To John T. Stuart1Jump to section
I have been to the Secretary's office within the last hour; and find things precisely as you left them---no new arrivals of returns on either side. Douglass has not been here since you left. A report is in circulation here now, that he has abandoned the idea of going to Washington; though the report does not come in a verry authentic form, so far as I can learn. Though, by the way, speaking of authenticity, you know that if we had heard Douglass say that he had abandoned the contest, it would not be verry authentic. There is no news here. Noah,2Jump to section I still think will be elected verry easily. I am afraid of our race for Representative. Dr. Knapp3Jump to section has become a candidate; and I fear the few votes he will get will be taken from us. Also, some one has been tampering with old Esqr. Wycoff,4Jump to section and induced him to send in his name to be anounced as a candidate. Francis refused to announce him without seeing him, and now I suppose there is to be a fuss about it. I have been so busy that I have not seen Mrs. Stuart since you left, though I understand she wrote you by to day's mail, which will inform you more about her than I could. The verry moment a Speaker is elected write me who he is. Your friend as ever--- A. LINCOLN
Annotation
[1] ALS, CSmH.
[2] Noah W. Matheny, candidate to succeed his deceased father Charles R. Matheny, county clerk, won over Edmond Taylor, 966 to 653.
[3] Dr. Moses L. Knapp. The race for representative was won by Thomas J. Nance, Democrat of Petersburg, who defeated the Whig candidate John Bennett by 36 votes.
[4] Samuel Wyckoff announced his candidacy on November 11 (Illinois State Register, November 16, 1839) but withdrew on November 19.