Corvallis gazette., March 08, 1907, Image 4

on
incoln's Love
Aria
By
Ward Hill Lamcn,
Lincoln's Friend ajld Eodyfiuajd
"li was a maxim with many politi
cians just to keep along even with the
humor of the people, right or wrong,"
and this maxim Mr. Lincoln held then
In very high estimation. But the "hu
mor" of his constituents was not only
intensely favorable to the new scheme
of internal improvements. It was
mo3t decidedly their "humor" to have
the capital at Springfield and to make
a great man of the legislator who
should take it there. Mr. Lincoln was
uuuuuuss lijuruiiiii njunm;eu mai
'm the popular view of all these matters
T-fio tl,o ritrhi- finfi hll Pi'dii if liflri
been unhappily afflicted with individ
ual scruples of his own he would have
deemed it but simple duty to obey the
almost unanimous voice of his con
stituency. . He thought he never could
serve them better than by giving them
just what they wanted and that to col
lect the will of his people and register
It by his own vote was the first and
leading omigation or a representative.
It happened that on this occasion the
popular feeling fell in very pleasantly
with his young dream of rivaling the
fame of Clinton, and here also was a
fine opportunity of repeating in a high
er strain and on a loftier stageithe in
genious arguments which in the very
outset of his career had proved so hard
for "Posey and Ewing" when he over
threw those worthies in the great de
bate respecting the improvement of
the Sangamon river.
Win Capital Removal.
"The internal improvement bill," says
Mr. Wilson (one of the "Long Nine"),
"and a bill to permanently locate the
seat of the government of the state
were the great measures of the session
of .1830-37. Vandalia was then the seat
of government and had been for a
number of years. A new statehouse
had just been built. Alton, Decatur,
Peoria, Jacksonville. Illiapolis and
Springfield were the points seeking the
location if removed from Vandalia.
The delegation from Sangamon were a
unit, acting in conceit iu favor of the
permanent location at Springfield. The
bill was introduced at an early day In
the session to locate by a joint vote of
both houses of the legislature. The
friends of the other points united to
defeat the bill, as each point thought
the postponement of the location to
some future period would give strength
to their location. The contest on this
bill was long and severe. Its enemies
laid it on the table twice, once on the
t ,table to the 4th day of July and once
Indefinitely postponed it. To take a
bill from the table Is always attended
with difficulty, but when laid on the
table to a day beyond the session or
when indefinitely postponed it requires
a vote of reconsideration, which al
ways Is an Intense struggle. In these
dark hours, when our bill to all ap
pearances was beyond resuscitation
and all our opponents were jubilant
over our defeat and when friends
could see no hope, Mr. Lincoln never
for one moment despaired, but, collect
ing his colleagues to his room for con-
y BUlltlllUlI, 1119 JJlUlllUMi UUU1111U11 BCUSC,
his thorough knowledge of human na
ture, then made him an overmatch for
his compeers and for any man that I
have ever known.
"We surmounted all obstacles, pass
ed the bill and by a joint vote of both
bouses located the seat of government
of the state of Illinois at Springfield
just before the adjournment of the leg
islature, which took place on the 4th
day of March, 1S37. The delegation
acting during the whole session upon
nil questions as a unit gave them
strength and influence that enabled
them to carry through their measures
and give efficient aid to their friends.
The delegation was not only remarka
ble for their numbers, but for their
length, most of them measuring six
feet and over. It was said at the time
that that delegation measured fifty
four foet high. Hence they were
known as 'the Long Nine.' So that
during that session and for a number
of years afterward all the bad laws
passed at that session of the legisla
ture were chargeable to the manage
ment and influence of 'the Long Nine.'
"He Mr. Lincoln was on the stump
and In the halls of the legislature a
ready debater, manifesting extraordi
nary ability in his peculiar manner of
presenting his subject. He did not fol
low the beaten track of other speakers
and thinkers, but appeared to compre
hend the whole situation of the sub
ject and take hold of its principles. He
i had a remarkable faculty for concen
tration, enabling him to present his
: subject In such a manner as nothing
but conclusions were presented."
V
CHAPTER VIII.
Beginning of Mr. Lincoln's Antislavery
Record.
I
' T was at this session of the legis
lature, March 3, 1837. that Mr.
