Lincoln's vision of himself, expressed during a debate with Douglas, was not much more hopeful. Ponder over these words in which Lincoln with mingled humor, pathos and insight contrasted his own appearance with that of his adversary in the famous debates: "There is still another disadvantage under which we labor.... It arises out of the relative positions of the two persons who stand before the State as candidates for the Senate. Senator Douglas is of world-wide renown. All the anxious politicians of his party ... have been looking upon him as certainly, at no distant day, to be the President of the United States. They have seen in his round, jolly, fruitful face, post offices, land offices, marshalships and Cabinet appointments, chargeships and foreign missions, bursting and sprouting out in wonderful exuberance, ready to be laid hold of by their greedy hands. On the contrary, nobody has ever expected me to be President. In my poor lean, lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting out. These are disadvantages all, taken together, that the Republicans labor under. We have to fight this battle upon principle and upon principle alone." But the people were in earnest. It was realized by all that the fundamental interests of American progress were in the midst of a great crisis. They needed a reliable man and Lincoln was that man. Campaign songs are usually very flat reading after the campaign is over, but they were then the carriers of the enthusiasm for a great cause. The song sung in the state nominating-convention at Springfield, Illinois, had for its first verse and chorus the following lines: "Hark! Hark! a signal gun is heard, Just beyond the fort; The good old Ship of State, my boys, Is coming into port, With shattered sails and anchors gone, I fear the rogues will strand her; She carries now a sorry crew, And needs a new commander. Chorus "Our Lincoln is the man! Our Lincoln is the man! With a sturdy mate From the Pine-Tree State, Our Lincoln is the man!" III. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MOMENTOUS TIMES Reference to a few of his speeches, made before his election to the presidency, will give a clear idea of his political Americanism, to which was entrusted the definition and the destiny of the greatest democracy in the world. The Illinois legislature of 1854, by the union of Whigs and Know-Nothings, indorsed him for senator and sent a committee to notify him. The Know-Nothings were especially strong on the slogan of "America for Americans," and wanted to shut out immigration. In the reply to the delegation or committee of notification, he said, "Who are the native Americans? Do they not wear the breech-clout and carry a tomahawk! Gentlemen, your principle is wrong. It is not American. For instance, I had an Irishman named Patrick working my garden. One morning I went out to see how Pat was getting along.