, if agreeable to you, to enter into the terms of such
arrangement.

Your obedient servant,

A. LINCOLN.

Mr. DOUGLAS TO Mr. LINCOLN.

BEMENT, PLATT Co., ILL., July 30, 1858.

Dear Sir,--Your letter dated yesterday, accepting my proposition for a
joint discussion at one prominent point in each Congressional District, as
stated in my previous letter, was received this morning.

The times and places designated are as follows:

Ottawa, La Salle County August 21st, 1858.
Freeport, Stephenson County " 27th,
Jonesboro, Union County, September 15th,
Charleston, Coles County " 18th,
Galesburgh, Knox County October 7th,
Quincy, Adams County " 13th,
Alton, Madison County " 15th,

I agree to your suggestion that we shall alternately open and close the
discussion. I will speak at Ottawa one hour, you can reply, occupying an
hour and a half, and I will then follow for half an hour. At Freeport, you
shall open the discussion and speak one hour; I will follow for an hour
and a half, and you can then reply for half an hour. We will alternate in
like manner in each successive place.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. A. DOUGLAS.

Mr. LINCOLN TO Mr. DOUGLAS.

SPRINGFIELD, July 31, 1858. HON. S. A. DOUGLAS:

Dear Sir,--Yours of yesterday, naming places, times, and terms for joint
discussions between us, was received this morning. Although, by the terms,
as you propose, you take four openings and closes, to my three, I accede,
and thus close the arrangement. I direct this to you at Hillsborough,
and shall try to have both your letter and this appear in the Journal and
Register of Monday morning.

Your obedient servant,

A. LINCOLN.

FIRST JOINT DEBATE, AT OTTAWA,

AUGUST 21, 1858

Mr. LINCOLN'S REPLY

MY FELLOW-CITIZENS:--When a man hears himself somewhat misrepresented,
it provokes him, at least, I find it so with myself; but when
misrepresentation becomes very gross and palpable, it is more apt to amuse
him. The first thing I see fit to notice is the fact that Judge Douglas
alleges, after running through the history of the old Democratic and the
old Whig parties, that Judge Trumbull and myself made an arrangement in
1854, by which I was to have the place of General Shields in the United
States Senate, and Judge Trumbull was to have the place of Judge Douglas.
Now, all I have to say upon that subject is that I think no man not even
Judge