on to his talk about Democracy. It was a
memorable night. He spoke of it often. Such contact with the great
spirits of that time, of which he studiously availed himself in
Washington, was of great value to the statesman from Illinois. His
experiences on the floor were in no way important to him, but since 1914
I have thought often of what he said there, regarding Polk's invasion of
Mexico, unauthorized by Congress as it was:

"The Provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to
Congress was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons:
kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars,
pretending generally that the good of the people was the object. This our
convention understood to be the most oppressive of all kingly oppressions
and they proposed to so frame the constitution that no man should hold
the power of bringing this oppression upon _us_."

The next year he stumped Massachusetts for "Zach" Taylor and heard
Governor Seward deliver his remarkable speech on Slavery which contained
this striking utterance:

"Congress has no power to inhibit any duty commanded by God on Mount
Sinai or by His Son on the Mount of Olives."

On his return home Lincoln confessed that we had soon to deal with that
question.

I was in his office when Herndon said:

"I tell you that slavery must be rooted out."

"What makes you think so?" Mr. Lincoln asked.

"I feel it in my bones," was Herndon's answer.

After that he used to speak with respect of "Bill Herndon's bone
philosophy."

His term in Congress having ended, he came back to the law in partnership
with William H. Herndon--a man of character and sound judgment. Those
days Lincoln wore black trousers, coat and stock, a waistcoat of satin
and a Wellington high hat. He was wont to carry his papers in his hat.
Mary had wrought a great change in his external appearance.

They used to call him "a dead square lawyer." I remember that once
Herndon had drawn up a fictitious plea founded on a shrewd assumption.
Lincoln carefully examined the papers.

"Is it founded on fact?" he asked.

"No," Herndon answered.

Lincoln scratched his head thoughtfully and asked:

"Billy, hadn't we better withdraw that plea? You know it's a sham and
generally that's another name for a lie. Don't let it go on record. The
cursed thing may come staring us in the face long after this suit has
been forgotten."

On the whole he was not so communicative a