The Rail Splitter, Vol. I, No. 16 (October 6, 1860)
Chicago: Charles Leib, 1860. Four-page newspaper. A couple of small holes, various brown spots and other bits of minor wear A campaign newspaper for Abraham Lincoln in the Presidential Campaign of 1860. We note a half-column story on the front page of this issue that accuses Senator Douglas of being a Roman Catholic -- a charge based partly on the fact that Mrs. Douglas was a Catholic as were their children -- probably an effective charge in largely Protestant mid-19th century America. Our brief research suggests that Douglas was neither a Catholic nor a formal member of any other organized religious group. The purpose of another half-column story on the front page was to make it clear that Lincoln had publicly condemned the actions of John Brown and did not object to Brown's execution. Charles Leib, the editor, was a political operative with an unclear background who had previously edited a Democratic campaign newspaper on behalf of the Buchanan campaign in 1856. Leib served briefly as an Assistant Quartermaster in the Union Army before heading to New Mexico, probably in 1863, and died there in 1865 at the age of 38. Very Good. Item #85724
Price: $2,500.00