{"id":307,"date":"2008-11-04T04:19:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-04T04:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/?p=307"},"modified":"2008-11-04T04:19:00","modified_gmt":"2008-11-04T04:19:00","slug":"this-post-will-contain-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/?p=307","title":{"rendered":"…this post will contain something."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Go Namtla! Listening to the Steelers\/Redskins game because if the Steelers win, then so will Obama. It’s true: <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/5lvvbq<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Shall I copy and paste another excerpt? Okeydokey. I kinda like this one. One thing that’s been cool is that when I’ve needed a character, I just mine the history and find one…. And sometimes they work out really well. Like John Bell might well have been like I write him…. But probably not. But really — today I was writing about Lincoln “walking three doors down to his friend’s house” and later I was looking for the name of a Lincoln friend. Turned out his buddy Jesse K. Dubois did live 3 doors away from Lincoln in Springfield. So convenient! ALSO, Lincoln snubbed Dubois for any political position after he was elected, making Dubois a great candidate for later nefariousnessity.<\/p>\n

Springfield, Illinois
August 23rd, 1859<\/p>\n

It had been unusually dry and hot that summer, across southern Illinois. Usually there was no lack of rain but this year, the spring rains hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come, leaving the roads dusty, the creeks low, and farmers worried about their crops. Wells ran dry.
Lincoln left his office around one in the afternoon, intending to take his midday meal at an eatery near the State House. As he crossed the causeway, a carriage stopped suddenly before him, impeding his way. Lincoln stopped, staring at the side of the vehicle, uncharacteristic ire at the rudeness of the driver rising in his mind. It passed quickly, and he was turning to walk around the carriage when the door opened revealing the dark interior.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Get in,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said a voice with a heavy German accent.
Lincoln squinted, trying to make out any details of the indistinct shapes within. He could see two people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c two men \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but the sun was at such an angle that it reflected off a building across the street, and contrasting with the dark interior of the carriage, it was impossible to glean anything more.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I would rather not,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln said, turning to walk away again.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think you should,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said the voice. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your country needs you, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a man who you want to refuse.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Although Lincoln had an innate distrust of strangers, especially those who attempted to gather him into a dark coach, he was intrigued. His failed candidacies for both the Vice Presidential nomination in 1856 and for the House of Representatives just two years prior had left him without a means to pursue his political aspirations.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Come, Mister Lincoln,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said another voice \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a familiar voice. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We mean you no ill will. We just want to take a little ride.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
His curiosity getting the better of him, Lincoln pulled himself into the carriage and sat opposite the two men.
The carriage door closed behind him and with window curtains drawn, the interior was as dark as it had appeared from outside. As his eyes adjusted, Lincoln felt the plush velvet covered seat beneath him, smelled stale tobacco and whiskey, signs of opulence and comfortable living. He coughed involuntarily. The carriage began to move down the street.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all this about then?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked. His eyes had adjusted sufficiently to make out that he was seated across from two men, one younger than he, one older. The man on the right \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the younger of the two \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was smartly dressed in a European-cut suit, and had a slightly menacing air to him.
