Springfield, May 10, 1858.
My Dear Sir: Your long and kind letter was received to-day. It came upon me as an agreeable old acquaintance. Politically speaking, there is a curious state of things here. The impulse of almost every Democrat is to stick to Douglas; but it horrifies them to have to follow him out of the Democratic party. A good many are annoyed that he did not go for the English contrivance, and thus heal the breach. They begin to think there is a ``negro in the fence,''---that Douglas really wants to have a fuss with the President;---that sticks in their throats. Yours truly,
A. LINCOLN.