,
and how he did so well. Abe replied, stating his manner and method of
reading, and what he had read. The man encouraged Lincoln to
persevere."[44]
[44] Lamon, 78.
Lincoln fretted under the tutorage of his father, and longed for the
hour of his legal freedom. When that period came, he promptly joined
John Hanks in guiding a flat boat to New Orleans for one Denton
Offutt.[45]
[45] _Ibid._, 78-80.
Perhaps the most critical incident in the life of Lincoln was this
second visit to New Orleans. Hitherto, with a single exception, his life
was simple and close to nature and the human heart. Young as he was, the
solemnity of the forest, the expanse of the prairie, the nearness to the
heart of things, the problems of life and their seriousness already cut
their lines in his sensitive organism. Knowing little of the mercantile
world, in the realm of thought he was already master of those around
him. There was something of Hamlet in this gaunt youth.
The varied amusements of the southern city that fascinated his
companions did not move or detain him. One sight alone riveted his
attention. A mulatto girl was on sale. She was trotted up and down like
an animal. Others saw the scene without flinching. It was nothing to
them; no lash on their backs. According to Herndon, the whole thing was
so revolting that Lincoln moved away from the scene with a deep feeling
of hate, saying to his companions, "By God, boys, let's get away from
this. If I ever get a chance to hit that thing (meaning slavery), I'll
hit it hard."[46]
[46] Herndon, 1, 67.
From that time Lincoln hated slavery with all his soul. The slave
dynasty was an organized evil of national power. It dominated the
actions and even the opinions of men; its whisper silenced the voice of
conscience; its power dictated legislative policies, and was even known
to intrude into the sanctuary of judicial tribunals. It was not a
stranger in distinguished pulpits.
Lincoln was weak, helpless, unregarded. A blow from his hand would then
fall impotent and unnoticed. Three courses of conduct confronted him. He
might, with the majority have become an apologist of slavery, as this
was the popular highway. Thus he might have gained the fame of Stephen
A. Douglas, but he would not have saved the nation. He might have become
an aggressive assailant of slavery. Such conduct would have made him a
political outcast in New Salem. In this way, he might have won the
renown of a Wendell Phillips but he would not have become the national
helmsman. He was neither abolitionist nor apologist.
One other way was open. He knew his weakness. The day to strike a blow
had not yet come. He held his anger and bided his hour. He would not
rush, but await the time when a blow from his hand would long leave its
traces on the evil. He turned back to his work and to his associates.
Objectively, he was the same as ever, but a soul had been awakened to
the crime of the ages that would not rest until the auction block should
be shattered and the American soil rendered uneasy at the presence of
the human auctioneer. He knew that sooner or later the occasion for
action would rejoice his soul. This faith reconciled him to the sluggard
march of events.
Some time in the summer of 1831, there drifted into the thriving village
of New Salem one who was to add lustre to her name. Some days later
Minter Graham, the school master, was "short of a clerk" at election.
Asking a tall stranger if he could write, he was met with the quaint
reply that he could make a few rabbit marks. "Lincoln," says the school
man, "performed the duties with great facility, much fairness, and
honesty and impartiality. This was the first public official act of his
life."[47]
[47] Lamon, 89.
Lincoln first gained prestige in New Salem through his droll stories. It
was the fast road to the good will of an audience. In those days when
amusement was scant it was no mean gift. It was then a kind of legal
tender for a dinner or similar hospitality, and in a pioneer community
popular favor is a harbinger of high honor. Lincoln found little to do
until he became the chief clerk of the presuming store of Denton Offutt.
Here he rapidly won the regard of the listener and participated in many
discussions; here he met and talked with the people, and he made another
advance in the public esteem.
Like many pioneer communities New Salem was largely dominated by a
rough crowd of young men, known there as the "Clary Grove Boys." They
were typical of the class in Illinois that stubbornly yielded to the
reign of the law. They rapidly disappeared in settled communities, but
in the outlying towns, for a long time, they maintained their power.
