The Pensacola Journal

Joseph Jefferson used to tell an interesting story of how his father and company were rescued from a distressing predicament in Springfield, Ill. Arriving there, they used the last of their funds in building a small theater. There was a religious revival in the town, the leaders of which not only denounced the players, but persuaded the town council to impose a heavy license upon the "unholy calling." All the actors were in despair when they were visited by a young lawyer, who offered in the interest of fair play to have the license fee reduced. He appeared before the council and in an eloquent speech filled with logic and pathos and interspersed with anecdotes which raised roars of laughter won his point. The lawyer was Abraham Lincoln.