ckstone" during his political
campaigns, young Lincoln fell in again with Major John T. Stuart, whom
he had met in the Black Hawk War, and who gave him helpful advice and
lent him other books that he might "read law."

THE LINCOLN-STONE PROTEST

Although he had no idea of it at the time, Abraham Lincoln took part in
a grander movement than the removal of a State capital. Resolutions were
adopted in the Legislature in favor of slavery and denouncing the hated
"abolitionists"--or people who spoke and wrote for the abolition of
slavery. It required true heroism for a young man thus to stand out
against the legislators of his State, but Abe Lincoln seems to have
thought little of that. The hatred of the people for any one who opposed
slavery was very bitter. Lincoln found one man, named Stone, who was
willing to sign a protest against the resolutions favoring slavery,
which read as follows:

"Resolutions upon the subject of domestic
slavery having passed both branches of the
General Assembly at its present session, the
undersigned hereby protest against the passage
of the same.

"They believe that the institution of slavery
is founded on both injustice and bad policy.
[After several statements of their belief
concerning the powers of Congress, the protest
closed as follows:]

"The difference between their opinions and
those contained in the said resolution is their
reason for entering this protest.

"DAN STONE,
"A. LINCOLN."

CHAPTER XIV

MOVING TO SPRINGFIELD

New Salem could no longer give young Lincoln scope for his growing power
and influence. Within a few weeks after the Lincoln-Stone protest, late
in March, 1837, after living six years in the little village which held
so much of life and sorrow for him, Abe sold his surveying compass,
marking-pins, chain and pole, packed all his effects into his
saddle-bags, borrowed a horse of his good friend "Squire" Bowling Green,
and reluctantly said good-bye to his friends there. It is a strange fact
that New Salem ceased to exist within a year from the day "Honest Abe"
left it. Even its little post office was discontinued by the Government.

Henry C. Whitney, who was associated with Lincoln in those early days,
describes Abe's modest entry into the future State capital,