Saturday,
January 27, 1838.Springfield,
IL. | Lincoln writes and signs a declaration
and praecipe in Harrison v.
Dickinson and Taylor.Herndon-Weik
Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, DC. In
the evening, State Representative Lincoln addresses the Young Men's Lyceum of
Springfield, Illinois, on the topic of "the perpetuation of our political
institutions." Lincoln warns against the "mobocratic spirit, which . . . is now
abroad in the land." He states, "There is no grievance that is a fit object of
redress by mob law." Lincoln acknowledges that "[p]assion" played a role in
America's fight for independence. But, Lincoln argues, "Reason, cold,
calculating, unimpassioned reason" will best serve "for our future support and
defence." Address Before the Young
Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, 27 January 1838,
CW, 1:108-15. |