Lincoln’s Wit/Wisdom 255

Lincoln had turned his wizardry with words into a potent political weapon. In 1858 when Stephen Douglas, the powerful leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate, ran for re-election against Lincoln – victoriously, as it turned out – he knew he was up against a formidable opponent. Here is what Douglas said about Lincoln: ‘Every one of his stories seems like a whack upon my back… Nothing else – not any of his arguments or any of his replies to my questions –disturbs me. But when he begins to tell a story, I feel that I am to be overmatched.’