Lincoln began that antislavery
record upon which his fame
through all time must chiefly rest It
was a very mild beginning, but even
that required uncommon courage and
candor In the day and generation In
Which it was done.
The whole country was excited con
cerning the doctrines and the practices
Of the abolitionists. These agitators
were as yet but few In numbers, but Is
Wfl .tT cgnrlsed moms t
irs
And His Early
Experiences a.s
2l Lawmaker
f
.J
the best 'citizens," aid" tliV'leaderswere
persons of high character, of culture
and social Influence, while in the mid
dle states they were for the most part
confined to the Society of Friends, or
Quakers. All were earnest, active and
uncompromising in the propagation of
their opinions, and, believing slavery
to be the "sum of all villainies," with
the utmost pertinacity they claimed
the unrestricted right to disseminate
their convictions in any manner they
saw fit, regardless of all consequences.
They paid not the slightest heed to the
wishes or the opinions of their oppo
nents. They denounced all compro
mises with an unsparing tongue and
would allow no law of man to stand in
their eyes above the law of God.
George Thompson. Identified with
emancipation in the British West In
dies, had come and gone. For more
than a year he addressed public meet
ings in New England, the central states
and Ohio and contributed not a little
to the growing excitement by his fierce
denunciations of the slaveholding class
In language with which his long agita
tion in, England had made him famil
iar. He was denounced, insulted and
mobbed, and even in Boston he was
once posted as an "infamous foreign
scoundrel," and an offer was made of
$100 to "snake him out" of a public
meeting. In fact, Boston was not at
all behind other cities and towns In its
condemnation of the abolitionists. A
great meeting In Faneuil hall, called
by eighteen hundred leading citizens,
Whigs and Democrats, condemned
their proceedings in language as strong
and significant as Richard Fletcher,
Peleg Sprague and Harrison Gray Otis
could write it. But Garrison still con
tinued to publish the Liberator, filling
It with all the uncompromising aggres
siveness of his sect and distributing it
throughout the southern states. It ex
cited great alarm in the slaveholding
communities, where its secret circula
tion, in the minds of the slaveholders,
tended to incite the slaves to insurrec
tions, assassinations and running away.
but In the place where it was publish
ed it was looked upon with general
.contempt and disgust. When the
mayor of Baltimore wrote to the mayor
of Boston to have It suppressed, the
latter (the eloquent Otis) replied "that
his officers had ferreted out the paper
and its editor, whose office was an ob
scure hole, his only visible auxiliary a
negro boy. his supporters a few insig
nificant persons of all colors."
At the close of the year 1835 Presi
dent Jackson had called the attention
of congress to the doings of these peo
ple in language corresponding to the
natural wrath with which he viewed
the character of their proceedings. "I
must also," said he, "invite your at
tention to the painful excitements In
the south by attempts to circulate
through the mails inflammatory ap
peals addressed to the passions of
slaves in prints and various sorts of
publications calculated to stimulate
them to insurrection and to produce all
the horrors of civil war. It is fortu
nate for the country that the good
sense, the generous feeling and deep
rooted attachment of the people of the
nonslaveholding states to the Union
and their fellow citizens of the same
blood in the south have given so strong
and impressive a tone to the senti
ments entertained against the proceed
ings of the misguided persons who
have engaged In these unconstitutional
and wicked attempts and especially
against the emissaries from foreign
parts who have dared to interfere iu
this matter as to authorize the hope
that these attempts will no longer be
persisted In. I would therefore
call the special attention of congress
to the subject and respectfully suggest
the propriety of passing such a law as
will prohibit under severe penalties
the circulation in the southern states
through the mail of incendiary publi
cations intended to instigate the slaves
to insurrection."
Henry Clay on Abolitionists.
Mr. Clay said the sole purpose of the
abolitionists was to array one portion
of the Union against the other. "With
that In view, in all their leading prints
and publications the alleged horrors of
slavery are depicted In the most glow
ing and exaggerated colors to excite
the Imaginations and stimulate the
rage of the people of the free states
against the people of the slaveholding
states. Why are the slave states
wantonly and cruelly assailed? Why
does the abolition press teem with pub
lications tending to excite hatred and
animosity on the part of the free states
against the slave states? Why Is
congress petitioned? Is their purpose
to appeal to our understanding and ac
tuate our humanity? And do they ex
pect to accomplish that purpose by
holding ns up to the scorn and con
tempt and detestation of the people of
the free states and the whole civilized
world? Union on the one side
will beget union on the other. "
One section will stand In menacing
hostile array against another; the col
lision of opinion will be quickly fol
lowed by the clash of arms.