Usually acting in unison, they were much sought by those seeking
political preferment. They attended church, heard the sermon, wept and
prayed, shouted, got up and fought an hour, and then went back to prayer
just as the spirit moved them.[48] Rude and even cruel to the traveler,
they made mercy the companion of the orphan. They had no sympathy for
weakness, or patience with culture. No stranger could attain standing in
their affection unless he proved his worth in the gantlet of a physical
contest with one of their leaders.
[48] History of Sangamon County, 211.
The enthusiasm of Offutt for Lincoln was boundless. He declared that,
"Abe knew more than any man in the United States," that "he would some
day be President of the United States." All this did not disturb the
boys of Clary Grove, but when he bragged "that he could, at that present
moment, outrun, whip or throw down any man in Sangamon County," then the
pride of the gang was awakened. A bet of ten dollars was made that Jack
Armstrong, their leader, "was a better man than Lincoln." The newcomer
could not well avoid a combat. In the presence of a host of sympathizers
of the Clary Grove leader, the fight began. Lincoln put forth his
strength and the crowd saw Armstrong's supremacy endangered. In the heat
of the fray, they forgot the rules of fair fighting and broke through
the ring. This angered Lincoln, and with a giant's effort, he gathered
their champion in his arms and shook him like a child. Lincoln's bearing
won the regard of Armstrong. He grasped the hand of the victor,
proclaiming in the presence of his followers that Lincoln was the best
fellow that ever broke into the settlement.[49] A wonderful friendship
resulted. "Whenever Lincoln worked Jack 'did his loafing'; and, when
Lincoln was out of work, he spent days and weeks together at Jack's
cabin, where Jack's jolly wife, 'old Hannah,' stuffed him with bread and
honey, laughed at his ugliness, and loved him for his goodness."[50]
[49] Lamon, 90-94.
[50] _Ibid._ 93-94.
This was an eventful occasion in the life of Lincoln. The humble ask
little of friendship and give much. A lover of the law, in a single hour
he became the idol of the lawless element in New Salem. From that time,
they submitted to his guidance. Respect for his strength grew into
admiration for his learning. Slowly and surely, the latest addition to
the gang tempered its harshness. As a member, he achieved what would
have been impossible as a stranger. He loved their virtues, and was
gentle with their vices. So it was that, though he did not drink or
smoke with them, they did not think the less of him. Lincoln did not
laud his freedom from failing, so they were patient as children with
him, even in his chiding. The source of his influence was sympathy, and
not ability; solidity of character, not brilliancy; the simple virtues,
not genius.
Lincoln was dowered with supreme physical strength. Rumor claimed that
he could lift a load of a thousand pounds. This renown brought him
further influence with the rougher element. He was also skilled in
manual labor. A settler relates that he was the best hand at husking
corn on the stalk that he ever saw. He grew in the estimate of the
farmers around New Salem, in a community where agriculture was almost
the sole source of wealth and prosperity.
Lincoln's boyish enthusiasm for athletic events was doubtless somewhat
calmed with passing years. As other interests dawned on him he was
persuaded to concern himself with horse races and other games of chance
more than his judgment advised. An admirer states, "I got Lincoln, who
was at the race, to be a judge of the race, much against his will, and
after hard persuasion. Lincoln decided correctly; and the other judge
said 'Lincoln is the fairest man I ever had to deal with; if Lincoln is
in this country when I die, I want him to be my administrator, for he is
the only man I ever met with that was wholly and unselfishly
honest.'"[51]
[51] Lamon, 154.
The steamer _Talisman_ in 1832 made a trip to determine the navigability
of the Sangamon. Lincoln was selected as helmsman from Beardstown to New
Salem. The _Talisman_ on the return trip "stuck" at the mill dam. Equal
to the emergency, Lincoln "rigged up" an apparatus in the presence of
the entire assembly of New Salem. All were sure that he had saved the
steamer. The trip was of vast worth to Lincoln. Making several speeches
and shaking hands with every one, in this one week, he learned to know
more people than he would have otherwise met in many months.[52]
[52] Ross, 112. Lamon, 81-83.
