Abraham Lincoln to Sydney Spring, 19 June 18581
Springfield June 19. 1858Sydney Spring, Esq[Esquire]My dear Sir:Your letter introducing Mr Faree was duly received– There was no opening to nominate him for Superintendant of Public Instruction but, through him, Egypt made a most valuable contribution to
the Convention–2 I think it may be fairly said, that he came off the lion of the day— or rather of
the night– Can you not elect him to the Legislature? It seems to me he would be hard to beat– What objection could be made to him?3
Please write me–5
Your trulyA. Lincoln2“Egypt” was a popular nickname for Southern Illinois. James J. Ferree was from Carmi in White County, which was in southeastern Illinois. At the White County Republican convention on May 28, 1858, Ferree was chosen as a member of a central committee
for the county. He also selected to represent White County at the 1858 Illinois Republican State Convention.
At the Illinois Republican State Convention, Ferree was among ten delegates nominated
for the office of state superintendent of public instruction. He received three
votes on the first ballot, and his name was dropped from succeeding ballots. Newton Bateman won the nomination on the third ballot.
George W. Smith, When Lincoln Came to Egypt (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2016), xvii; Webster's New Geographical Dictionary
(Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1988), 222; Chicago Daily Tribune (IL), 7 June 1858, 2:2; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 17 June 1858, 2:1, 4, 5.
3White and Wabash counties made up the Ninth District of the Illinois House of Representatives. Republicans in the district nominated Maurice B. Brown for the seat in the 1858 state elections. John G. Powell, the Democratic candidate, defeated Brown for the seat.
History of White County Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State, 1883), 340; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 3 November 1858, 2:2; The Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 17 November 1858, 2:4.
4Abraham Lincoln was interested in the intentions of Senator Samuel H. Martin, a Democrat
who represented White County in the Illinois Senate, and Edwin B. Webb because he was looking for supporters to assist him in his candidacy
for the U.S. Senate against Stephen A. Douglas. Delegates to the Illinois Republican State Convention unanimously nominated Lincoln
to challenge Douglas, the incumbent. At the time, state legislatures chose members
of the U.S. Senate; therefore, the races for the Illinois House of Representatives
and Illinois Senate were important for Lincoln's candidacy. A split in the Democratic
Party, which occurred in December 1857 after Douglas spoke out against the Lecompton Constitution and criticized President James Buchanan for supporting it, improved Lincoln's chances to unseat Douglas. David L. Phillips wrote Lincoln on July 24, 1858, "Martin . . . swears that he will do anything to defeat
Douglas." Daniel G. Hay wrote Lincoln three days later, stating Webb, "was Anti Lecompton at first but it is thought that he is now in favor of the Administration." Hay believed that Webb would be a Democratic candidate from the Ninth District
for the Illinois House; however, Webb, who suffered from ill health, died in October
before the election.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 1:455, 457-85; Allen C. Guelzo,
“House Divided: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Political Landscape of 1858,” The Journal of American History 94 (September 2007), 392; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 29 October 1858, 3:2; The Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 17 November 1858, 2:4.
5Spring responded to this letter on September 8, 1858, giving Lincoln his view on the prospects for
a Republican victory in White and Wabash counties. Lincoln ran against, and lost to,
Douglas for U.S Senate. Both Martin and Powell voted for Douglas. See the 1858 Federal Election.
Illinois Senate Journal. 1859. 21st G. A., 30.
Copy of Autograph Letter Signed, 1 page(s), Abraham Lincoln Association Files, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).