64. Reagan vs Lincoln IX: Squatter Sovereignty

“D-Down!” Taft exclaimed with a raise of his hand. “Lincoln…” he swallowed, “Lincoln has until the count of ten to stand back up!” He raised a nervous finger. “One…two…”

Grant looked out from the stands, staring at his injured Party head with a blank expression.

“Well,” he remarked, “this isn’t good.”

“I’m impressed by how calm you are right now.”

Grant turned to the short woman standing besides him.

“Do you think Lincoln is going to lose?” he asked.

“Do you want my honest opinion?”

Grant gave a nod.

“You’ve known Lincoln far longer than I have; than the whole country has. If anyone can give an accurate assessment of his situation, it’s you.”

Stephanie Douglas gave a small chuckle.

“I certainly have known that man for quite some time…”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Douglas,” a young Lincoln declared, “I think it’s high time we have ourselves a proper fight.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Douglas replied, “but I refuse.”

Douglas’s response was only natural. After all, at this point Douglas was a rising star known across the whole country. Lincoln, on the other hand, was a virtual nobody that had been forced into retirement not just once, but twice over. Douglas had nothing to gain by fighting with him and everything to lose.

And so, Douglas walked on believing the matter to be settled. However, she didn’t make it two steps before Lincoln started following behind her. She gave a soft glare, but otherwise ignored his presence as she pressed on with her stroll.

“Hey Douglas!” a man shouted to her. “What’s your thoughts about this new Kansas settlement that’s over the news?”

“Needless to say,” Douglas replied, “I believe the people there have the right to choose how they’d like to be governed rather than them being controlled by those outside the state.”

“Still pushing for ‘squatter sovereignty’, Douglas?” Lincoln replied coyly. “Why, isn’t that the same doctrine saying that if any one man should choose to enslave another, no third man shall be allowed to object?”

The man laughed at Lincoln’s remarks as Douglas furrowed her brow and continued her walk, only for Lincoln to again trail just behind her. Douglas picked up her pace, but Lincoln easily caught up with his long, lanky strides.

“Do you mind!” Douglas spat.

“What?” Lincoln asked innocently. “I thought you were in support of people doing whatever they pleased?”

Douglas clenched her fists.

“Fine!” she snapped. “I’ll give you your damn fight!”

She raised seven fingers.

“We’ll have seven matches across the state, best four out of seven wins. Deal?”

“Deal!” Lincoln replied with a grin.

With this, the fights which would later come to be known as the Lincoln-Douglas battles began in earnest. Douglas claimed an easy win in round one, but Lincoln landed a sharp hit in round two, giving him a decisive victory there.

The next two matches were remarkably close, with Douglas squeaking by with narrow victories each time. Lincoln then unleashed an overwhelming burst of strength, gaining big wins in the fifth and sixths matches.

Their final fight was closer than any of the others before it, but in the end, the one to land the final hit was…

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BONUS CHAPTERS. I’ll be posting a bonus chapter tomorrow in honor of July 4th/America’s 250th anniversary, and I’ll post a second bonus chapter if anyone leaves any (non-spam) comment between now and July 5th.

Lincoln’s Flashback I. This flashback references the 1858 race between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln for an Illinois senate seat. Stephen initially refused to debate Abraham, but Abraham went to each of the towns that Stephen visited and gave speeches belittling everything that Stephen said, inciting Stephen to finally accept the challenge, resulting in what came to be known as the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The outcome for these debates would ultimately be…