Lincoln was not only honest, but men trusted him. His personality
pervaded the community. So a biographer states, "I once asked Rowan
Herndon what induced him to make such liberal terms in dealing with
Lincoln, whom he had known for so short a time." "I believed that he was
thoroughly honest," was the reply, "and that impression was so strong in
me that I accepted his note in payment of the whole. He had no money,
but I would have advanced him still more if he had asked for it."[53]
[53] Herndon, 1, 98.
Lincoln was not endowed with business skill. The only failure he ever
made in life was as a merchant. He had no capacity for business. His
partner claimed that Lincoln could wrap himself up in a great moral
question; but that in dealing with the financial and commercial
interests of a community or government he was as inadequate as he was
managing the economy of his own household, and that in that respect
alone he always regarded Mr. Lincoln as a weak man.[54]
[54] Herndon, 1, 165-6.
Lincoln's fairness vied with his sympathy in giving him a peculiar
influence over his fellowmen. He made peace a daily guest of the rude
crowd. His method was novel in New Salem. A stranger, angered by the
abuse of Jack Armstrong, struck him a blow that felled the giant.
Lincoln made himself the judge of the event. "Well, Jack," said he,
"what did you say to the man?" Whereupon Jack repeated the words. "Well,
Jack," replied Abe, "if you were a stranger in a strange town, as this
man is, and you were called a d----d liar, &c., what would you do?"
"Whip him, by God!" "Then this man has done no more to you than you
would have done to him." "Well, Abe," said the honest bruiser, "it's all
right," and, taking his opponent by the hand, forgave him heartily, and
"treated." Jack always "treated" his victim when he thought he had been
too hard upon him.[55]
[55] Lamon, 94-95.
Esteemed for his strength he was loved for his kindness. None could
resist the charm of his help to the poor and the lowly, to the waifs of
misfortune. Ab, a barefooted fellow, was chopping wood on a wintry day
to earn a dollar that he might buy a pair of shoes. Lincoln, seeing his
plight, seized the axe, and soon the job was done. The story runs that
"Ab remembered this act with the liveliest gratitude. Once he, being a
cast-iron Democrat, determined to vote against his party and for Mr.
Lincoln; but the friends, as he afterwards said with tears in his eyes,
made him drunk, and he had voted against Abe."[56] Chandler, a poor
settler, desiring to enter a small tract of land that was coveted by a
rich neighbor, started for Springfield at the same time with his rival
and on the same mission. On the way Chandler met Lincoln. Noticing that
the horse of Chandler could not stand a forced march, Lincoln gave him
his horse--fresh and full of grit. Between the two, a friendship sprang
up which all the political discords of twenty-five years never shattered
nor strained.[57]
[56] _Ibid._, 152-153.
[57] Herndon, 1, 115-116.
He was active in the first debating organization of New Salem. Those who
knew him for his strength were amazed at the logic of his statements.
The president of this society said to his wife that there was more in
Abe's head than wit and fun; that he was already a fine speaker; that he
only lacked culture to enable him to reach the high destiny in store for
him. Thereafter the president displayed a deeper interest in his
progress. During one of the debates, Lincoln dashed into a controversy
on slavery, dilating on its malignancy, deploring the dark and hopeless
state of the poor white man. With discernment he placed his hand on the
mischief, the creation of an aristocracy in a republic; the resulting
conflict between the doctrine of the fathers and that of the children;
between the North and the South. His discussion ranged over the
consequences. He pictured the grapple of opposing principles; a land
drenched with fraternal blood.[58] A biographer is justified in
contending that he became as familiar for the goodness of his
understanding as for the muscular power of his body, and the unfailing
humor of his talk.[59]
[58] Maltby, 33.