Mr. Everett, then 0836) the governor
of Massachusetts, Informed the legisla
ture, for the admonition of these un
sparing agitators against the peace of
the south, that "everything that tends
to disturb the relations created by this
Cjpxt Jtt cogfltntloBl war
ifir.TEs sprfTtr"4nI"wKate"-er Try direct
and necessary operation is calculated
to excite an Insurrection among the
slaves has been held by highly re
spectable legal authority an offense
against the peace of this common
wealth which may be prosecuted aa a
misdemeanor at common law." It was
proposed In the legislature to pass an
act defining the offense with more cer
tainty and attaching to It a severer
penalty. The abolitionists asked to be
heard before the committee, and Rev.
S. J. May, Ellis Gray Lorlng. Proferaor
Charles Follen, Samuel E. Sewell and
others t-f equal ability and character
spoke in their behalf. They objected
to the passage of such an act in the
strongest terms and derided the value
of a Union which could not protect its
citizens in one of their most cherished
rights. During the hearing several bit
ter altercations took place between
them and the chairman. .
In New York Governor Marcy called
npou the legislature "to do what may
be done consistently with the great
principles of civil liberty to put an end
to the evils which the abolitionists are
bringing upon us and the whole country-"
The -'character" and the "inter
ests" of the state were equally at
stake, and both would be sacrificed un
less these furious and cruel fanatics
were effectually suppressed.
In Hay. l&JG. the federal house of
reprosentatives resolved by overwhelm
ing votes that congress had no right to
interfere with slavery in the states or
in the District of Columbia and that
henceforth. all abolition petitions should
be laid on the table without being
printed or referred. And one day later
than the date of Mr. Lincoln's protest
Mr. Van Buren declared in his inau
gural that no bill abolishing slavery in
the District of Cplumbia or meddling
with it In the states where it existed
should ever receive his signature.
"There was no other form," says Ben
ton, "at that time in which slavery agi
tation could manifest itself or place it
could find a point to operate, the ordi
nance of 1787 and the compromise of
1820 having closed up the territories
against it. Danger to slave property
in the states either by direct action or
indirectly through the District of Co
lumbia were the only points of ex
pressed apprehension."
Abolition agitations fared little better
In the Twenty-fifth congress than in
the Twenty-fourth. At the extra ses
sion in September of 1S37 Mr. Slade of
Vermont introduced two petitions for
the abolition of slavery in the District
of Columbia, but after a furious debate
and stormy scene they were disposed
of by the adoption of the following:
Resolved, That all petitions, memorials
and papers touching the abolition of slav
ery or the buying:, selling: or transferring
of slaves in any state, district or terri
tory of the United States be laid on the
table without being debated, printed,
read or referred and that no further ac
tion whatever shall be had thereon.
Few Abolitionists In Illinois.
In Illinois at the time we speak of
(March, 1837) an abolitionist was rare
ly seen and scarcely ever heard of. In
many parts of the state such a person
would have been treated as a criminal.
It is true there were a few Covenant
ers, with whom hatred of slavery in
any form and wherever found was an
essential part of their religion. Up to
1824 they had steadily refused to vote
or in any other way to acknowledge
the state government, regarding it as
"an heathen and unbaptized Institu
tion" because the constitution failed to
recognize "Jesus Christ as the head of
the government and the Holy Scrip
tures as the only rule of faith and
practice." It was only when it was
proposed to Introduce slavery into Illi
nois by an alteration of that "heathen"
constitution that the Covenanters con
sented to take part in public affairs.
The movement which drew them out
proved to be a long and unusually bit
ter campaign, lasting full eighteen
months and ending in the fall of 1824
with a popular majority of several
thousand against calling a convention
for the purpose of making Illinois a
slave state. Many of the antislavery
leaders in this contest, conspicuous
among whom was Governor Coles, were
LINCOLN'S FIRST LAW OFFICE.
gentlemen from' slave states who had
emancipated their slaves before remov
al and were opposed to slavery not
upon religious or moral grounds, but
because they believed It would be a
material Injury to the new country.
