Details
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM, President. Autograph letter signed ("A.Lincoln") to Illinois State auditor Jesse K. Dubois, Bloomington, Illinois, 21 December 1857. 1 page, large 8vo, integral blank, soiled.
LINCOLN ATTEMPTS TO SETTLE A TAX CASE FOR THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD: "I DO NOT WRITE THIS AS A LAWYER SEEKING AN ADVANTAGE FOR A FRIEND"
Lincoln attempts to make a temporary settlement of a disputed claim for property taxes due the state of Illinois: "J.M. Douglas of the I[llinois] C[entral] R[ail] R[oad] Co[mpany] is here, and will carry this letter. He says they have a large sum (near $90,000) which they will pay into the Treasury now, if they have an assurance that they shall not be sued before Jan[uar]y 1859 -- otherwise not. I really wish you could consent to this. Douglas says they can not pay more, & I believe him. I do not write this as a lawyer seeking an advantage for a client; but only as a friend, only urging you to do, what I think I would do if I were in your situation. I mean this as private and confidential only, but I feel a good deal of anxiety about it..." Basler, II:429.
Lincoln was on frequent retainer to the Illinois Central and had already won an important tax case on their behalf in 1856. His efforts to avoid the suit in this case, were not successful. The case, People v. Illinois Central, involved the method by which the railroad's property had been assessed in 1857 for taxation. Lincoln argued the case before the Supreme Court in January and February 1859 and again in January 1860 (against the plaintiff's attorney, his former partner, Stephen T. Logan). The court ultimately ruled in the railroad's favor.
LINCOLN ATTEMPTS TO SETTLE A TAX CASE FOR THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD: "I DO NOT WRITE THIS AS A LAWYER SEEKING AN ADVANTAGE FOR A FRIEND"
Lincoln attempts to make a temporary settlement of a disputed claim for property taxes due the state of Illinois: "J.M. Douglas of the I[llinois] C[entral] R[ail] R[oad] Co[mpany] is here, and will carry this letter. He says they have a large sum (near $90,000) which they will pay into the Treasury now, if they have an assurance that they shall not be sued before Jan[uar]y 1859 -- otherwise not. I really wish you could consent to this. Douglas says they can not pay more, & I believe him. I do not write this as a lawyer seeking an advantage for a client; but only as a friend, only urging you to do, what I think I would do if I were in your situation. I mean this as private and confidential only, but I feel a good deal of anxiety about it..." Basler, II:429.
Lincoln was on frequent retainer to the Illinois Central and had already won an important tax case on their behalf in 1856. His efforts to avoid the suit in this case, were not successful. The case, People v. Illinois Central, involved the method by which the railroad's property had been assessed in 1857 for taxation. Lincoln argued the case before the Supreme Court in January and February 1859 and again in January 1860 (against the plaintiff's attorney, his former partner, Stephen T. Logan). The court ultimately ruled in the railroad's favor.