the life of stephen a. douglas-第1章

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The　Life　of　Stephen　A。　Douglas

by　William　Gardner




Preface。




De　mortuis　nil　nisi　bonum；　（of　the　dead　speak　nothing　but　good）；　is　the　rule　which　governed　the　friends　of　Stephen　A。　Douglas　after　his　death。　　〃Of　political　foes　speak　nothing　but　ill；〃　is　the　rule　which　has　guided　much　of　our　discussion　of　him　for　forty　years。　The　time　has　now　arrived　when　we　can　study　him　dispassionately　and　judge　him　justly；　when　we　can　take　his　measure；　if　not　with　scientific　accuracy；　at　least　with　fairness　and　honesty。

Where　party　spirit　is　as　despotic　as　it　is　among　us；　it　is　difficult　for　any　man　who　spends　his　life　amid　the　storms　of　politics　to　get　justice　until　the　passions　of　his　generation　have　been　forgotten。　Even　then　he　is　generally　misjudgedcanonized　as　a　saint；　with　extravagant　eulogy；　by　those　who　inherit　his　party　name；　and　branded　as　a　traitor　or　a　demagogue　by　those　who　wear　the　livery　of　opposition。

Douglas　has　perhaps　suffered　more　from　this　method　of　dealing　with　our　political　heroes　than　any　other　American　statesman　of　the　first　class。　　He　died　at　the　opening　of　the　Civil　War。　　It　proved　to　be　a　revolution　which　wrought　deep　changes　in　the　character　of　the　people。　　It　was　the　beginning　of　a　new　era　in　our　national　life。　We　are　in　constant　danger　of　missing　the　real　worth　of　men　in　these　ante…bellum　years　because　their　modes　of　thought　and　feeling　were　not　those　of　this　generation。

The　Civil　War；　with　its　storm　of　passion；　banished　from　our　minds　the　great　men　and　gigantic　struggles　of　the　preceding　decade。　　We　turned　with　scornful　impatience　from　the　pitiful　and　abortive　compromises　of　those　times；　the　puerile　attempts　to　cure　by　futile　plasters　the　cancer　that　was　eating　the　vitals　of　the　nation。　　We　hastily　concluded　that　men　who　belonged　to　the　party　of　Jefferson　Davis　and　Judah　P。　Benjamin　during　those　critical　years　were　of　doubtful　loyalty　and　questionable　patriotism；　that　men　who　battled　with　Lincoln；　Seward　and　Chase　could　hardly　be　true…hearted　lovers　of　their　country。　　Douglas　died　too　soon　to　make　clear　to　a　passion…stirred　world　that　he　was　as　warmly　attached　to　the　Union；　as　intensely　loyal；　as　devotedly　patriotic；　as　Lincoln　himself。

The　grave　questions　arising　from　the　War；　which　disturbed　our　politics　for　twenty　years；　the　great　economic　questions　which　have　agitated　us　for　the　past　fifteen　years；　bear　slight　relation　to　those　dark　problems　with　which　Douglas　and　his　contemporaries　grappled。　　He　was　on　the　wrong　side　of　many　struggles　preliminary　to　the　War。　He　was　not　a　profound　student　of　political　economy；　hence　is　not　an　authority　for　any　party　in　the　perplexing　questions　of　recent　times。　　The　result　is　that　the　greatest　political　leader　of　the　most　momentous　decade　of　our　history　is　less　known　to　us　than　any　second…rate　hero　of　the　Revolution。

It　is　not　of　much　importance　now　to　any　one　whether　Douglas　is　loved　or　hated；　admired　or　despised。　　It　is　of　some　importance　that　he　be　understood。

I　have　derived　this　narrative　mainly　from　original　sources。　　The　biography　written　during　his　life…time　by　his　friend　Sheahan；　and　that　published　two　years　after　his　death　by　his　admirer；　Flint；　are　chiefly　drawn　on　for　the　brief　account　of　his　early　life。　The　history　of　his　career　in　Congress　has　been　gathered　from　the　Congressional　record；　the　account　of　Conventions　from　contemporary　reports；　and　the　Debates　with　Lincoln　from　the　authorized　publication。

I　have　not　consciously　taken　any　liberty　with　any　text　quoted；　except　to　omit　superfluous　words；　which　omissions　are　indicated　by　asterisks。　　I　have　not　attempted　to　pronounce　judgement　on　Douglas　or　his　contemporaries；　but　to　submit　the　evidence。　　Not　those　who　write；　but　those　who　read；　pass　final　judgement　on　the　heroes　of　biography。





Chapter　I。　　Youth。




Stephen　Arnold　Douglas　was　born　at　Brandon；　Vermont；　on　the　23rd　of　April；　1813。　　His　father　was　a　physician；　descended　from　Scotch　ancestors；　who　had　settled　in　Connecticut　before　the　Revolution。　his　mother　was　the　daughter　of　a　prosperous　Vermont　farmer。　　Before　he　was　three　months　old　his　father；　whose　only　fortune　was　his　practice；　suddenly　died。　　A　bachelor　brother　of　the　widow　took　the　family　to　his　home　near　Brandon；　where　they　lived　for　fifteen　years。　　When　not　needed　at　more　important　work　Stephen　attended　the　common　school。　　but　the　serious　business　of　life　was　tilling　his　uncle's　fields。