Practically no other view of the ques
tion was discussed, and a person who
should have undertaken to discuss It
from the "man and brother" stand
point of more modern times would
have been set down' as a lunatic. A
clear majority of the people were
against the Introduction of slavery Into
their own state, but that majority were
fully agreed with their brethren of the
minority that those who went about
to Interfere with slavery In the most
distant manner In the places where It
already existed were deserving of the
severest punishment as the common
enemies of society. It was In those
days a mortal offense to call a man an
abolitionist, for abolitionist was syn
onymous with thief. Between a band
of men who stole horses and a band of
men who stole negroes the popular
mind made small distinctions In the
degrees of guilt. The ware regarded
as rbrs. jdgtrbe. ajf ,1b. the I
j rE-.TT?3 or arson;- Eiuraer. polson
' Ins. rape; and In addition to all this
' traitors - to the government under
which they lived, and enemies to the
: Union which gave us as a people, lib
erty and strength. In testimony of
: these sentiments Illinois enacted a
"black code" of most preposterous and
cruel severity a code that would have
been a disgrace to a slave state and
was simply an Infamy In a free one.
It borrowed the provisions of the most
.olting laws known among men for
exiling, selling, beating, bedeviling and
torturing negroes, whether bond or
free. Under this law Governor Coles,
the leader of the antislavery party,
who had emancipated his slaves and
settled them around him In his new
: home, but had neglected to file a bond
with the condition that his freedmen
should behave well and never become
a charge upon the public, was fined
$200 in each ase. and so late as 1S52
the writer of these pages very narrow
ly escaped the same penalty for the
same offense.'
(To be Continued)
Probably Not Fatal.
There was a shooting affair in
Independence a few days ago in
which the father and brother of
Mrs. Wil lard Ireland of this city
were victims. The affair is de
scribed by the Telegram as fel
lows: "E. M. Young, a well-known-hopgrower
of this place, shot and
seriously wounded Asa Taylor, a
liveryman, and shot and injured
J. R. Taylor, the Marshal, who
is the father of Asa Taylor. The
quarrel between Young and Asa
Taylor was the result of a con
versation over the telephone be
tween the two, regarding the
former's dog license. Marshal
Taylor had placed Young's dog
in the pound, and during the
conversation over the phone,
Young called the Marshal names,
and when Young and Asa Tayloi
met on the street late Saturday
aiternoon, the former was taken
to task for what he had said con
cerning the Marshal. Then
Young struck Taylor, and one
blow followed another until
Young drew a 38-caliber pistol
and shot Taylor in the shouldei.
Mar hal Taylor appeared and or
dered both men to stop, when he
was shot in the arm by Young.
Neither the Marshal nor his son
was armed.
The affair has crested no little
excitement, since all of the prin
cipals are well known here.
Marshal Taylor's wound is not
serious, although the bullet has
not been located, and he is able
to be on the street today. Asa
Taylor's wounds, although not
thought to be fatal, are very seri
ous. Young is out on bonds, having
been arrested by Constable Mor
an.". Mrs. W. Ireland has returned
from Independence, and says
the victims of the unfortunae
affair are recovering.
OAC Endowment.
In commenting favorably on the new
endowment by congress of the Orego 1
Agricultural College and other colleges of
the sort, the Portland Journal says edi
torially :
"The colleges of agricultural and me
chanical arts are the intensely practical
phase of education, wherein the brain and
band are brought into harmony and pro
vision made for bringing into utilization
the measureless resources of the conti
nent. The scientific treatment of soils,
the scientific way of taking ores and min
erals from the ground, the scientific way
of utilizing electric power, the scientific
plan of construction wherein all tne
building materials of earth are involved,
the practical and scientific as applied to
forests, fields and mines in short, the
application of science to everything founa
on, in or under the soil, and the adapt
ing of it to man's use all this is the
broad, useful grope of these colleges of
science. They are modernized educa
tion, promoted first tor evolving self
sustaining citizens, and second for bring
ing into actual use in the country the
crude materials stored during the ages for
the comfort and happiness of mankind.
