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PRAISES HIS RIVAL FOR OFFICE.
When Mr. Lincoln was a candidate for the Legislature, it was the
practice at that date in Illinois for two rival candidates to travel
over the district together. The custom led to much good-natured raillery
between them; and in such contests Lincoln was rarely, if ever, worsted.
He could even turn the generosity of a rival to account by his whimsical
treatment.
On one occasion, says Mr. Weir, a former resident of Sangamon county, he
had driven out from Springfield in company with a political opponent
to engage in joint debate. The carriage, it seems, belonged to his
opponent. In addressing the gathering of farmers that met them, Lincoln
was lavish in praise of the generosity of his friend.
"I am too poor to own a carriage," he said, "but my friend has
generously invited me to ride with him. I want you to vote for me if you
will; but if not then vote for my opponent, for he is a fine man."
His extravagant and persistent praise of his opponent appealed to the
sense of humor in his rural audience, to whom his inability to own a
carriage was by no means a disqualification.
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Stories and Anecdotes About the Life of Abraham Lincoln
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