The man on the right, Lincoln recognized. It was John Bell, former Secretary of War, former Speaker of the House, and current Senator from Tennessee. Lincoln didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the man well, but knew of him.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you recognize me, son?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell asked, his southern drawl tempered by years of mingling with the Washington elite.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are John Bell,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln replied. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, I recognize you. How do you do, sir?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am well,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell said. He indicated the man to his left. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is my man, Albert Konigmacher.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do you do, Mr. Lincoln?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Konigmacher asked.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do you do?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Bell continued. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I apologize that I was forced to implement such underhanded tactics. I assure you that under other circumstances, I would have called upon you as a gentleman would.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Under what circumstances do we find ourselves?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln asked.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153These are trying times, Mr. Lincoln. Our nation is at a crossroads. We stand divided, and we all know that a nation divided can not stand.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Things do look grave indeed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln said.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grave!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell shouted. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A grave is what we shall all lie in if these troubles are not ended. The South speaks of secession but will not compromise. Those in the North can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get their heads out of their asses \u00e2\u20ac\u201c pardon my language, sir \u00e2\u20ac\u201c can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get their heads out of their asses for long enough to see it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He paused a moment. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Excuse my outburst, sir.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Think nothing of it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I understand and share your passion, Mr. Bell, but what would you have me do?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You debated Douglas well. I regret I did not personally witness the speeches, but my agents reported to me favorably on your efforts.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little good they did me. I failed election,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln said glumly.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perhaps you failed in that so that you might claim a larger prize,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell said.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of what do you speak?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m talking about the Presidency, son,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Presidency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Lincoln shook his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go from failure to failure to succeeding at the greatest office.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153One can. You can. You will.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And what makes you so sure?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There will be four candidates. You will be the Repubicans\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 representative. The Southern Dems will choose Breck \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who is an ass, by the way \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and the Northerners will take Mr. Douglas.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How do you know all this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am quite adept at reading between the lines. And also at reading lines that others would rather I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t access to.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Lincoln considered this. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You said there would be four candidates.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, that fourth is me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You, sir?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell replied. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Whigs are desperate to stay relevant, and they will choose me to lead the charge. I have been around for long enough that they know that I know what I am doing. I have enough friends in Washington to make it happen.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then why would you have me run against you? Why would you have me win?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Konigmacher interjected.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sir?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln asked, surprised at the blunt response.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true, Mr. Lincoln,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I simply won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to carry enough of the country in order to win. Without a fourth candidate to split the vote, Douglas will win. Breckenridge will carry the South, have no doubt about that, but these days, that simply does not mean shit \u00e2\u20ac\u201c pardon my language again. It is the North that elects presidents. It is Pennsylvania and New York and Ohio that chooses our leaders.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And Douglas would win those versus you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Without question.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Lincoln sat back, digesting this. He lifted the curtain slightly, letting a modicum of light into the carriage. He saw that their route had been a circuitous one and that they were scarcely as far from their origin as he might have walked in the same amount of time.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Lincoln,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Konigmacher started. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Douglas can not win. He is a hypocrite and a liar. The worst kind of politician.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought that was the only kind of politician,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln replied.
Bell laughed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re far too young to be so jaded, Mr. Lincoln. You are a good man, and you are a good politician. You know me to be the same, or so I hope.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know that you were one of two Southern Senators to vote against Kansas-Nebraska.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And you know that Douglas supported the measure; that he wrote that measure. And you know that he cares not about the abolition of slavery, that he would put it to the people of each Territory to decide upon the future of slavery. He would have us be a country united in name only, but with thirty-three nation-states each left to their own devices, deciding upon slavery this week, the consumption of alcohol the next and the right to carry a pistol in public the week after that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bell took a deep breath and continued. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If a man was unhappy with the laws in his state, he could simply leave and move to his neighbor. I say, if they are unhappy with the laws in this nation, let them leave and move to another. What then, is the point of this country we have created, if nothing else but to awkwardly carry this bundle of disjointed states from one place to the next? We are too young, sir. We are too young \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not yet one hundred now \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and too weak to allow this division to continue.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know me to be an abolitionist,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Does it not bother you as a Southern gentleman to put me forward as President?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will be honest, sir: I do not care for abolitionists. Yet, it is more important to me that we decide this issue as a nation. Put forward the notion of abolishing slavery and let us all decide upon it. I shall not have the Independent Nation of Kansas, or of Nebraska, or Washington standing apart, spending their own currency and speaking their own damnable national language!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He pounded his fist on the sidewall of the carriage.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And you believe me to be the one who can keep this nation from falling apart?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
Bell chuckled. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not at all, son. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a man on this planet who could do that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lincoln asked.
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because I believe that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the one who can put the damn thing back together.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go Namtla! Listening to the Steelers\/Redskins game because if the Steelers win, then so will Obama. It’s true: http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/5lvvbq Shall I copy and paste another excerpt? Okeydokey. I kinda like this one. One thing that’s been cool is that when I’ve needed a character, I just mine the history and find one…. And sometimes they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.illinoir.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}