Mr. Lincoln thought the resolutions ought to be seriously considered.  In reply to the gentleman from Adams, he said that it was not to enrich the State.  The price of the lands may be raised, it was thought by some; by others, that it would be reduced.  The conclusion in his mind was that the representatives in this Legislature from the country in which the lands lie would be opposed to raising the price, because it would operate against the settlement of the lands.  He referred to the lands in the military tract.  They had fallen into the hands of large speculators in consequence of the low price.  He was opposed to a low price of land.  He thought it was adverse to the interests of the poor settler, because speculators buy them up.  He was opposed to a reduction of the price of public lands.

Mr. Lincoln referred to some official documents emanating from Indiana, and compared the progressive population of the two States.  Illinois had gained upon that State under the public land system as it is.  His conclusion was that ten years from this time Illinois would have no more public land unsold than Indiana now has.  He referred also to Ohio.  That State had sold nearly all her public lands.  She was but twenty years ahead of us, and as our lands were equally salable—­more so, as he maintained—­we should have no more twenty years from now than she has at present.

Mr. Lincoln referred to the canal lands, and supposed that the policy of the State would be different in regard to them, if the representatives from that section of country could themselves choose the policy; but the representatives from other parts of the State had a veto upon it, and regulated the policy.  He thought that if the State had all the lands, the policy of the Legislature would be more liberal to all sections.

He referred to the policy of the General Government.  He thought that if the national debt had not been paid, the expenses of the government would not have doubled, as they had done since that debt was paid.

To _________ Row.

Springfield, June 11, 1839
dear Row: 

Mr. Redman informs me that you wish me to write you the particulars of a conversation between Dr. Felix and myself relative to you.  The Dr. overtook me between Rushville and Beardstown.

He, after learning that I had lived at Springfield, asked if I was acquainted with you.  I told him I was.  He said you had lately been elected constable in Adams, but that you never would be again.  I asked him why.  He said the people there had found out that you had been sheriff or deputy sheriff in Sangamon County, and that you came off and left your securities to suffer.  He then asked me if I did not know such to be the fact.  I told him I did not think you had ever been sheriff or deputy sheriff in Sangamon, but that I thought you had been constable.  I further told him that if you had left your securities to suffer in that or any other case, I had never heard of it, and that if it had been so, I thought I would have heard of it.