USA > Illinois > The early history of Northern Illinois > Part 7
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my thought I am going to slip over to the Illinois Central railroad, a few rods across my little acreage, and stand on my side of the track, just across from where the Crane's Grove station was at that time; only a platform in Stephenson County, a few yards north of the Ogle county- line.
The Lincoln train was now pulling into Dixon and our hero was thinking of the boys he led, trudging into that outpost in 1832, 26 years be- fore. The train picked up the excited crowd and was pulling across Rock river where his soldier- boys perhaps waded across just for the fun of it. There on the north side of the ford stood the old block-house or fort where he, a volunteer, had been quartered with Jefferson Davis and Zachary Taylor. Since then, in 1849, Taylor had been inaugurated as president of the United States and Jefferson Davis was becoming quite prominent in the Democratic party. But Lincoln was thinking back to the time when they were officers in the United States army and were at Dixon's ferry because of the Black Hawk war. What vivid thoughts must have been aroused in Lincoln's mind as he saw the old fort.
Our local traditions have it that Jeff Davis, graduate of West Point, with his regulars, and Lincoln with his local volunteers went up the trail together; at least both went at the begin- ning of the war. Since that time, Jefferson Davis had held various prominent positions, being for
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a time a United States sentaor. Perhaps during that time Davis had said in a political speech, "We want nothing more than a simple declara- tion that negro slaves are property." That would arouse in Lincoln the deepest emotions of opposition. Was Lincoln wondering whether he and Davis who had been comrades in arms, would some day be the opposing commanders of a divided union ?
While he mused and the aisles of the train were buzzing with excitement and political lead- ers were thronging about him, anxious to give him a last bit of advice as to what to say, the train was pulling into Crane's Grove station, the last stop before reaching Freeport. Standing there, I am imagining that Lincoln was seated at a west window. As the train stopped he gazed up the gentle, half-mile slope to the long crest of the hill where the Kellogg trail ran on its way down to Crane's creek where Crane's cabin stood, still thinking of the war-days when he and Jeff Davis were friends and comrades, but were now drifting far apart and ever taking more prominent positions in the opposing polit- ical factions. Along the trail in plain view (as they still are) were three houses not far apart (built of course after he had come along the trail) and there seemed to be much excitement. Turning for a few moments from those crowd- ing upon him, he gazed at a large float being prepared for the parade to be held in Freeport
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after Lincoln had arrived. There was a big plat- form wagon on which 32 girls dressed in red, white and blue, representing the 32 states of the union, were to be seated, and a thirty-third girl was to be placed with chains on her wrists, rep- resenting Kansas. In each of those three houses was a girl belonging to that group, my mother and two aunts. In the left house lived Mrs. Ninah Eaton, a bride, just married, just enter- ing "matrimonial bondage." Perhaps she was the one who represented poor Kansas in bond- age. To the right, was the home of Aunt Nancy Wilson. The Wilsons bought out Tom Crane in 1841, and the old people were still living in the Crane cabin. In the center my mother, Laura Knapp, lived. Her father, (my grandfather, Charles Knapp, whose name I bear) came di- rectly down the American line from Nicholas Knapp who with two brothers came from Eng- land in 1630 with Governor Winthrop to help establish Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were the strictest of Puritans. When the Revolution- ary War came along, my grandfather stoutly insisted that the Knapp generation had not a Tory among them, and many of them fought under George Washington. In mother's imme- diate family at that time, her direct ancestor and three brothers were soldiers. And in the Civil War to follow, my mother's only two brothers were in Illinois regiments. And that was a typical Illinois family. In our little Crane's
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Grove cemetery, nearly 50 Civil War veterans are buried.
In the meantime the train has passed on and has come to Freeport. Let me finish this matter of the parade, held later in the forenoon. The committee in charge had set up the parade, call- ing upon the different townships to have floats, and offering a beautiful silk flag as first prize. Winston Churchill in "The Crisis," describing the Freeport debate, tells about this float (Silver Creek Township) which won the first prize. The flag was used in Freeport for many years on patriotic occasions but has passed out of sight. It may have been destroyed, but if it does exist, no matter how badly worn, it should be in the Stephenson County Historical Society building. Churchill says that when Lincoln saw the girls on the hayrack, carrying a banner, "Westward the Star of Empire takes its way. The girls link on to Lincoln ; their mothers were for Clay," he called them his "Basket of Flowers." Mother used to say that he called them his "Sunflower Girls." Perhaps he called them both names.
The crowded forenoon passed, lunches were eaten, last conferences were held, and by 2 o'clock, the vast throng had surrounded the stand placed in a little grove about two blocks from the Brewster House.
Promptly at 2 o'clock, Lincoln opened the debate and spoke for an hour; Douglas follow- ing, spoke for one and a half hours, and Lin-
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coln closed the debate with another thirty min- utes. There is no need of my emphasizing their arguments. Perhaps no other debate in all his- tory has been so voluminously written about as this. Democrats and Republicans alike vied with each other in extolling their leaders, analyzing their speeches and applying them to the political situation and need of the day.
Glancing ahead for a moment to what fol- lowed, it is interesting that Lincoln's most prominent advisers urged against his asking his opponent a certain question, declaring that it would defeat him for the United States senate. And Lincoln, the man with the far look, agreed with them, that it probably would, but that Douglas' answer would defeat Douglas for the presidency later on. And so it happened that the prophet, Lincoln, the man with uncanny insight, with the far look, again spoke truly and decided wisely; for in 1860 he was elected president when Douglas had hoped to obtain that coveted position.
