Washington of the commencement of hostilities on the Rio Grande, and of the great peril of General Taylor’s army.  Everybody, Whigs and Democrats, was for sending them aid, in men and money.  It was necessary to pass a bill for this.  The Locos had a majority in both houses, and they brought in a bill with a preamble saying:  Whereas, War exists by the act of Mexico, therefore we send General Taylor money.  The Whigs moved to strike out the preamble, so that they could vote to send the men and money, without saying anything about how the war commenced; but being in the minority, they were voted down, and the preamble was retained.  Then, on the passage of the bill, the question came upon them, Shall we vote for preamble and bill together, or against both together?  They did not want to vote against sending help to General Taylor, and therefore they voted for both together.  Is there any difficulty in understanding this?  Even my little speech shows how this was; and if you will go to the library, you may get the Journal of 1845-46, in which you will find the whole for yourself.

We have nothing published yet with special reference to the Taylor race; but we soon will have, and then I will send them to everybody.  I made an internal-improvement speech day before yesterday, which I shall send home as soon as I can get it written out and printed,—­and which I suppose nobody will read.

Your friend as ever,
A. Lincoln.

SALARY OF JUDGE IN WESTERN VIRGINIA

Remarks in the house of representatives, June 28, 1848.

Discussion as to salary of judge of western Virginia:—­Wishing to increase it from $1800 to $2500.

Mr. Lincoln said he felt unwilling to be either unjust or ungenerous, and he wanted to understand the real case of this judicial officer.  The gentleman from Virginia had stated that he had to hold eleven courts.  Now everybody knew that it was not the habit of the district judges of the United States in other States to hold anything like that number of courts; and he therefore took it for granted that this must happen under a peculiar law which required that large number of courts to be holden every year; and these laws, he further supposed, were passed at the request of the people of that judicial district.  It came, then, to this:  that the people in the western district of Virginia had got eleven courts to be held among them in one year, for their own accommodation; and being thus better accommodated than neighbors elsewhere, they wanted their judge to be a little better paid.  In Illinois there had been until the present season but one district court held in the year.  There were now to be two.  Could it be that the western district of Virginia furnished more business for a judge than the whole State of Illinois?

NATIONAL BANK