[59] Lamon, 96.
With the arrival of spring in 1832, the Black Hawk War broke out. A
company was organized in Sangamon County for immediate service. The
first fruit of Lincoln's popularity with "the boys" was his decisive
election as captain. His opponent was a man of means. The manner of
election was democratic. Lincoln and his antagonist stood some distance
apart, while the men showed their preference by taking their place near
the man of their choice. The one with the most adherents was selected
for leadership. Lincoln made a very modest speech to his comrades,
expressing his gratification, and telling them how undeserved he thought
it was and promised that he would do the best he could to prove himself
worthy of their confidence.[60]
[60] Lamon, 101-102.
The captain needed the mastery of his temper to control the lawless
spirit of the volunteers. Accustomed to be cajoled in politics, they
were not ready for obedience even in the shadow of war. A story has been
told that Capt. Lincoln's first command was answered by being told to
"go to the devil."[61]
[61] Stevens, 277.
Lincoln was jealous of the welfare of his men. Thinking them maltreated,
he told an officer of the regular army that they were volunteers under
the regulations of Illinois, and that resistance would thereafter be
made to unjust orders; that his men must be equal in all particulars, in
rations, arms and camps, to the regular army. The officer saw that
Lincoln was right, and thereafter they were treated like the regular
army. This efficient service in behalf of the volunteers drew officers
and rank to him.[62]
[62] Lamon, 111.
During the march a peaceable Indian strayed into camp and was at the
mercy of the soldiers. This old man showed a letter from General Cass
testifying to his fidelity; the enraged men pronounced it a forgery, and
rushed upon him. The captain stepped between. "Men, this must not be
done. He must not be shot and killed by us." The passion of the mob was
stayed by this exhibition of courage, not allayed. One bolder than his
fellows cried out, "This is cowardly on your part, Lincoln." The
captain towered in lonely power. "If any man thinks I am a coward let
him test it." A new voice was heard, "You are larger and heavier than we
are." "This you can easily guard against. Choose your weapons." The word
coward was never again coupled with his name. "He has often declared
himself, that his life and character were both at stake, and would
probably have been lost, had he not at that supremely critical moment
forgotten the officer, and asserted the man. To have ordered the
offenders under arrest would have created a formidable mutiny; to have
tried and punished them would have been impossible. They could scarcely
be called soldiers; they were merely armed citizens, with a nominal
military organization. They were but recently enlisted, and their term
of service was just about to expire. Had he preferred charges against
them, and offered to submit their differences to a court of any sort, it
would have been regarded as an act of personal pusillanimity, and his
efficiency would have been gone forever."[63]
[63] Lamon, 109.
Lincoln and other volunteers arrived home just before the State
election. That New Salem should present Lincoln as a candidate for the
Legislature was the natural culmination of his position in the
community. His friends were heart and soul in the cause. His record as a
soldier increased the interest of his companions and his associates in
the election.
Lincoln allied himself with the Whig organization and championed its
principles. The popular party in Sangamon County prided themselves on
their devotion to Andrew Jackson. They derisively called their opponents
"Federalists," while the latter struggled "to shuffle off the odious
name."[64] Lamon argues that Lincoln was a nominal Jackson man on the
ground that he received the votes of all parties at New Salem, that he
was the next year appointed postmaster by General Jackson; that the
Democrats ran him for the Legislature two years later, and that he was
elected by a larger majority than any other candidate.[65] These reasons
are without weight. Party lines at the time were not yet closely drawn,
and the supreme personal popularity of Lincoln suffered little from the
partisanship of that period. It is a distinct mark of Lincoln's courage
and his love of principle that he devoted himself to the weaker party of
Illinois. Selfish ambition would have advised alliance with the dominant
organization. Still, the better element in Sangamon County was largely
attracted to the Whig side. Lincoln coming from the company of the Clary
Grove boys, enthusiasts for Jackson, fearlessly decided his political
relations. National history might have been changed if Abraham Lincoln
had consulted his companions, or temporary interest in the selection of
party affiliation.
