Abraham Lincoln to Samuel Wilkinson, 10 June 18581
Springfield, June 10. 1858Samuel Wilkinson Esq[Esquire]My dear SirYours of the 26th May came to hand only last night– I know of no effort to unite the Reps. & Buc. men, and believe there is none– Of course the Republicans do not try to keep the common enemy from dividing; but, so far as I know, or believe, they will not unite with either branch of the division–2 Indeed it is difficult for me to see, on what ground they could unite; but it ^is^ useless to spend words, there is simply nothing of it– It is a trick of our enemies
to try to excite all sorts of suspicions and jealosies amongst us–3 We hope that our Convention on the 16th bringing us together, and letting us hear each other talk will put and an end to most of this–4
Yours trulyA. Lincoln<Page 2>
[Envelope]
SPRIN[GFIE?]LD Ill.[Illinois]
J[UN][June]
1[?]
1858Samuel Wilkinson Esq.FarmingtonFulton CoIllinois
J[UN][June]
1[?]
1858Samuel Wilkinson Esq.FarmingtonFulton CoIllinois
1Abraham Lincoln wrote and signed this letter. He also wrote Samuel Wilkinson’s name
and address on the envelope shown in the second image.
2In December 1857, Stephen A. Douglas spoke out against the Lecompton Constitution and criticized President James Buchanan for supporting it. This led to a rift in the Democratic Party between pro-Douglas and pro-Buchanan factions as well as rumors that one faction
or the other might ally with the Republican Party in the 1858 Federal Election to either elect or defeat Douglas in his bid for reelection to the U.S. Senate.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 1:445-48.
3Some Republicans were excited by Douglas’ repudiation of the Lecompton Constitution
to the extent that they considered supporting him in the election of 1858. Although
he later denied it, Douglas 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.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, 1:446-48.
4Ultimately, Douglas remained in the Democratic Party. At the Illinois Republican Convention held in Springfield on June 16, delegates nominated Lincoln to challenge Douglas
for the U.S. Senate. Douglas would defeat Lincoln and retain his seat. Through the
campaign, however, and in particular through his participation in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Lincoln gained recognition as well as standing within the national Republican Party.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, 1:457-58, 556-57.
Autograph Letter Signed, 2 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).