They offered a wide range of alcoholic beverages as well as food, including takeout dinners
But Berry became an alcoholic, was often too drunk to work, and Lincoln ended up running the store by himself
Although the economy was booming, the business struggled and went into debt, causing Lincoln to sell his share
In the campaign, Lincoln advocated for navigational improvements on the Sangamon River
He could draw crowds as a raconteur, but lacked the requisite formal education, powerful friends, and money, and lost the election
Lincoln finished eighth out of 13 candidates (the top four were elected), though he received 277 of the 300 votes cast in the New Salem precinct
Lincoln served as New Salem's postmaster and later as county surveyor, but continued his voracious reading and decided to become a lawyer
Then followed his four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives for Sangamon County
He championed construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and later was a Canal Commissioner
He voted to expand suffrage beyond white landowners to all white males, but adopted a "free soil" stance opposing both slavery and abolition
He was admitted to the Illinois bar on September 9, 1836, and moved to Springfield and began to practice law under John T
Lincoln emerged as a formidable trial combatant during cross-examinations and closing arguments
He partnered several years with Stephen T
Logan, and in 1844 began his practice with William Herndon, "a studious young man"
Lincoln warned that no trans-Atlantic military giant could ever crush us as a nation
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher", said Lincoln
Prior to that, on April 28, 1836, an innocent black man, Francis McIntosh, was burned alive in St
Zann Gill describes how these two murders set off a chain reaction that ultimately prompted Abraham Lincoln to run for President
House of Representatives (1847–1849)

True to his record, Lincoln professed to friends in 1861 to be "an old line Whig, a disciple of Henry Clay"
Their party favored economic modernization in banking, tariffs to fund internal improvements including railroads, and urbanization
In 1843, Lincoln sought the Whig nomination for Illinois' 7th district seat in the U.S
House of Representatives; he was defeated by John J
Hardin though he prevailed with the party in limiting Hardin to one term
Lincoln not only pulled off his strategy of gaining the nomination in 1846 but also won the election
He was the only Whig in the Illinois delegation, but as dutiful as any participated in almost all votes and made speeches that toed the party line
He was assigned to the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads and the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department
Giddings on a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter
He dropped the bill when it eluded Whig support
Political views 
On foreign and military policy, Lincoln spoke against the Mexican–American War, which he imputed to President James K
Polk's desire for "military glory—that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood"
He supported the Wilmot Proviso, a failed proposal to ban slavery in any U.S
Lincoln emphasized his opposition to Polk by drafting and introducing his Spot Resolutions
The resolution was ignored in both Congress and the national papers, and it cost Lincoln political support in his district
One Illinois newspaper derisively nicknamed him "spotty Lincoln"
Lincoln later regretted some of his statements, especially his attack on presidential war-making powers
Lincoln had pledged in 1846 to serve only one term in the House
Realizing Clay was unlikely to win the presidency, he supported General Zachary Taylor for the Whig nomination in the 1848 presidential election
Taylor won and Lincoln hoped in vain to be appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office
The administration offered to appoint him secretary or governor of the Oregon Territory as consolation
This distant territory was a Democratic stronghold, and acceptance of the post would have disrupted his legal and political career in Illinois, so he declined and resumed his law practice
Prairie lawyer

In his Springfield practice, Lincoln handled "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer"
Twice a year he appeared for 10 consecutive weeks in county seats in the Midstate county courts; this continued for 16 years
Lincoln handled transportation cases in the midst of the nation's western expansion, particularly river barge conflicts under the many new railroad bridges
As a riverboat man, Lincoln initially favored those interests, but ultimately represented whoever hired him
He later represented a bridge company against a riverboat company in Hurd v
Rock Island Bridge Company, a landmark case involving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge
In 1849, he received a patent for a flotation device for the movement of boats in shallow water
The idea was never commercialized, but it made Lincoln the only president to hold a patent
Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in 175 cases; he was sole counsel in 51 cases, of which 31 were decided in his favor
From 1853 to 1860, one of his largest clients was the Illinois Central Railroad