[64] _Ibid._, 122.
[65] Lamon, 123-124.
After his return from the war, he threw himself into the campaign of
1832. In his first speech, just as he started, he saw that a friend was
getting worsted in a fight near by. Hurrying from the platform, he
grasped the offender and threw him some ten feet away. He then again
mounted the eminence and delivered the following address: "Gentlemen and
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 a national bank. I am in favor of the internal
improvement system and a high protective tariff. These are my sentiments
and political principles. If elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it
will be all the same."[66]
[66] _Ibid._, 125-126.
Making a speech under such conditions was a more thorough preparation
for the activities of life than the training of schools and even
universities afford its votaries. This talk is frank and bold. It early
avows sentiments hostile to the administration in power. It reveals the
"Whiggism" of the orator. It is a product of the times; a speech to be
expected from a young speaker sensitive to his surroundings.
The testimony of Judge Logan shows that Lincoln had in his youth a
mature mind. "He was a very tall, gawky, and rough looking fellow then;
his pantaloons didn't meet his shoes by six inches. But after he began
speaking I became very much interested in him. He made a very sensible
speech. His manner was very much the same as in after life; that is, the
same peculiar characteristics were apparent then, though of course in
after years he evinced more knowledge and experience. But he had then
the same novelty and the same peculiarity in presenting his ideas. He
had the same individuality that he kept through all his life."[67]
[67] Nicolay & Hay, 1, 108.
A companion allows us a view of Lincoln as a politician at this period.
Deferential to the rich, agreeable to the poor, he was at home
everywhere. He talked with the husband and wife about their hopes in
life, about the school and the farm. The mother would hear with joy of
her fine children; Willie was the image of father; Sarah the most
beautiful, and looked like her mother. The distribution of nuts and
candy captured the children. During the preparation for supper, he would
walk over the farm with his host, and be shown its worth. After the meal
he would tell the boys and girls stories of the trials of frontier life
in Indiana. He thus secured the esteem of all.
Early in this campaign, he issued a political circular. This first
written address of Lincoln should command attention. It contains
abundant evidence of close thinking, political sagacity and quaint
utterance. This youthful appeal of Lincoln is a sober production
expressing thoughts that go straight to the mind. The circular is
conclusive that his style and his thought were not altogether the
fruition of his maturity.
The address deals mainly with the navigability of the Sangamon River. No
theme was closer to the people in the county. The arrival of the steamer
_Talisman_ had been hailed with rapture. A newspaper thus gave utterance
to the common feeling: "We congratulate our farmers, our mechanics, our
merchants and our professional men, for the rich harvest in prospect,
and we cordially invite emigrating citizens from other states, whether
rich or poor, if so they are industrious and honest, to come thither and
partake of the good things of Sangamon."[68] The enthusiasm reached the
women, for they indulged in a grand ball to honor the occasion.[69] The
ardent championship of this vain proposal, for it was never either
effected or seriously attempted, is proof that Lincoln was a student of
popularity. At this period he proclaimed the doctrine that the
representative of the people should reflect the known views of his
constituency.[70]
[68] History of Sangamon County, 53.
[69] _Ibid._
[70] Lincoln's Speeches, 1, 7.
He next paid heed to the problem of usury. Money, always seeking the
highest bidder, preyed on the industry of the people. The common
contract rate was about fifty per cent. In many instances it rose to
more than one hundred, and unfortunates even paid two or three times as
much.[71] "It seems," Lincoln said, "as though we are never to have an
end to this baneful and corroding system, acting almost as prejudicial
to the general interests of the community as a direct tax of several
thousand dollars annually laid on each county for the benefit of a few
individuals only, unless there be a law made fixing the limits of usury.
