revoluntionary soldiers collected around the General, who had fought under his eye at Brandywine and Yorktown, and who all recollected him and now greeted him most heartily. Although the general did not personally recollect them, the occasion was to him and all present most affecting. This meeting in the winter of their lives seemed to awaken youthful feeling and carry back these old soldier patriots to the eventful period when they were associated in arms and fighting the battles of liberty.

The entire company of distinguished guests, visitors, and citizens next proceeded to the tavern kept by Col. Sweet, where an ample dinner had been prepared. The patriotic ladies had decorated the dining hall with laurel wreaths in a most tasteful and appropriate manner, and over the table where the hero and honored guests were seated a beautiful rainbow of roses and flowers was spanned.

We can only give a very few of the after dinner toasts that were drank:

By LaFayette-Kaskaskia and Illinois; may their joint prosperity more and more evince the blessings of congenial industry and freedom.

By Gov. Coles -The inmates of LaGranges [LaFayette's home]: let them not be anxious; for though their father is 1,000 miles in the interior of America, he is yet in the midst of his affectionate children. [Very good].

By G. W. La Fayette-The grateful confidence of my father's children and grand-children, in the kindness of his American family towards him.

By Gov. Bond-General LaFayette; may he live to see that liberty established in his native country which he helped to establish in his adopted country. When this toast was given the general arose and observed that he would drink the latter part of the toast-the liberty of his adopted country-standing.

After dinner the distinguished party repaired to the large and commodious house of Wm. Morrison, Sr., Esq., where a grand ball was given for their delectation. Here during the night quite an interesting interview took place between the renowned General and an Indian squaw whose father had served under him in the Revolutionary war. The squaw, learning that the great White Chief was to be at Kaskaskia on that night, had ridden all day from early dawn till some time in the night, from her distant home, to see the man whose name had been so often upon her father's tongue and with which she was so familiar. In identification of her claim to his distinguished acquaintance, she brought with her an old worn letter which the general had written to her father, and which the Indian chief had preserved with great care, and finally bequeathed on his death bed to his daughter as the most precious legacy he had to leave her.

By 12 o'clock at night, Gen. LaFayette returned to the steamboat, and started on his route to Nashville, Gov. Coles accompanying him, the boat being chartered by the State.

He returned from Nashville on the steamboat Mechanic. On the 14th of May, 1825, when the boat appeared in sight at Shawneetown, a deputation of the citizens waited on the general, and apprised him of the reception in waiting for him. As the boat

approached the landing, a salute of 24 rounds was fired. The peo ple of the town and surrounding country had turned out en masse to greet the loved hero. Two lines were formed, extending from Rawling's hotel to the river. Down this passed the committees of reception, town officials, and other dignitaries, and received the nation's guest, who with the distinguished party accompanying him, passed up the line, the citizens standing uncovered in perfect silence, until his arrival at the door of the hotel, where a large number of ladies were assembled. Here an address of affectionate welcome was delivered by Judge James Hall. LaFayette replied without preparation, in a voice tremulous with emotion, thanking the people for this evidence of their love and gratitude. A collation was then partaken of, followed by a number of toasts suitable to the occasion. After spending a few hours in pleasant converse, the general was conducted back to the steamer, when he took a most affectionate leave. A salute was fired at the departure. The general appeared much worn with the fatigue of his trip. Governor Coles quitted him at Shawneetown, and proceeded by land to Vandalia.

D

CHAPTER XXIX.

1826-30-ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR EDWARDS. Campaign of 1826-The Gubernatorial Candidates-Contest between Daniel P. Cook and Joseph Duncan for Congress-Character of Gov. Edwards' speeches-His charges against the State Bank officers and result of the inquiry into their conduct-Repeal of the Circuit Court system-Gov. Edwards claims for the State title to all public lands within her limits.

