As he continued, Douglas grew offensively denunciatory.  His opponents were invariably Black Republicans; Lincoln was the ally of rank Abolitionists like Giddings and Fred Douglass; of course those who believed in political and social equality for blacks and whites would vote for Lincoln.  Lincoln had found fault with the resolutions because they were not adopted on the right spot.  Lincoln and his friends were great on “spots.”  Lincoln had opposed the Mexican War because American blood was not shed on American soil in the right spot.  Trumbull and Lincoln were like two decoy ducks which lead the flock astray.  Ambition, personal ambition, had led to the formation of the Black Republican party.  Lincoln and his friends were now only trying to secure what Trumbull had cheated them out of in 1855, when the senatorship fell to Trumbull.  Under this savage attack the crowd grew restive.  As Douglas repeated the epithet “Black” Republican, he was interrupted by indignant cries of “White,” “White.”  But Douglas shouted back defiantly, “I wish to remind you that while Mr. Lincoln was speaking there was not a Democrat vulgar and blackguard enough to interrupt him,” and browbeat his hearers into quiet again.[729]

Realizing, perhaps, the immense difficulty of exposing the fallacy of Douglas’s reply to his questions, in the few moments at his disposal, Lincoln did not refer to the crucial point.  He contented himself with a defense of his own consistency.  His best friends were dispirited, when the half-hour ended.  They could not shake off the impression that Douglas had saved himself from defeat by his adroit answers to Lincoln’s interrogatories.[730]

The next joint debate occurred nearly three weeks later down in Egypt.  By slow stages, speaking incessantly at all sorts of meetings, Douglas and Lincoln made their several ways through the doubtful central counties to Jonesboro in Union County.  This was the enemy’s country for Lincoln; and by reason of the activities of United States Marshal Dougherty, a Buchanan appointee, the county was scarcely less hostile to Douglas.  The meeting was poorly attended.  Those who listened to the speakers were chary of applause and appeared politically apathetic.[731]

Douglas opened the debate by a wild, unguarded appeal to partisan prejudices.  Knowing his hearers, he was personally vindictive in his references to Black Republicans in general and to Lincoln in particular.  He reiterated his stock arguments, giving new vehemence to his charge of corrupt bargain between Trumbull and Lincoln by quoting Matheny, a Republican and “Mr. Lincoln’s especial and confidential friend for the last twenty years."[732]