Thursday, May 24, 2012

Don't mess with Abe................

     "At one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Senator Stephen Douglas sarcastically referred to Lincoln's lowly beginnings.  He allowed that his first meeting with Lincoln had been across the counter of a general store where liquor was sold.  Douglas finally ended his remarks by saying, 'And Mr. Lincoln was a very good bartender too.'
     "A roar of laughter erupted at this, but it quieted down considerably when Mr. Lincoln answered, 'What Mr. Douglas has said, gentlemen, is true enough; I did keep a grocery, and I did sell cotton, candles, and cigars, and sometimes whiskey; but I remember those days that Mr. Douglas was one of my best customers.  Many a time have I stood on one side of the counter and sold whiskey to Mr. Douglas on the other side, but the difference between us now is that I have left my side of the counter, but Mr. Douglas still sticks to his as tenaciously as ever.'"
-James C. Humes, The Wit & Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

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