A. Lincoln.

TO B. C. COOK.

Springfield, August 2, 1858

Hon.  B. C. Cook.

My dear sir:—­I have a letter from a very true friend, and intelligent man, writing that there is a plan on foot in La Salle and Bureau, to run Douglas Republican for Congress and for the Legislature in those counties, if they can only get the encouragement of our folks nominating pretty extreme abolitionists.  It is thought they will do nothing if our folks nominate men who are not very [undecipherable word looks like “obnoxious”] to the charge of abolitionism.  Please have your eye upon this.  Signs are looking pretty fair.

Yours very truly,

A. Lincoln.

TO DR. WILLIAM FITHIAN, DANVILLE, ILL.

Bloomington, Sept. 3, 1858

Dear doctor:—­Yours of the 1st was received this morning, as also one from Mr. Harmon, and one from Hiram Beckwith on the same subject.  You will see by the Journal that I have been appointed to speak at Danville on the 22d of Sept.,—­the day after Douglas speaks there.  My recent experience shows that speaking at the same place the next day after D. is the very thing,—­it is, in fact, a concluding speech on him.  Please show this to Messrs. Harmon and Beckwith; and tell them they must excuse me from writing separate letters to them.

Yours as ever,

A. LINCOLN

P. S.—­Give full notice to all surrounding country.  A.L.

FRAGMENT OF SPEECH AT PARIS, ILL.,

Sept. 8, 1858.

Let us inquire what Judge Douglas really invented when he introduced the Nebraska Bill?  He called it Popular Sovereignty.  What does that mean?  It means the sovereignty of the people over their own affairs—­in other words, the right of the people to govern themselves.  Did Judge Douglas invent this?  Not quite.  The idea of popular sovereignty was floating about several ages before the author of the Nebraska Bill was born—­indeed, before Columbus set foot on this continent.  In the year 1776 it took form in the noble words which you are all familiar with:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” etc.  Was not this the origin of popular sovereignty as applied to the American people?  Here we are told that governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.  If that is not popular sovereignty, then I have no conception of the meaning of words.  If Judge Douglas did not invent this kind of popular sovereignty, let us pursue the inquiry and find out what kind he did invent.  Was it the right of emigrants to Kansas and Nebraska to govern themselves, and a lot of “niggers,” too,