So sweeping baa been the stride made
by these schools that in many instances
the great busy workshops and laboratories
of the East accept the graduates of these
colleges by entire classes and put them
into service in the marvelous industries
in which onr country leads the world.
and in securing which the scientific col
leges are a more than inconsiderable fact
or. The act ef congress in doubling the en
dowment of these colleges makes far a
better and richer country, and builds for
a broader and brighter citizenship by
spendidg money for promoting the noble
arts of peace.
In none of these nationally endowed
schools will the added maintenance be
more welcome thaa in the excellant Ore
gon institution at Cor vail is where aa en
rollment of more than 890 yonng people
makes the increased allowance of urgent
need and emphatically deterred."
STRAW STOCKS.
The Waste of Soil Material on Weat
' era Farms.
A good German fanner was talking
about growing wheat at an Illinois In
stitute. In his odd, pointed way he
said In regard to tillage on wheat
land, "We are lazy too much In work
ing land for wheat," Many are "lazy
too much" in making the most out of
the straw. In this corn section, where
there Is no end of cornstalks, it may
not often be advisable to try and feed
straw to stock. It can be fed, however,
with proper grain to good advantage.
But tlre is no business sense in let
ting great piles of straw lie and rot
down, almost a total loss, when the
land i3 hungry for the humus this
straw would make if it was worked
Into manure or otherwise got into the
soil evenly. There is no sense in burn
ing straw, and still that is not much
worse than letting it rot down in great
stacks. It may be best sometimes to
burn stubbles when insects are taking
crops as the lesser of two evils. But
otherwise do not burn straw or vegeta
ble matter in any form. Get it back
into your soil. The. land it grew on
needs it. And don't sell straw for a
mere song. Nearly all this land is
short of humup now and getting more
so. Better crops would be the result of
rotting the straw evenly in the soil in
stead of in huge piles. Lay xement
floors in all stables.. Draw in the straw
and use it freely for bedding. Take it
out saturated with liquid manure
which now goes to waste, liquid worth,
pound for pound, much more than the
solid manure. Get twice as many loads
of mauure in a winter and worth about
twice as much per load if you want to
attain the highest success and are not
"lazy too much." Practical Farmer.
WHEEL ROOST.
Novel Flan For Seccrins; Warmth
and Comfort to Hem.
The coziest and most practical device
Imaginable for furnishing warmth and
comfort to the hens during winter
A NEW STYLE OF BOOST.
nights has recently been suggested.
After a thorough cleaning of the floor
in t the poultry house a stout hickory
.post about two and one-half Inches in
diameter is driven firmly down about
three feet from the wall. If the house
Is small, so only one is needed, put it in
a corner. Sharpen the top of this
stake and set thereon a discarded
wheel. This makes an ideal roost, one
which will accommodate from twenty
five to thirty hens, according to size of
wheel. It is remarkable how such a
roost delights the hens. The spokes are
all on a level. The rim and spokes
make a natural foothold, there is no
falling off, and the Biddies sit in a
fluffy bunch, as "comfy" as you please.
But the roost is only part of the
plan. If the wheel is placed in a cor
ner the two walls will furnish two
sides of the proposed "bedroom." Set
a post of 1 by 2 inch strip four feet
from each of the side walls. Nail other
strips from the top of this post (which
should be two feet higher than tin;
wheel) to the side walls. From these
strips hang a curtain made of either
canvas, muslin, coarse burlap or old
carpet, according to convenience,
which can be rolled or put up in the
daytime out of the way. Over the top
make either a board covering or one of
the curtain material. In this way the
hens are comfortable even in a cold
house. In many respects burlap is the
best curtain material, as it admits air,
3-et is draft proof.
The wheel should not be more than
thirty inches from the floor. The "hop
up" box will prove a convenience. The
wheel Is also very easily cleaned.
Take it outside and after placing it on
a bunch of straw Are it for a brief
space, or it can be readily sprayed first
on one side and then the other.
The advantages of this scheme, as
described in Iowa Homestead, are evi
dent. The old way of fastening the
roosts makes it difficult to successfully
fight lice and mites. It Is also a great
economizer of room. The floor space
thus saved can be kept clean for
scratching purposes.
In Oresron.
