6 Chapter 3 A Member of Congress

Chapter 3 A Member of Congress In 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield, the new state capital. Springfield was still a frontier town with log cabins. Pigs ran loose on the dirt roads. But it was the biggest place Lincoln had ever lived in. It even had a bookstore. He worked at a friend's law firm, where he kept track of the paperwork. He wasn't very good at this. He had a habit of carrying important papers around inside his tall stovepipe hat. Sometimes he lost them.

1837年，林肯搬到新州首府斯普林菲尔德。 斯普林菲尔德仍然是一个有小木屋的边境小镇。 猪在土路上乱跑。 但这是林肯住过的最大的地方。 它甚至还有一家书店。他在朋友的律师事务所工作，负责记录文书工作。 他不太擅长这个。 他有个习惯，把重要文件藏在高高的烟囱帽里。 有时他会失去他们。

The state government was only in session for part of the year. And there wasn't enough business in Springfield for a lawyer to live on. So like most Western lawyers, Lincoln had to travel to towns all around the state. Twice a year, a judge visited

州政府一年只有一部分时间在开会。 而且斯普林菲尔德没有足够的生意让一个律师维持生计。 因此，像大多数西部律师一样，林肯必须走遍整个州的各个城镇。 一名法官每年来两次

all the towns that were too small to have their own courts. Lincoln joined the group of lawyers who followed the judge's route. Everyone traveled together. At night they all crowded into small rough inns. Sometimes twenty men had to squeeze into one room. Lincoln often slept on the floor. After a few days, the group would move on. Sometimes the roads were so bad, they had to walk. Because Lincoln had such long legs, his companions made him wade across streams first to find out how deep they were.

所有的城镇都太小了，没有自己的法院。 林肯加入了跟随法官路线的律师队伍。 大家一起旅行。 到了晚上，他们都挤进简陋的小旅馆。 有时二十个人挤在一个房间里。 林肯经常睡在地板上。 几天后，这群人会继续前进。 有时路很糟糕，他们不得不走路。 因为林肯的腿很长，他的同伴让他先趟过小溪，看看水有多深。

WHIGS AND DEMOCRATS

辉格党和民主党

THE UNITED STATES HAS HAD MANY DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTIES In ITS HISTORY, OFTEN WITH CONFUSINGLY SIMILAR NAMES. (THERE WAS EVEN A PARTY CALLED THE DEMOC-RATICREPUBLICANS.) WHEN LINCOLN WAS STARTING OUT, THE MAIN PARTIES WERE THE WHIGS And THE DEMOCRATS. THE DEMOCRATS SUPPORTED STATES' RIGHTS. THEY THOUGHT EACH STATE SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO RULE ITSELF. THE WHIGS WANTEd A STRONGER CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. THEY SAID THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ENCOURAGE And PAY FOR IMPROVEMENTS THAT WOULD MAKE THE COUNTRY WORK BETTER. LINCOLN WAS A WHIG. In HIS EARLY CAREER HE SUPPORTED THE BUILdING OF CANALS And RAILROADS THAT WOULD HELP

美国历史上有过许多不同的政党，它们的名字常常相似得令人困惑。 (甚至有一个政党叫做民主共和党。)林肯刚出道时，主要的政党是辉格党和民主党。 民主党人支持各州的权利。 他们认为每个州都应该拥有自治的权力。 辉格党想要一个更强大的中央政府。 他们说政府应该鼓励并资助那些能使国家运转得更好的改进措施。 林肯是辉格党人。在他早期的职业生涯中，他支持修建运河和铁路

MAKE TRADE And TRANSPORTATION EASIER. Lincoln didn't mind the bad food or the rough life. He liked meeting people. He impressed them with his funny stories, his friendliness, his skill, and his honesty. "If . . . you cannot be an honest lawyer," he said, "resolve to be honest without being a lawyer." Lincoln was a strong supporter of the Whig Party. Soon he became one of the most important

使贸易和运输更容易。 林肯不介意糟糕的食物和艰苦的生活。 他喜欢与人交往。他有趣的故事、友善、技巧和诚实给他们留下了深刻的印象。 “如果……“你不可能成为一名诚实的律师，”他说，“你要下定决心，不做律师也要诚实。” 林肯是辉格党的坚定支持者。 不久，他就成了最重要的人物之一