It so happens that I have come to this part of my story of Northern Illinois and am writing these pages on February 12, 1948, Lincoln's birthday. And I would close my story on this day, leaving others to emphasize and interpret the profound truths that came from the lips of the immortal Lincoln on that fateful day; truths that shook the very foundations of our nation, and caused it to follow the path that
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would make it continue to be "a government of the people, for the people, and by the people."
I would rather devote my last pages writing of what, it seems to me, was far greater than anything that Lincoln said, and that is WHAT LINCOLN WAS that day when he stood, a lonely figure, on that platform, before the peo- ple of his own state, of his native land, yes, and of the world.
In the year 1903, Freeport held a celebration to honor Lincoln, and placed a suitable boulder to mark the spot where Lincoln and Douglas stood, that day of the debate, President Theo- dore Roosevelt being the speaker. August 27, 1929, Freeport held another Lincoln-celebration with a splendid program and prominent speak- ers who again gave their interpretations of Lin- coln's political pronouncements. In connection with the event, a striking figure of Lincoln was placed and unveiled in Taylor Park made pos- sible through the generosity of W. T. Raleigh, one of Freeport's distinguished citizens.
As one stands now and again before that bronze image and looks at the man portrayed with all of the strength he possessed at the time of the debate, he hears no spoken word from those lips, but he looks at a man who was great- er than all of his words, the truest, most perfect example of Democracy, America has produced.
I do not say American Democracy. There is only one kind and it needs no distinguishing
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label. Some folks talk about Communism or its milk-and-water sister-in-law Socialism and talk about their democracy, something that they do not have. They stunt man rather than exalt him for they reduce man to the common level. You cannot lift a one-talent man to the position of a five-talent man, but you can suppress the five- talent man to the size of a one-talent man. The wages of (I will not say sin) Communism or So- cialism is in the long run, poverty, degeneration, death. Democracy as a philosophy or a political system seeks to free a man from the entangle- ments with all other men, so that the DIF- FERENT talent he possesses (possessed by no other man in the world) can have free play, and if it has value, can benefit all mankind. No man is made in the image of any other man. As no two leaves on this huge maple in my front yard are alike or two human faces in that un- countable stream flowing along the loop-streets in Chicago, are alike, so it is much more true that when we look into the deep regions of the mind or heart, or personality, we find that no two are alike. The Creator has brought Life of all forms to higher levels by giving DIFFER- ENCES an opportunity to show their worth. If they have merit they lead Life to higher levels.
Democracy seeks to give every individual a CHANCE ; a chance to live his own life, develop his own talents, make his own contribution to the world if he has anything to contribute. Our
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country set itself to do this for its citizens; to give OPPORTUNITY to every man. In the Dec- laration of Independence, our forefathers de- clared that these are self-evident truths-"that all men are created equal; that they are en- dowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." And the first adopted amendment to The Constitution expressed the same thought in different language, insisting that freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, etc., were the inalienable rights of every man. The Puritans and other groups came to these shores that they might have these inalienable rights, the Revolutionary War was fought that these rights might be obtained, and these United States were organized that they might be in- sured.
The mighty spirit of America was that, of Lincoln's America was that: to give every one -yes, the ONE most lonely, friendless man, the same OPPORTUNITY, the same CHANCE to succeed, to come to higher levels, to become the leader of multitudes if he had the ABILITY, the dogged DETERMINATION, the willingness to "work like a digger on the railroad," the hours perhaps being fifteen or twenty hours a day.
If any other man can take over the CHANCE that belongs to this man, DEMOCRACY is gone. If any other man through the influence of any organization, a political party, a labor
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union, a church, any organized group is given more of a CHANCE than this one, lone man has, Democracy fails and America is a back- slidden land.
This is the greatest message that Abraham Lincoln gave to Northern Illinois, yes to the na- tion that day, that August day in Freeport. This man born in degradation, nursed in pov- erty, with not even a grade-school education provided for him; this man poor, obscure, illit- erate digging out of corners here and there the knowledge, rightly interpreted, to make him the wisest of men, dug latent abilities of leader- ship out of the undeveloped mines of his own character, to make him the great American leader, kept his heart warm against ten thou- sand chilling winds to make him loved and fol- lowed by the nation.
Lincoln by what he was, by what he had made of himself, taught the milling throng that day that a man, ANY MAN, though poor and friendless, can stand upon his own feet, and blast his way through every obstacle, can de- velop his own peculiar talents (few or many and no man, organized group, or nation can give him talents that he does not possess by the act of creation) and make them contribute to hu- manity's welfare.
The shadows of two men are still stretching across Northern Illinois; Oliver W. Kellogg who blazed a highway through this wilderness that
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our forebears might find this a pleasant land, a goodly heritage, and find rich treasure at the end of the trail; and Abraham Lincoln the Great Commoner, who that day in Freeport, pointed the way to the greater emancipation of the common man whether black or white. With those shadows still strongly outlined, "let us here highly resolve that we will strive with our might to teach and provide the example to every man that he, too, can fight his way through the wilderness, all the way to "the Promised Land," that he, too, though a rail-splitter, can aspire to the presidency of this great nation; that he can go all of the way from ignorance to knowledge, from failure to success, from ob- scurity to renown, from earth to heaven.
And through all of our endeavors let us keep the spirit of him who charted the way, "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in -to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.3C222E C002 THE EARLY HISTORY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS.
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