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Pekin Illinois Republican Central Committee Invitation to Abraham Lincoln July 20, 1858

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was locked in a fierce campaign for the U.S. Senate against the incumbent, Stephen A. Douglas. The above letter was sent to Lincoln on July 20, 1858 by D.A. Cheever, secretary of the Pekin Republican Central Committee. He requests that Lincoln come to Tremont to make a speech to "turn the tide in our favor and fix the wavering." Stephen A. Douglas would eventually defeat Lincoln for the U.S. Senate seat. However, Lincoln would be vindicated two years later when he would defeat Douglas to become the sixteenth President of the United States.
The above letters are part of the Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress which are currently being transcribed by the Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois --- Letters have been reduced to about 70% of actual size to save space and download time.