The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-13
The visit OF Senator Dougla. 10

ISprAsApoLIs, Sept. 9Th. 1855.

ANpiANAfOLiS, OcPt' Olh, loJ4'
DEAR SANDERs:-Wednesda of this week
was great day here with our friends, the
"Old Liners" 1t had been heralded abroad
to all the world through the columns Of the
State Sentinel, O and other journals of that
stripe, that the immortal Douglas would be
here in very bodily presence on that day, and
with the help of sundry lesser luminaries, as
Bright, Lane. Breckinridge. Pugh and Will
lard, would shed whole floods of light on the
benighted understandings OF all Wings, Flu
sionists and Hoosiers generally. 1t added
not little to the spirits Of the faithful, that
on the previous afternoon genial shower
had laid the dust, and all reasonable Their
mometers had let down several degrees. The
great day itself dawned amid the roaring Of
cannon, the booming of drums, and "the vile
squeaking Of the wry-necked fife." (Fifes
must have been Of different pattern from the
present in Shakespeare's time.) The fore.
noon was occupied chiefly by Bright and
Lane, whose object, of course was, merely to
|
that are due about noon should arrive
Douglas having been announced for
Up. NJ. AT that hour he took the stand, an
extra platform being used to supply his lack
of stature. His speech occupied about two
hours, and was, of course, devoted to de-
fence Of the late action of Congress, and
by inference, Of his own course in that body
You would not thank me for an outline oft,
even if | felt prepared 10 give it. Not an
idea or argument in it struck any one as
original or new. Much strength was spent
to justify bis own course, and the gist Of most
of his speech was, the Wings, in the palmy
days of their majority in Congress, had done
as bad the present generation of legisla-
tors, and would do so again il they should
have a chance. One object Of the spea ker
evidently was to strengthen the wavering in
their party attachments, and to furnish plain
people, who talk much and read little, with
a supply of arguments easy to be understood,
if not very conclusive, in support OF the pres
ent party measures. In this he may have
succeeded, but the idea of his having changed
the views of any intelligent opposer of the
Nebraska Bill, would be mere fudge. His
late experience at Chicago had perhaps
taught him not to insult the good sense Of
his hearers by asserting that not one in a
thousand of them understood the Nebraska
Bill, or had read it. AT any rate he was
listened to here patiently and respectfully,
the public sentiment. ever among the strong.
est political opponents, being wholly averse
to any infraction of the freedom ofspeech.-
But although the gathering was larger by
several hundred than any former political
meeting Of the season at this place, enlhusi.
usm was decidedly at a discount, and so ial
as relates to mere oratory, am safe in say
ing that all who never heard Senator Doug
las before, Wings and Democrats, were dis.
appointed in him. Petit, (when he foreets
himself, and drops his vulgariiy) is immeas.
urable his superior.
Douglas was succeeded on the stand by
LII. Wv. w iHdiuB \ou uOstIuOT is dOSen
on honeymoon tour about whose speech
have no particular note to make. Breck
inrdge failed to arrive, and 50 the chivalry
had to go unrepresented. The performance.
were closed by Senator Pugh Of Ohio, in Q
speech that had at any rate the merit o
brevity. The young Senator'S aim was tc
show why the Wings should cooperate will
the Old Lines, rather than with the Fusion
lists.
Mr. Pugh evidently has that in him tn a,
will make him man of mark in the Senate
He isan easy and highly pleasing speaker
and conducted his argument on this occasion
with much plausibilty. But before he had
fully completed it, the skies gave sign that a
grand finale, in the shape of storm, was
preparing. This caused rather abrupt dis.
persion of the crowd, though all had time to
find shelter before the rain fell. The Sen
tinel estimates the number on the ground ut
10000, and the Journal at 5000. This is
quite as near as those prints generally agree,
but my own opinion was that 5000 would be
about the count. Yours,
A. B. c.