At the general election of August, 1826, there were three gubernatorial candidates in the field: Ninian Edwards, Thomas C. Sloe, and Adolphus Frederick Hubbard. The latter was at the time lieutenant-governor. That he was ambitious to become governor, we have seen in his attempt to superede Gov. Coles, failing in which he now sought that distinction, as was more becoming, directly from the hands of the people. "As a picture of the times," Gov. Coles gives the following morceau, from Hubbard's speeches to his constitutents: "Fellow citizens, I offer myself as a candidate before you, for the office of governor. I do not pretend to be a man of extraordinary talents; nor do I claim to be equal to Julius Cæsar or Napoleon Bonaparte, nor yet to be as great a man as my opponent, Gov. Edwards. Nevertheless, I think I can govern you pretty well. I do not think it will require a very extraordinary smart man to govern you; for to tell you the truth, fellow-citizens, I do not think you will be very hard to govern, no how." He was an oddity.

The contest lay between Sloe and Edwards. Sloe was a gentleman of good sense and capacity, whose business was merchandising. He had been much in public life, and as a member of the legislature, time and again had wielded a large influence as a practical worker in that body. In deportment, he was dignified and urbane, but had not cultivated the art of public speaking, in which Edwards, an Apollo Belvedere in form and Titan in intellect, had quite the advantage of him.

"Edwards," says Gov. Ford, "was a large, well made man, with a noble, princely appearance," who "never condescended to the common low arts of electioneering. Whenever he went out among the people he arrayed himself in the style of a gentleman of the olden time, dressed in fine broadcloth, with short breeches, long stockings, and high, fair-topped boots; was drawn in a fine carriage driven by a negro; and for success he relied upon his speeches, which were delivered with great pomp and in a style of diffuse and florid eloquence. When he was inaugurated in

1826, he appeared before the general assembly wearing a golden laced cloak, and with great pomp he pronounced his first mes sage to the houses of the legislature."

For the office of lieutenant-governor there were but two candidates-Hubbard being without an associate. They were William Kinney and Samuel H. Thompson, and what may appear a little singular at this day, both were ministers of the gospel, the former a Baptist, the latter a Methodist. Kinney was one of the old pioneers, having emigrated to Illinois with his father in 1797.

He possessed naturally a good mind, but had recieved no education, until after marriage, when his wife taught him its rudiments. He had been much in public life, and was an efficient and untiring canvasser. In the convention contest, he had been unceasing in his efforts to render it a success. He was wealthy, and in a political canvass the duties of his holy calling were not a stumbling block in his way. The Rev. Mr. Thompson, his opponent, while he was his superior in scholastic attainments, had not his knowledge of men, nor his political art. This was his virgin effort to attain honors which perish. His character was irreproachable and forbade him to engage in any electioneering conduct to sully it. His candidacy was distasteful to him. The result of the secular contest between these two of the sacred cloth, was the reverse of that for governor. The Rev. Mr. Kinney, although running on the Sloe ticket, which failed, was elected by a small majority.

There was however, a more important contest connected with the election of 1826, in a political point of view, than that for the office of governor. We allude to the race for congress between Daniel P. Cook and Joseph Duncan, which marked the beginning of party principles, instead of mere local, personal scrambles for office. To help our understanding we must take a short view of national affairs.

Out of the presidential contest of 1824, grew the parties known afterwards as the whig and democratic. The election had failed before the people, and the house of representatives, in disregard of the will of the people, chose the one who had received next to the highest number of electoral votes, Mr. Adams. Mr. Clay accepted the highest position in the cabinet, but Mr. Crawford refused office under the new administration. Some bitterness of feeling sprang up between Mr. Clay and Gen. Jackson, the former having written a letter in which he deprecated the election of a "military chieftian" to the high office of president, which was thought to reflect upon the latter. A coalition of the Clay and Adams men followed, and as Jackson had received a plurality of electoral votes, more than double those of Crawford, and as he further, through the nomination of the legislature of Tennessee, directly became a candidate again for the same position, it became evident at an early day, that the next contest would lie between him and Mr. Adams. The friends of Mr. Crawford, therefore gave in their adhesion to the Jackson party, as by so doing, was there any hope of defeating Adams. Party principles did not as yet obtain; indeed Jackson had voted, while in the senate, with Adams and Clay, and supported affirmatively 8 different bills providing for internal improvements by the general government, and also the tariff of 1824, founded on the principle of protection.

