Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 4 [Mar. 5, 1860-Oct. 24, 1861].

Remarks to Oregon Delegation1Jump to section

March 9, 1861

A gentleman of the party remarked ``that Oregon was a large State, and would soon wield a powerful influence upon the affairs of Government.''

``Oh, yes,'' said Mr. Lincoln; ``it's rather larger than Maryland and Rhode Island, which a man can hurry across in a few hours.''

Some one remarked that ``they had heard of a man who was not long getting across one of those States.''

Mr. Lincoln, with a comical twist of his face, responded: ``Gentlemen, if you please we won't say anything more on that subject;'' and it was ``drapped.''2Jump to section

Annotation

[1]   Washington Evening Star, March 12, 1861.

keyboard_returnReturn

[2]   The reference, of course, is to Lincoln's secret passage from Philadelphia to Washington on the night of February 22, which was heartily lampooned in the Democratic press.

keyboard_returnReturn