A law for this purpose, I am of the opinion, may be made without
materially injuring any class of people. In cases of extreme necessity,
there could always be means found to cheat the law; while in other cases
it would have its intended effect. I would favor the passage of a law on
this subject which might not be easily evaded. Let it be such that the
labor and difficulty of evading it could only be justified in cases of
greatest necessity."[72] This rather remarkable admission is interesting
in view of his subsequent utterances on the sacred enforcement of all
laws lest single relaxations prove an inducement for other
violation.[73]
[71] Lamon, 133.
[72] Lincoln's Speeches, 1, 3.
[73] _Ibid._, 12.
A rather becoming modesty pervades the conclusion of his address. He
maintained that he might be wrong in regard to any or all the subjects
he discussed, declaring that it was better only sometimes to be right
than at all times to be wrong, that he was ready to renounce his
opinions as soon as he discovered them to be erroneous.[74]
[74] _Ibid._, 4.
"Every man," he observed, "is said to have his peculiar ambition.
Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so
great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow-men, by rendering
myself worthy of their esteem."[75] This illumines our limited knowledge
of his attitude toward an essential problem of life. Lincoln did not
fling away ambition. With patient footstep he restlessly followed the
vision of higher place along the road of helpful service to his
fellow-men. As he rose in influence, he never forsook his early ideals;
that the measure of success was worthiness and not station, that power
was only respectable as it was mercifully exercised. He believed that
altruistic responsibility expanded with growing opportunities. His good
deeds, not his personal wants, grew with his growth.
[75] _Ibid._
He did not rest with an appeal to the reason of men. He deftly put in
motion the human chord in democracy that vibrates to the poor and the
struggling. He declared that he was young and unknown; that he was born,
and would ever remain, in the most humble walks of life; that he had no
wealthy or popular relations or friends to recommend him; that his case
was thrown exclusively upon the independent voters of the county; and
that, if elected, they would have conferred a favor upon him, for which
he would be unremitting in his labors to compensate.[76]
[76] Lincoln's Speeches, 1, 4.
"But, if the good people," he concluded, "in their wisdom shall see fit
to keep me in the background, I have been too familiar with
disappointments to be very much chagrined."[77] Suffused with seeming
humor and the pathos of half hidden tragedy this averment brings us face
to face with a life reluctantly asserting its individuality. It is
hardly strange that one who pronounces himself a companion of many
disappointments when only twenty-three years old should soon get the
name of "Old Abe." Sorrow had already left its traces on his heart and
brain, so that the appellation was fitting. Still, he encountered
uncomplainingly the exigencies of human events.
[77] _Ibid._
"The Democrats of New Salem worked for Lincoln out of their personal
regard for him. That was the general understanding of the matter here at
the time. In this he made no concession of principle whatever. He was as
stiff as a man could be in his Whig doctrines. They did this for him
simply because he was popular--because he was Lincoln."[78] Despite the
efforts of his friends in New Salem, Lincoln was yet too little known
to be elected a representative of Sangamon County.
[78] Nicolay & Hay, 1, 102-103.
One fact stands out boldly. Out of the total 300 votes cast in the
precinct of New Salem, where he was best known, Lincoln received
277.[79] This did not pass without the scrutiny of those who studied the
details of local politics. It revealed an amazing popularity. It was a
defeat that practiced politicians knew betokened future triumphs. It
marked the trail of a triumphing career in the common course of events.
With ardent pride, he later said of this defeat, that it was the only
time he was ever beaten on a direct vote of the people.[80]
[79] Nicolay & Hay, 1, 109. Tarbell, 1, 91.
[80] Lincoln's Speeches, 1, 641.
