Abraham Lincoln to Elihu B. Washburne, 26 April 18581
Urbana, Ills. April 26. 1858.Hon. E. B. Washburne.My dear Sir:I am rather a poor correspondent, but I think perhaps I ought to write you a letter
just now– I am here at this time;2 but I was at home during the sitting of the two democratic conventions.3 The day before these conventions I received a letter from Chicago having, among other things, on other subjects, the following in it:
“A reliable republican, but an old line whig lawyer, in this city4 told me to-day that he himself had seen a letter from one of our republican congressmen, advising us all to go for the re-election
of Judge Douglass.5 He said he was injoined to keep the author a secret & he was going to do so. From him I learnt that he was
not an old line democrat, or abolitionist
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This narrows the contest down to the congressmen from the Galena and Fulton Dists[Districts]”6The above is a litteral copy of all the letter contained on that subject– The morning of the conventions
Mr Herndon showed me your letter of the 15th to him, which convinced me that the story in the letter from Chicago was based upon
some mistake, misconstruction of language, or the like–7 Several of our friends were down from Chicago, and they had something of the same
story amongst them, some half suspecting that you were inclined to favor Douglas,
and others thinking there was an effort to wrong you–
I thought neither was exactly the case; that the whole had originated in some misconstruction,
coupled with a high degree of sensitiveness on the point, and that the whole matter
was not worth another moment’s consideration–
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Such is my opinion now, and I hope you will have no concern about it– I have written
this because Charley Wilson told me he was writing you, and because I expect Dr Ray, (who was a little excited about the matter) has also written you; and because I
think, I perhaps, have taken a calmer view of the thing than they may have done– I
am satisfied you have done no wrong, and nobody has intended any wrong to you.8
On the contrary, our friends, a good many of whom were present, parted in high spirits–
They think if we do not triumph the fault will be our own, and so I really think.
Your friend as everA Lincoln.2Between April 22, 1858 and the date of this letter, Lincoln was in Urbana for the
sitting of the Champaign County Circuit Court, where he substituted for David Davis as judge of the court.
The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln, 22 April 1858, https://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1858-04-22; 23 April 1858, https://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1858-04-23; 24 April 1858, https://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1858-04-24; 25 April 1858, https://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1858-04-25.
3Stephen A. Douglas criticized the Lecompton Constitution and President James Buchanan’s support of it in December 1857, causing a rift in the Democratic Party. The Douglas
and Buchanan factions of the Democratic Party in Illinois held separate conventions in Springfield on April 21, 1858. Lincoln and other Illinois Republican leaders observed the proceedings
and held a conference that same evening.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 1:445; The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln, 21 April 1858, https://www.thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1858-04-21.
4Elihu B. Washburne identified this attorney as Samuel L. Baker in a letter he wrote Lincoln on this subject, likely based on information received from Charles H. Ray.
Charles H. Ray to Elihu B. Washburne, 2 May [1858], E. B. Washburne Papers: Bound Volumes, Letters Received; 1861; Mar. 21-May 31, Manuscript/Mixed Material, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss44651.017/?sp=227&st=image, accessed 22 February 2024.
5Following Douglas’ break with the Buchanan administration, some Republicans were excited
by his repudiation of the Lecompton Constitution to the extent that they considered
supporting his bid for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 1858. Although Douglas later denied it, he courted Republican support—meeting
in person with prominent men such as Horace Greeley and hinting in correspondence to Republicans that he was finished with the Democratic
Party. Lincoln and other Republicans were concerned by these developments and urged
fellow party members to remain loyal in the upcoming election. In Lincoln’s view, Douglas disagreed with the Buchanan administration over whether
the Lecompton Constitution accurately represented the will of Kansans, but did not
repudiate the overall goal of admitting Kansas as a slave state.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, 1:445-50
6Washburne and William Kellogg were the members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the First (Galena) and Fourth (Fulton) Congressional districts of Illinois,
respectively.
John Wentworth wrote Lincoln the April 19, 1858 missive quoted here on the subject of rumors surrounding
a letter written by Washburne to Charles L. Wilson on April 12, 1858. In his response to this letter and subsequent correspondence with Lincoln on the issue, Washburne
enclosed the controversial letter for Lincoln to read and explained that it had been
misinterpreted. Washburne clarified that while he would consider welcoming Douglas
as an ally to the Republican Party in light of the latter’s differences with the Democratic
Party, he supported Lincoln as the Republican Party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate
in Illinois in 1858.
Howard W. Allen and Vincent A. Lacey, eds., Illinois Elections, 1818-1990 (Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992), 10, 139;
Russell K. Nelson, “The Early Life and Congressional Career of Elihu B. Washburne”
(PhD dissertation, University of North Dakota, August 1953), 159-62; Elihu B. Washburne to Abraham Lincoln; Abraham Lincoln to Elihu B. Washburne; Abraham Lincoln to Elihu B. Washburne; Elihu B. Washburne to Abraham Lincoln; Abraham Lincoln to Elihu B. Washburne.
7Washburne’s letter to William H. Herndon of April 15, 1858 has not been located. In
a response to Washburne, Herndon reported “Lincoln is just in– read your letter– did
him good, and sends you back his best respects and says– all is right.”
William H. Herndon to Elihu B. Washburne, 21 April 1858, E. B. Washburne Papers: Bound Volumes, Letters Received; 1857, Aug. 10-1858, Aug.
8, Manuscript/Mixed Material, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss44651.003/?sp=179&st=image, accessed 22 February 2024.
8Charles L. Wilson wrote to Washburne on May 3, 1858, explaining that he had only shown
the letter in controversy to two people, both of whom he trusted, and blaming John
Wentworth for misrepresenting the contents of the letter and stirring up trouble to
ingratiate himself with Lincoln.
Charles H. Ray also wrote to Washburne, describing a contentious discussion of Washburne’s letter
that occurred when the Illinois Republican leaders held their meeting following the
two Democratic conventions on April 21, 1858. Ray informed Washburne that he had spoken
forcefully in the latter’s defense, and recounted that while Lincoln was “much distressed”
by the argument at the meeting, he had assured Ray “that the whole thing had made
no impression on him.” According to Ray, Lincoln told him that his knowledge of both
Washburne and Wentworth was sufficient for him.
Charles L. Wilson to Elihu B. Washburne, 3 May 1858, E. B. Washburne Papers: Bound Volumes, Letters Received; 1857, Aug. 10-1858, Aug.
8, Manuscript/Mixed Material, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss44651.003/?sp=203&st=image, accessed 22 February 2024; Charles H. Ray to Elihu B. Washburne, 2 May [1858], E. B. Washburne Papers: Bound Volumes, Letters Received; 1861; Mar. 21-May 31, Manuscript/Mixed Material, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss44651.017/?sp=227&st=image, accessed 22 February 2024.
9The two factions of the Illinois Democratic Party held their April 21, 1858 conventions
at the Illinois State House, with Douglas supporters in the hall of the Illinois House of Representatives, and the Buchanan supporters in the Senate Chamber. Both groups claimed to be answering the same call to meeting issued by the
Democratic State Executive Committee. Neither faction seemed to be in a position of
strength after the conventions and the level of hostility suggested compromise was
unlikely. The Buchanan Democrats were fewer in number, but the Douglas Democrats were
reported to “feel most keenly their anomalous condition” of working in opposition
to the platform and presidential administration of their party.
Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 22 April 1858, 2:1-5; Chicago Daily Tribune (IL), 23 April 1858, 2:1-4.
Autograph Letter Signed, 3 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).