February 22, 1844

<div2 part='N' sample='complete' org='uniform'>
         <dateline>
            <date value='1844-02-22'>Thursday, February 22, 1844.</date>
            <place key='39.9500, -90.2000' teiForm='name'>Virginia, IL</place>.</dateline>
         <p> Whig meeting is held in court house in afternoon. Lincoln's speech in reply
            to Judge Pearson, dealing mainly with currency and bank issues, is applauded. Lincoln
            probably attends another meeting in evening.<bibl default='NO'>
               <title>Sangamo Journal</title>, 28 March 1844; <xref from='ROOT' url='http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=lincoln;rgn=div1;view=text;idno=lincoln1;node=lincoln1%3A348' targOrder='U' to='DITTO'>Speeches in Virginia,
               Illinois</xref>, 22 February 1844, <title corresp='books_Basler2'>CW</title>, 1:332-33.</bibl>
         </p>
         <p> A Virginia Van Buren man described Lincoln's speech in letter to
            "Register": " `Aunt Becky' felt it her duty to deliver herself of a soul stirring
            harangue. She opened her wise head&#8212;`broke up the fountains of the great deep'
            of natal depravity; and rained `a horrible tempest' of billingsgate, and vulgar party
            vituperation on the devoted head of Van Buren." After another speech, " `Aunt Becky'
            [Lincoln's 1842 <uLine>nom de plume</uLine>] kindly dismissed the coons
            till 9 o'clock next morning, when&#8212;dear old pious soul&#8212;she would like
            to hold a sort of love feast with them."<bibl default='NO'>Register, 15
               March 1844.</bibl>
         </p>
      </div2>