LONG NINE.--In the State Legislature of Illinois that assembled at Vandalia, in December, 1836, and continued until March, 1837, the delegation from Sangamon county was composed of two Senators and seven members of the House of Representatives. They were the most remarkable body of men from any one county, for the reason that they were much taller than the average of human stature. Some of them were a little less and some a little more than six feet, but their combined height was exactly fifty-four feet. They were then, and are yet, spoken of as the "Long Nine."

The names of those in the Senate were Archer G. Herndon and Job Fletcher; in the House of Representatives, Abraham Lincoln, Ninian W. Edwards, John Dawson, Andrew McCormack, Dan Stone, William F. Elkin and Robert L. Wilson. One or two were as tall, but none taller, than Abraham Lincoln, who it will be seen, by reference to his Autobiography, could add four inches to be divided among those who fell below the average. A sketch of each of them will be found in their appropriate places, in the alphabetical arrangement.

The settlement of the State began in the southern part, and Kaskaskia was made the capital of the territory because it was more easy of access to a majority of the inhabitants than any other point. Settlements moved northward, and Vandalia was created for the purpose of making it the capital. A feeling prevailed at the time that it would again be necessary to move further north. For that reason a clause was inserted in the law establishing the capital at Vandalia, that it should not be moved from there for twenty years.

Before the expiration of that time, it was everywhere conceded that the capital must again be moved north. Springfield was early a candidate, and the members of the legislature from Sangamon county were chosen with direct reference to that subject. The people of Illinois were at that time nearly insane on the subject of internal improvements. The previous session of the legislature commenced chartering railroad companies, but the session of 1836-'7 was devoted largely to business of that kind. The capital stock authorized to joint stock companies, chiefly railroads, down to the end of the session of 1836-'7, was twelve millions of dollars. The internal improvement act of Feb. 27, 1837, appropriated ten million, two hundred thousand dollars, directly from the State treasury; more than nine millions of that sum was for railroads. At the same session private laws were enacted, chartering joint stock companies with authorized capital stock, to the amount of nearly eight millions, making an aggregate of nearly thirty millions of dollars involved in efforts to legislate railroads into existence, before the business of the country would justify it.

In order to accomplish this legislation, a great amount of what is understood among politicians as "log rolling," was done. That is, you help me to get my pet scheme through, and I will help you. The "Long Nine" did not ask much for their section in the way of internal improvements, but they never lost an opportunity to make a vote for the removal of the capital to Springfield. It is only surprising that, with such opportunities, they did not accomplish more. It will be seen, by reference to the forty-third page, that there were seven candidates for the location, and that on the first ballot Springfield received thirty-five of the one hundred and twenty-one votes cast, and continued to gain until the fourth ballot, when she received seventy-three of the one hundred and eight votes cast. It was thus decided that Springfield was to be the future capital of the State, and as surely determined that the men who secured that result should ever after be known as the "Long Nine."