John Calhoun, a stalwart Democrat, a surveyor in Sangamon County, and
later infamous in Kansas history, needed a deputy. He selected Lincoln,
who thereupon retreated to a farm of the schoolmaster Graham, where he
studied a book on surveying. Struggling with the task for six weeks, he
came forth prepared for his new work. He so mastered the subject that he
became renowned for the accuracy of his measurements. "If I can be
perfectly free," Lincoln is reported to have said, "in my political
action, I will take the office, but if my sentiments or even expression
of them is to be abridged in any way I would not have it or any other
office."[81] This story is rather heroic. The work was of a business
character, and politics did not dictate every act of Calhoun; he was
willing to help a worthy ambitious young man. On the other hand, the
store of Lincoln had "winked out"; he had nothing to do; he was eager to
enter into an honorable vocation without an inquisition into the motives
of Calhoun. It was a friendly act without any suggestion of political
obligation; a kindly service that cemented a friendship never severed,
though they met as rivals on the field of controversy. Even in the days
when it was common to blacken the name of Calhoun, Lincoln never joined
in the general hue and cry.[82]
[81] Herndon, 1, 111.
[82] Lamon, 148.
The acceptance of the office of postmaster at New Salem, under the
administration of General Jackson, had no particular bearing upon the
political views of Abraham Lincoln. The office was of so little monetary
importance, that Lincoln carried its whole contents in his hat. He was
the only man of standing in the community that could afford to give it
abundant attention for the small pay. The office was doubtless freely
tendered, the more freely as Lincoln was not of a partisan temperament.
It was of value to him. It enabled him to be of service and thus gain
the good will of many. He readily made known the contents of letters to
the illiterate. He also read aloud to the inhabitants gathered at the
store, all the news from the recent papers.[83]
[83] _Ibid._
"The first time I ever saw Abe with a law-book in his hand," says Squire
Godbey, "he was sitting astride Jake Bale's wood pile in New Salem. Says
I, 'Abe, what are you studying?'--'Law,' says Abe. 'Great God Almighty!'
responded I."[84] Lincoln states in his campaign biography that one of
his fellow candidates, Major John T. Stuart, in his first canvass
encouraged him to study law, and that after election he borrowed books
of Stuart and went at it in good earnest. He also states that he never
studied with anybody.[85]
[84] _Ibid._, 140.
[85] Lincoln's Speeches, 1, 642.
During his legal apprenticeship of three or four years, he was at the
call of every citizen. He wrote deeds, contracts and other legal papers,
and often appeared before the local Justice of the Peace. All this
service was free. He was not forgotten by those he helped. Even when he
moved to Springfield, his New Salem friends found that his counsel was
ever at their disposal. His door was as open to poverty as to riches.
His study of the law widened the exercise of his sympathy and his
usefulness. Then, too, every satisfied client was likely to become a
political supporter.
It would have been amazing if Lincoln had come short of being the hero
of New Salem. He won "golden opinions" from every class of men. His
popularity had a substantial basis. He rode into favor on the tide of
service to his fellowmen. Wholesale dispenser of laughter and sympathy,
clerk at a store of the village, athlete of renown, arbiter of fights
and games, pilot on a memorable journey, a debater of singular skill, an
orator commanding attention, a sincere student, a soldier of some
distinction, popular postmaster, a skilled surveyor, and later a lawyer
and legislator--master in all these relations, he proved his worth and
value to the community. No man was more thoroughly gifted in the
qualities of manhood and character that lodge in the human heart. He
took up the harp of pioneer life and smote all "the vital chords with
might." Attuned to the lowly sentiments, to the humble ways and the
hardships of the people of the prairie, his sympathies were as broad as
the plains of Sangamon County. The drunkard, the outcast, the children
and the women, the rowdy and the ruffian, the teacher, the store keeper,
and politicians, all were his friends. He was odd in liking so many of
his kind, in the universality of his sympathies.
While Lincoln acted from a "full warm heart," policy could not have
dictated wiser conduct for a political career. Could genius have planned
the course, it would not have added greater skill to its success. His
very faults were the highway to public esteem. Almost every man, each
woman and child in New Salem were gladdened by his honest hand shake,
the cheer of his voice and the charm of his character.