At　fifteen　he　sought　help　to　prepare　for　college。　　His　uncle　declined　to　assume　the　burden　of　his　education　and　advised　him　to　shun　the　perils　of　professional　life　and　adopt　the　safe　and　honorable　career　of　a　farmer。　　The　advice　was　rejected　and　he　obtained　permission　to　earn　his　way　and　shape　his　future。　　He　walked　to　Middlebury；　a　distance　of　fourteen　miles；　and　apprenticed　himself　to　a　cabinet　maker。　　He　worked　with　energy　and　enthusiasm；　became　a　good　mechanic　and　bade　fair　to　win　success　at　his　trade；　but　owning　to　delicate　health　he　abandoned　the　shop　after　less　than　two　years'　service；　and　entered　the　academy　at　Brandon；　where　he　pursued　his　studies　for　about　a　year；　when　his　mother　married　again　and　moved　to　Canandiagua；　New　York。　　He　there　entered　an　academy　and　continued　an　industrious　student　for　nearly　three　years；　devoting　part　of　his　time　to　law　study。　　This　ended　his　preliminary　training。　　He　quit　the　schools　and　applied　himself　to　the　work　of　practical　life。

In　June；　1833；　he　left　home　to　push　his　fortune　in　the　West。　　His　health　was　delicate；　his　stock　of　money　scant。　　He　went　to　Cleveland；　Ohio；　where　he　became　acquainted　with　a　lawyer　named　Andrews；　who；　pleased　with　the　appearance　of　the　youth；　invited　him　to　share　his　office　and　use　his　library；　with　the　promise　of　a　partnership　when　admitted　to　the　bar。　　The　offer　was　accepted　and　he　began　his　duties　as　law　clerk。　　A　week　later　he　was　taken　seriously　sick；　and　at　the　end　of　his　long　illness　the　doctors　advised　him　to　return　home。　He　rejected　the　advice　and　in　October　took　passage　on　a　canal　boat　for　Portsmouth；　on　the　Ohio　river；　and　went　thence　to　Cincinnati。　For　a　week　he　sought　employment。　　Unable　to　find　it　he　went　to　Louisville；　where　another　week　was　spent　in　vain　quest　of　work。　He　continued　his　journey　to　St。　Louis；　where　he　landed　in　the　late　autumn。　　An　eminent　lawyer　offered　him　free　use　of　his　library；　but　an　empty　purse　compelled　him　to　decline　the　offer　and　seek　immediate　work。　　He　went　to　Jacksonville；　Illinois；　arriving　late　in　November；　and　addressed　himself　to　the　pressing　problem　of　self…support。　　The　remnant　of　his　cash　amount　to　thirty…seven　cents。





Chapter　II。　　Apprenticeship。




In　those　days　Illinois　was　a　frontier　State　with　about　200；000　population；　chiefly　settled　in　its　southern　half。　　A　large　part　of　the　people　were　from　the　South　and；　in　defiance　of　the　law；　owned　many　negro　slaves。　　The　Capital　was　at　Vandalia；　although　Jacksonville　and　Springfield　were　the　towns　of　highest　promise　and　brightest　prospects。　　Chicago　contained　a　few　score　of　people　to　whom　the　Indians　were　still　uncomfortably　close　neighbors。　　Railroads　and　canals　were　beginning　to　be　built；　with　promise　of　closer　relations　between　the　villages　and　settlements　theretofore　lost　in　the　solitudes。

Finding　no　employment　at　Jacksonville；　he　sold　his　few　books　to　keep　off　hunger　and　walked　to　Winchester。　　On　the　morning　after　his　arrival　he　found　a　crowd　assembled　on　the　street　where　a　public　sale　was　about　to　open。　　Delay　was　occasioned　by　the　want　of　a　competent　clerk　and　he　was　hired　for　two　dollars　a　day　to　keep　the　record　of　the　sale。　　He　was　then　employed　to　teach　a　private　school　in　the　town　at　a　salary　of　forty　dollars　a　month。　　Besides　teaching　he　found　time　to　read　a　few　borrowed　law　books　and　try　an　occasional　case　before　the　village　justice。

Having　been　admitted　to　the　bar　in　March；　1834；　he　opened　a　law　office　at　Jacksonville。　　His　professional　career；　though　successful；　was　so　completely　eclipsed　by　the　brilliancy　of　his　political　achievements　that　it　need　not　detain　us。　　The　readiness　and　agility　of　his　mind；　the　adaptability　of　his　convictions　to　the　demands　of　the　hour；　his　self…confident　energy；　were　such　that　he　speedily　developed　into　a　good　trial　lawyer　and　w