abe

WAYNE CO., IL

Abraham Lincoln and the Rally of 1860
By Esther Carter Harris

It was here in Fairfield that the Wayne County Republicans held their convention on March 3, 1860.. There were the usual political speeches followed by resolutions -- resolutions denouncing the governors of Kansas and Nebraska territories, the "border ruffians" and John Brown. The most important resolution was the one which read:
Resolved, , That Hon. Abe Lincoln is the unanimous choice of the Republicans of Wayne county, for the Presidential nomination of the National Convention to be held at Chicago.

They appointed delegates to the state convention which met in Decatur May 9-10 and voted a similar resolution. One of the Wayne County delegates was Leander Jay S. Turney, whom Lincoln appointed secretary of Washington Territory in 1861.

GOP Rally 1860

The largest political gathering in Wayne County since 1844 was the Republican rally at Fairfield on August 4, 1860. Leonard Swett, Bloomington lawyer and personal friend of Lincoln, was the main speaker. When it started to rain the crowd adjourned from the grove and made dashes for the Methodist Church, which would accommodate only about a third of the original crowd. So when the rain stopped they returned to the grove and Mr. Swett finished his long discourse.

It was well that the rain stopped, for the ladies were to present an American flag -- which they would not have liked to do in the rain or with only a segment of the crowd watching them.

The local correspondent who described this gathering to the Springfield paper reported that the Fairfield Sax Horn Band "had only been organized two weeks, but it played well."

Torchlight Procession

After dark there was a torchlight procession -- 500 marchers with 100 torches. There was one very effective transparency showing Lincoln splitting a log labeled "Rotten Democracy." This went over big with the Republicans --but not with any Democrats who may have been in the crowd. The procession was followed by two more speeches.

As election time approached, Richard Yates, the Republican candidate for governor, made a stumping tour through Egypt and was welcomed everywhere by big rallies. A mile-long procession from Wayne County attended a rally at Albion on September 5, and another at Fairfield the next day. The Fairfield Band performed again.

Thirty-four young ladies represented the states of the Union. The little town of Jeffersonville (or "Geff") had their 34 young ladies drawn by 34 oxen -so the young ladies from "Geff" got a real big hand. There were the usual fireworks and torchlight procession at night. The Republicans of Wayne County were all out for Abe.