Quincy to celebrate anniversary of Lincoln-Douglas debates

Thousands of people attended.
The national media provided coverage.
And the man destined to lose the election just a few weeks later eventually became one of America’s greatest presidents.
Quincy will remember the U.S. Senate debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas with a weekend of activities Oct. 11-13.
Chuck Scholz, an attorney and former mayor, chairs the Quincy Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
“It really is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal,” Scholz said. “It’s unprecedented. It still has relevance 150 years later.”
Planning began three years ago. Grants and private contributions will pay for the three-day trip back in time.
“We feel really good that we’ve had a lot of participation,” Scholz said. “We’ve had tremendous community response. People appreciate the opportunity to be involved.”

Familiar territory
Lincoln and Douglas were well-acquainted with Quincy.
Douglas, the incumbent Democrat and a former justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, had lived for six years at Third and Jersey, just a couple of blocks from Washington Park at Fifth and Maine.
Lincoln, the Republican challenger who had served in the state legislature with Douglas, had friends in Quincy and came through many times, including an 1859 visit following legal work in Hannibal.
The Quincy debate took place Oct. 13, 1858, and was the sixth of seven staged statewide between Aug. 21 and Oct. 15.
Both men arrived by train to warm welcomes, Douglas the night before the debate and Lincoln the morning of it.
In an era before television and blogging, getting the word out face-to-face was vital to the candidates.
“It was important for people to see them,” Scholz said.
Crowd estimates ranged from 12,000 to 20,000. The main issue was slavery and its expansion into western territories.
Douglas, who was nicknamed “The Little Giant,” supported the doctrine of “popular sovereignty,” which held that the people of each territory should decide for themselves whether to allow bondage.
Lincoln, who stood more than a foot taller than Douglas, called slavery a “monstrous injustice” and said popular sovereignty would do nothing but nationalize and perpetuate the practice.
Because of their familiarity with Quincy, both men received tremendous applause.
“The rhetoric was on a much higher level,” Scholz said. “Both men were poetic in the statements they made.”
Widespread coverage by Eastern newspapers brought the two candidates national attention.
Lincoln lost the 1858 Senate race to Douglas, but defeated his old adversary for the presidency two years later.
Douglas died of typhoid fever in 1861 and Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

Festive events
Next weekend’s commemoration will offer something for everyone.
It starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with a greeting for Lincoln and Douglas portrayers George Buss and Tim Connors at Clat Adams Park between the bridges at Front and Hampshire.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site Sesquicentennial Plaza on the east side of Washington Park will be dedicated at 2:30 p.m.
At 6 p.m., the 1st Brigade Band will perform at the riverfront, followed by fireworks.
The big event on Sunday is what’s billed as the “Reunion Tour.” It starts at 1:30 p.m. in Washington Park.
Rather than re-creating the three-hour 1858 debate word-for-word, portrayers will perform a scripted “news conference” of 60 to 90 minutes that will include a chance for the crowd to ask questions.
“The premise is that it’s Lincoln and Douglas 150 years later and they’re looking back,” Scholz said. “It’s all very accurate and they respond in character to questions about the time period.”
Scholz expects a significant crowd. People should bring lawn chairs and dress for the weather. Unlike the candidates in 1858, the portrayers will use a public address system.
“We’ll have a lot of fun,” Scholz promises. “It’s a special sort of appeal.”
Longer-lasting monuments to the sesquicentennial also are planned, including public storyboards with historical references.
Other activities include candidate parades, a fair, bike ride, church service and concerts.
Next Monday, the reunion tour will visit area schools from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. At 3, the American Queen riverboat is scheduled to pass Quincy.
Even though the boat will be headed north, the Queen’s visit is appropriate.
Lincoln and Douglas left Quincy together on the southbound steamer City of Louisiana for their final debate in Alton on Oct. 15, 1858.
Scholz, who has worked for senators and met presidents, can’t imagine 2008 presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama doing the same.
“It’s a different set of criteria nowadays,” he said.

More to come
The Lincoln-Douglas remembrance isn’t the end of the festivities.
In addition to helping plan the local celebration, Scholz also is a board member of Looking for Lincoln, a group that helps people find Lincoln sites in Illinois, and serves on the advisory board of the national Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
Scholz said the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth next Feb. 12 will offer yet another chance to honor a great American and recall the time he spent in West-Central Illinois.
“We played a very significant role in the Lincoln legacy,” Scholz said.