Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Report of Speech at Capitol House, Charleston, Illinois, 18 September, 18581

Fellow citizens, I have not been accustomed to these demonstrations and popular gatherings in my journeyings through our State heretofore2

I accept them, and I particularly accept this as a testimonial, not to myself, but to the cause and the principles which your favor has caused me to represent in this contest. I thank you most sincerely for this flattering reception, for the kind welcome your speaker has uttered, and (turning to the car conveying the young ladies,) for this beautiful basket of flowers. (Loud cheers.) I can now only express my thanks for this fine demonstration, and say that I will more fully address you and discuss the issues involved in the present struggle, at another hour.3

1This report was published on the front page of the Tuesday morning edition of the Chicago Daily Press and Tribune on September 21, 1858. It appears near the bottom of the furthest left column.
Chicago Daily Press and Tribune (IL), 21 September 1858, 1:1.

2 Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the Republican Party, was challenging Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic incumbent, for seat in the U.S. Senate. Both men canvassed the state throughout the summer and fall of 1858, delivering speeches in support of candidates for the Illinois General Assembly in their respective parties. Members of the General Assembly voted for and elected the state’s representatives in the U.S. Senate at the time; therefore the outcome of the races for the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate were critical to the race for the Senate seat. Lincoln and Douglas also debated at seven locations across the state in the lead up to the election, which saw Douglas defeat Lincoln for the Senate seat. See 1858 Federal Election; 1858 Illinois Republican Convention. The fourth of these seven debates was held in Charleston, Illinois on September 18, 1858. Abraham Lincoln arrived in Charleston that morning after spending the night before in Mattoon, Illinois. A local Republican leader, Henry P. H. Bromwell, gave a short reception speech upon Lincoln’s arrival to the Capitol House in Charleston, promoting both Abraham Lincoln’s candidacy and the Republican party’s pro-free labor stance. The short remarks listed here are Lincoln’s response to that reception speech. He would debate Douglas later that day to a crowd of over ten thousand.
Chicago Daily Press and Tribune (IL), 21 September 1858, 1:1; Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), 1:458-60, 516-25; Allen C. Guelzo, “Houses Divided: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Political Landscape of 1858,” The Journal of American History 94 (September 2007), 392-94; George Fort Milton, "Lincoln-Douglas Debates," Dictionary of American History, rev. ed. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976), 4:155-56.

3Lincoln would begin the debate that afternoon shortly before 3:00 PM. The principle issue of debate between Lincoln and Douglas was that of the expansion of slavery into the territories that were being admitted to the United States. Lincoln was in favor of limiting or halting the expansion of slavery into these new territories while Douglas promoted the idea that the local population should decide the issue. While Douglas would go on to win the election, the debates propelled Lincoln into national recognition.
Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, 1:443-557; Allen C. Guelzo, “Houses Divided: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Political Landscape of 1858,” 414-16; George Fort Milton, "Lincoln-Douglas Debates," Dictionary of American History, 4:155-56. Chicago Daily Press and Tribune, (IL), 21 September 1858, 1:1-9; 4:1-2; Fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Charleston, Illinois; Fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Charleston, Illinois; Fourth Debate with Stephen A. Douglas at Charleston, Illinois.