. The era of the Civil War, 1848-1870 . onents as a politician hav-ing little claim to the support of the people of Illinois. Intwenty years of unlimited opportunities for public service hehad never initiated or seriously influenced the enactment ofany measure which had contributed in any substantial fashionto the welfare of the state, or even of the nation. His mostconspicuous stand in congress was declared to have been hisemphatic opposition to the Mexican War; he was falselycharged with having even voted against sending supplies to theAmerican army in Mexico. Election day arrived November 2
. The era of the Civil War, 1848-1870 . onents as a politician hav-ing little claim to the support of the people of Illinois. Intwenty years of unlimited opportunities for public service hehad never initiated or seriously influenced the enactment ofany measure which had contributed in any substantial fashionto the welfare of the state, or even of the nation. His mostconspicuous stand in congress was declared to have been hisemphatic opposition to the Mexican War; he was falselycharged with having even voted against sending supplies to theAmerican army in Mexico. Election day arrived November 2, cold, wet, and raw. Thefair weather brigade, preferring the comforts of the firesideto a walk or ride of a mile or more in the rain, was with dif-ficulty induced to present itself at the polls in force. This wasespecially disastrous to the republican party which seemed to 65 Rockford Republican, September 16, 1858; Chicago Press and Tribune,September 10, 1858; New York Herald, September 15, Chicago Democrat, November 1, LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES 179 have inherited the old whig love of ease in bad weather; theloss of votes was reckoned at fully 10,000. As the electionreturns came in it became evident first that the republicans hadcarried Chicago, then that Douglas had been given a majorityin both branches of the legislature, although the two republicancandidates for state office were elected, indicating that Illinoishad at length become a full-fledged republican state. An analysis of the vote for legislature, moreover, showedthat the republican members of the new assembly representeda population larger than the democratic members. This wasbecause an antique apportionment law based upon data thathad ceased to be facts eight years before compelled the north-ern counties to produce 1,000 votes to offset 750 in the southernsection; this had made the election a contest of Egypt againstCanaan; Egypt was returned the victor. Douglas defeated the republicans for the right
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