Adlai Stevenson

Illinois, in all that constitutes true grandeur in a people, knows no superior among the great sisterhood of States.

It is high privilege and high honor to be a citizen of this grand republic.

It is in very truth a government of the people, in an important sense a government standing separate and apart; its foundations the morality, the intelligence, the patriotism of the people.

Never forget that citizenship in such a government carries with it tremendous responsibility, a responsibility that we cannot evade.

Moreover, the thorough knowledge of the people thus acquired by actual contact--the knowledge of their condition, necessities, and wishes--resulted often in legislation of enduring benefit to the new country.

Aspirants to public place presented their claims directly to the people, and the personal popularity of the candidate was an important factor in achieving success.

As late even as 1858, when Lincoln and Douglas were rival aspirants to the Senate, when every voter in the State was a partisan of one or the other candidate, and the excitement was for many months intense, there was never, from either…

Possibly, since the foundation of the Government, no statesman has been so completely idolized by his friends and party as was Henry Clay.

In the realm of party leadership a greater than he hath not appeared.

When his star set, it was felt to be the signal for the dissolution of the great party of which he was the founder.

And, take it altogether, there may be collected from it a greater mass of shrewd, observant, droll, playful, and generous spirits, than from any other equal numbers of society.

The spirit of the mob is in deadly antagonism to all constituted authority.