Legumes, root crops, cucumbers,
squashes, pumpkins and cabbages in
fact, most all garden products except
.melons do well here. Tomatoes yield
abundantly, but owing to cool nights
are hard to ripen on the vines. Corn
Is grown for table use and could be
grown for silage, but clover hay at
present constitutes the roughage. Most
all fruits, except peaches and apricots,
thrive here. All berries, plums, prunes,
apples, pears and cherries do exceed
ingly well. Trees overbear and as they
are not cared for have the appearance
of being short lived. There are no po
tato bugs on 'the coast and no apple
worms in Beaver valley. There are
aphis, cabbage worms, cut worms, but
no worse than other places. Dairying
Is In its infancy here, but owing to the
abundance of clover and pure run
ning water It Is destined to become a
leading industry. The same can be
said of poultry raising. Swine are
healthy and free from disease. I G.
In Orange Judd Farmer.
VI
LOOKING TO CELERY.
Growircr Plants From Seed For an
Early Crop.
The seed for the early supply should
be sown broadcast about Feb. 15 in a
moderately heated hotbed or In shal-.
low boxes filled with good garden loam
lightly pressed down. Cover the seed
with soil about one-eighth inch deep
and press the same down firmly. Set
the boxes (if these are used) In the
house near a sunny window where the
temperature averages about 70 degrees
GOLDEN SELF BLANCHING CELEBY.
and water freely. A single hotbed
sash three feet wide xind six feet long
Is large enough to start 20,000 plaut3.
After the second or third leaves have
appeared the plant should be trans
planted in other boxes or put in moder
ately heated hotbed or a cold frame
that may be covered cold nights, saya
a writer in American Agriculturist.
Set the plants about an inch apart In
the row and three Inches between
rows, and should the first two or three
days after transplanting be very bright
and warm a little shading during the
middle of the day will be advisable.
After the plants have made a growth
of five to six inches they should be set
out of doors in a well manured and
thoroughly prepared soil. In the home
garden, where space is generally limit
ed, the young plants can be set iu well
prepared rows five or six inches apart
in the row between some early crop,
such as early peas, spinach or radishes.
Seed Sowing.
From the middle of February for
ward is a good time for sowing the
various early vegetables, to be follow
ed by succeeding sowings every week
or ten days. From the point of view
of the market gardener who grows
vegetable plants for sale, this method
of making regular sowings is of great
importance in the management of his
house and frames. For instance, the
early cabbage may now be sown and
may be occupying the available shelv
ing, to be eventually moved to the
frames, thus allowing space for the
following crop. All greenhouses seem
to be overtaxed at this season of the
year, but no one seems to have the
utilization of space better planned
than the market gardener.
Short Rotation of Crops.
Every farmer realizes the value of
a short rotation of crops in maintain
ing the fertility of the soil. Yet it is
not at all uncommon to seed to timothy
and clover and mow the field for three
or four consecutive years till every
vestige of clover has disappeared and
nearly all the value of the clover plant
as a renovator of the soil is lost, says a
writer in Ohio Farmer. I believe sow
ing timothy with the clover is all right.
I always practice it. Then I am quite
sure of a catch, and I get more and
better hay. There are also other ad
vantages which space forbids I should
enumerate here. I believe, though,
that the meadow should be mowed but
once and never more than twice before
plowing.
Farm Brevities.
The cow that you think the most of
may be the very one you ought to get
rid of. Find out about that Test all
your cows. Don't be satisfied with
once. Keep at it till you know. Then
do something about it
If you do not own a good saddle
horse, get one. The landscape looks
fairer and the outlook in life much
more cheerful from the back of a
horse after a half hour's ride than
from any other point of view. It is not
necessary that you should keep a horse
exclusively for riding. He may be used
for other purposes, only look out for
one that is galted for the saddle as
well. The farmer Is entitled to the best
that Is going. Farm Journal.
Handy Boat For General Use.
The plank boat Illustrated herewith
Is made for general farm work and la
used In winter to draw manure from
the yard and stable to the field. It Is
constructed of four ten Inch crooked
maple planks two and a half Inches
thick, with an 8 by 2 inch frame
HOXBMADB BOAT.
pinned and bolted on for sides. It has
an iron clasp made of old wagon tire,
bent and bolted or clinched, nailed
across the top of the back end and top
of the sides, as Indicated, to hold them
firmly In place. The front end has a
2 by 8 Inch piece bolted on top.
Orange Judd Fanner.
I 11 ii . hi -