Party divisions involved personal considerations only which were very acrimonious.

Daniel P. Cook, in the election of 1824, ran against Gov. Bond for congress, and was elected. During the campaign, the probability of the presidential election going into the house was not unforseen, and he had pledged himself in such contingency, "to vote, as a representative, in accordance with the clearely expressed sense of a majority of those whose will he should be called upon to express." The total popular vote of Illinois, which voted by districts, was 4,707, of which 1541 were cast for the electors of Adams, 1273 for Jackson, 1046 for Clay, 218 for Crawford, and 629 for James Turney, elector for Clay and Jackson jointly. If half of these latter votes had been added to Jackson's, it would have given him a pluraliy but not a majority. The electoral college of Illinois, in December following, dropping Clay and Crawford, gave to Jackson two votes, and to Adams one; but when the election of president came before the house of representatives in congress, Mr. Cook cast the vote of Illinois for Mr. Adams, as it was supposed by the people (who probably made no distinction between the highest popular vote and majority) in violation of his expressed pledges; and they believed that Gen. Jackson had been grossly cheated, by their representative.*

And now Mr. Cook was again a candidate for congress. Prior to his voting for Adams, he was the most popular man in the State. This was attributable in great part to his social qualities, being gifted with a natural charm of manner almost irresistible, and a ready adaptability to surroundings, which were to him a great aid in his electioneering intercourse with the people, and which enabled him to accommodate himself with acceptability to every circumstance and condition of western life.t Thus, with nothing against him but his vote for Adams, did he start into the campaign of 1826. His former opponents, John McLean, Elias Kent Kane, and ex Gov. Bond had been beaten so badly and not appreciating the public resentment, they even now feared to again essay the race, and Joseph Duncan, afterward governor, then but little known in the State, had the temerity to come out against him. At that time Duncan was an original Jack

*Reynold's Life and Times, page 254.

[+During the convention campaign, in 1824, when Mr. Cook running for congress, was opposed by ex-Gov. Bond, he had occasion to stop over night with a farmer in the southern part of the State. In conversation Cook inquired the news, to which the farmer replied "there was none, except they were afraid that that d-d little Yankee, Cook, would be re-elected to congress." The conversation continued during the evening on various topics; in the morning when Mr. Cook was about to take his departure, the farmer, pleased with his agreeable and intelligent guest, inquired his name. Mr. Cook replied, that he was "that d-d little Yankee Cook," he had alluded to the evening previous! The farmer became his devoted supporter. (Edwards' life of Edwards.) In stature Mr. Cook was below the medium hight, slender and erect, weighing not exceeding 120 pounds; his voice was soft and melodious, and his speech ready and fluent. He was born in Scott county, Kentucky, and was a self made man, having few educational advantages in his youth. In official life he exhibited an extensive and varied knowledge of public affairs. He settled in Illinois in 1815, was the first attorney general of the State, and the second congressman, beating John McLean in 1819, and was bi-ennially thereafter re elected up to 1826. In congress he stood high; in 1825-6 he was transferred from the committee on public lands, to that of ways and means, and, owing to the absence of the chairman, acted in that laborious and responsible capacity most of the time. During his last term in congress he procured the very important grant of near 300,000 acres of land in this State for the construction of the Illinois and Michigan canal. Mr. Cook's health having been feeble for some time, at the close of the session in the Spring of 1827, he made a visit to Cuba, but soon returned. He died of consumption, at the home of his nativity, October 16, 1827, at the early age of 34. He was the son-in-law of Gov. Edwards, and left one child, Gen. John Cook, now of Springfield. The county of Cook, was named appropriately in his honor.]