[Sidebar-announce] Bout four weeks after he had published his letter "T

[Dannunzio <pro...@de...>]

Dy been stated, he did not then believe Congress had the right to
interfere with slavery in States that chose to have it; but in the
District of Columbia the power of Congress was supreme, and the matter
was entirely different. His bill provided that the Federal Government
should pay full value to the slave-holders of the District for all
slaves in their possession, and should at once free the older ones. The
younger ones were to be apprenticed for a term of years, in order to
make them self-supporting, after which they also were to receive their
freedom. The bill was very carefully thought out, and had the approval
of residents of the District who held the most varied views upon
slavery; but good as it was, the measure was never allowed to come to a
vote, and Lincoln went back to Springfield, at the end of his term,
feeling doubtless that his efforts in behalf of the slaves had been all
in vain. While in Washington he lived very simply and quietly, taking
little part in the social life of the city, though cordially liked by
all who made his acquaintance. An inmate of the modest boarding-house
where he had rooms has told of the cheery atmosphere he seemed to bring
with him into the common dining-room, where political arguments were apt
to run high. He never appeared anxious to insist upon his own views; and
when others, less considerate, forced matters until the talk threatened
to become too furious, he would interrupt with an anecdote or a story
that cleared the air and ended the discussion in a general laugh.
Sometimes for exercise he would go into a bowling-alley close by,
entering into the game with great zest, and accepting defeat and victory
with equal good-nature. By the time he had finished a little circle
would be gathered around him, enjoying his enjoyment, and laughing at
his quaint expressions and sallies of wit. His gift for jest and
story-telling has become traditional. Indeed, almost every good story
that has been invented within a hundred years has been laid at his door.
As a matter of fact, though he was fond of telling them, and told them
well, he told comparatively few of the number that have been credited to
him. He had a wonderful memory, and a fine power of making his hearers
see the scene he wished to depict; but the final charm of his stories
lay in their aptness, and in the kindly humor that left no sting behind
it. During his term in Congress the Presidential campaign of 184