. Durley of Princeton, Illinois, kindly secured the
copy for us from his brother.]

[Illustration: SCHOOLHOUSE AT BRUCEVILLE, INDIANA, WHERE LINCOLN SPOKE
FOR CLAY IN 1844.]

"When I saw you at home," Lincoln began, "it was agreed that I
should write to you and your brother Madison. Until I then saw
you I was not aware of your being what is generally called an
Abolitionist, or, as you call yourself, a Liberty man, though I
well knew there were many such in your county.

"I was glad to hear that you intended to attempt to bring about,
at the next election in Putnam, a union of the Whigs proper and
such of the Liberty men as are Whigs in principle on all
questions save only that of slavery. So far as I can perceive,
by such union neither party need yield anything on _the_
point in difference between them. If the Whig abolitionists of
New York had voted with us last fall, Mr. Clay would now be
President, Whig principles in the ascendant, and Texas not
annexed; whereas, by the division, all that either had at stake
in the contest was lost. And, indeed, it was extremely probable,
beforehand, that such would be the result. As I always
understood, the Liberty men deprecated the annexation of Texas
extremely; and this being so, why they should refuse to cast
their votes [so] as to prevent it, even to me seemed wonderful.
What was their process of reasoning, I can only judge from what
a single one of them told me. It was this: 'We are not to do
_evil_ that _good_ may come.' This general proposition
is doubtless correct; but did it apply? If by your votes you
could have prevented the _extension_, etc., of slavery,
would it not have been _good_, and not _evil_, so to
have used your votes, even though it involved the casting of
them for a slave-holder? By the _fruit_ the tree is to be
known. An _evil_ tree cannot bring forth _good_ fruit.
If the fruit of electing Mr. Clay would have been to prevent the
extension of slavery, could the act of electing have been evil?

"But I will not argue further. I perhaps ought to say that
individually I never was much interested in the Texas question.
I never could see much good to come of annexation, inasmuch as
they were already a free republican people on our own model. On
the other hand, I never could very clearly see how the
annexation would au