Identifier: abrahamlincoln2528linc (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln's stories and speeches : including early life stories, professional life stories, White House incidents, war reminiscences, etc.
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 McClure, J. B. (James Baird), 1832-1895
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Publisher: Chicago : Rhodes & McClure
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: State of Indiana through the Indiana State Library

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intruders, and called Mr. Bateman into his room fora quiet talk. On one of these occasions, Mr. Lincolntook up a book containing a careful canvass of the cityof Springfield, in which he lived, showing the candi-date for whom each citizen had declared it his intentionto vote in the approaching election. Mr. Lincolnsfriends had, doubtless at his own request, placed the re-sult of the canvass in his hands. This was towards theclose of October, and only a few days before election.Calling Mr. Bateman to a seat by his side, having pre-viously locked all the doors, he said: Let us look over this book; I wish particularly to seehow the ministers of Springfield are going to vote. The leaves were turned, one by one, and as the nameswere examined Mr. Lincoln frequently asked if this oneand that were not a minister, or an elder, or a memberof such or such church, and sadly expressed his surpriseon receiving an affirmative answer. In that mannerthey went through the book, and then he closed it and
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108 Lincolns stories and speeches. sat silently for some minutes regarding a memorandumin pencil which lay before him. At length, he turned toMr. Bateman, with a face full of sadness, and said: Here are twenty-three ministers of different denom-inations, and all of them are against me but three, andhere are a great many prominent members of churches,a very large majority are against me. Mr. Bateman, Iam not a Christian,—God knows I would be one,—butI have carefully read the Bible and I do not so under-stand this book, and he drew forth a pocket New Testa-ment. These men will know, he continued, that I amfor freedom in the Territories, freedom everywhere asfree as the Constitution and the laws will permit, andthat my opponents are for slavery. They know this, andyet, with this book in their hands, in the light of whichhuman bondage cannot live a moment, they are going tovote against me; I do not understand it at all. Here Mr. Lincoln paused—paused for long minutes,his features su

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