Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-15
MORNING LEADER.


Political Stndy.
In tho reading room Of the Mcrointilc Liz
bray Association, may be seen plaster bust Of
him who has become known 10 fame as the lit.
tie Giant" II OCCUPIES the same stand as the
busts of Judge Mclean and Governor Chase.
and the foundation aud physiognomy Of the head
afford remarkable contrast TO both The pon
derous development at the base Of the brain the
overhanging, contracted brow, the short, ball
neck, and the promo and downward bent Of the
whole head, clearly mark the possession Of great
animal power, strong and overbearing will, and
intense cunning. All these inoaments are fully
borne out in the person Of the original Of the
bust, as he has been seen by thousands in our
city the past week Never did man bear about
him moie fully the true impress Of his charac.
ter than Stephen A. Douglas. Ntver did nature
more strongly mark In the coun,snanes and
person of man, that which ho was fitted 10 bo
and do. Never was human being more strong.
ly stamped with the inslgnia Of a master of the
arts Of audscity violence end fraud The enor-
mousbfut, capacity stored away in the sb IT.
stumpy form, which, n times Of violence, would
iit It's owner to be the leader Of band of ruff
6ans supplies him, in our peaceful politics, with
the qualities which sometimes draws the mob,
but always drive from him the decent and tho
thoughtful. a
Douglas beongs, by temperament and con-
slitution, 10 the race OF bullies. His proper le-
gitimate sphere is the bar room OF the prize Tirg
lie is Just the kind Of man to be the favorite "
blacklegs and the idol Of bOttleholders His
eudowments of limb and MUSCLE his compact
and bully solidIty of form, and enormous fstic
strength, would have mado him faciie prinesps
among the Suliyans, tho Morrisseys, and the
Heenans. BIT the horoscope Of his fortunes
was differently cast, and having settled early in
lie, in back Gods country he was fated to
become politician. In cOmmun ty of little
intellectual OF moral culture, his rice was rapid
for his powers were Just Of ihe compass whish
fitted him TO SHIN, wherh man OF finer nature
would have failed. He possessed moderate in.
tallectua talents, an iron will, untiring energy
and unboundcd ambition. He rose ut length
through various gradations 10 be Senator Of
the United states, and with greedy eyes deyour-
ing the Presidency from alar, ho h; shaped
every seheme, and strained every nerve to win
IL.
The man who deserved we'll of his country
was never yet found the clsnurous advocate Of
his own claiips TO his country's grattude---
Such an advoe nc has Stephen A. Douglas made
of himself, by thperslstent, untiring and shame
less appeals to popular prejudice aud ignorance
in all parts of the country. Filled to overflow
ing with the immense idea Of his own mpor-
iance he cannot Conceal, in any company, the
darling object OF all his hopes and schemes -
He lives aud brealhes, acts and thinks, writes
and speaks, rumina.es and dreams, aud even
eats and drinks, with single eye to the Presi-
deucy OF these United States His restless, in
tTQuing ami audacious nature has never falter-
I'd at any step which war, in his opinion, neces.
sary to reach the goal. Seeing, at one time,
tho hopeless nature of the quest without the
full support ofthe South, he conceived scheme
for acquiring Southern favor, which, for bold
ness and aud0cty, was never matched, even
among the bold and audacions politicians ofthe
southern States. We presume there is nobody
who will have the hard hood TO deny that the
Nebraska bill was intended to secure the spread
of slavery. Ifithad not been it was clearly Of
no use, siGco freedom had ample and secure
guarntees before. The breaking down ofthose
| guarantees could have had no other purpose
than that OF giving to slavery power which il
did not possess.
The most eagor and determined OF Southern
slavery defenders were at first startled by the
unmatched treason to Northern interests and
| principles Of this degenerate and ambitious
son of the North. But they seized joylhlly---
with few honorable exceptions--the new con
oessions held out to them, aud then, with an
ungrateiul determination, settled, no doubt, in
the councils Of Tetributive Justice, they kent
back the reward. After all the disgrace aud
trouble Of the treason, its author found himself
further off from the Presidency than ever. Not
only was another nominated in his stt ad, but
the attempted carrying out Of his measure and
its results, raised such tempest of Indignation
through all the North, as almost carried the
sworn opponent of his policy into the Prrsi
dential chair
Taking warning from the ominous signs of
the times, seeing that hii measure. contrary TO
all expectation, had injured to the benefit Of
tho North, finding the number OF free States
constantly growing, aud their political power
and influence extending, this Presidential jockey
medtiated a new scheme 10 sweep the stakes.
He would seem TO iorsake the Southern side;
ho would rebel against the slavery sxlepling
policy of the Administration he had helped into
power; he would cary of the prestige OF
fidelity to popular rights, and the glory Of
| political martyTdom, he would thus gain the
title TO claim from the North, what the South
treacherously refused him For brief period
he acted well the borrowed role of an honest
man; no hundred against the Lecompton
iniquity in the Senate; he seemed likely to
gain great and lasting popular support; and
then, Just when his cOunTymen began TO be.
lievo him in earnest, hc turned back to the sup
port of the miserable Administration he had
denounced $3.50
Having no basis Of truth or of justice in his
own nature, how could he have became their
persistent championl Being himself nothing
but politician aud trickster, animated by nc
loitier motive than a mean ambition, all his
sounding professions Of regard for the freedom
of the people, all his hollow cant about popular
soVereignty, was judged by the intelligent men
of all parties at its true value. ~.
Spite of all the pumped up enthusiasm Of
his humorous friends and organs, spite Of the
wide spread, dilgent Efforts Of the hungry
league who have combined TO make him PIesi-
dent, Douglas stands to-day before lhe people a
disgracod aud dstrusted man. He IL Ia mi-
norty in his own Staiei he has betrayed tho
North, and begun to betray the South; he car
res with him, wherever he goes, the impress Oi
a dissolute and desperate political gamester
His late speech in this city, which the En-
quirer lauds with such iul' ome eulogies, was a
hundredth rehash OF the stale and wearisom0
stuff, already spoken and printed verbatim in
every school district almost in the country -
The powers Of Douglas, as public orator, are
limit, TO plain and monOtOnous repetition Of
one idea, and bovine power Of believing it to
the agest audience. He is destitute alike OF
variety, compass, humor, path0s end eloquence
/ He exhibits not a solitary CLEAN Of genius, moi
a ray Of wit, nor a spark Of imagination The
only element of elOquence he plfsesses il the
vor et preterea niha Of Virgil. OF the thou,
sands who turned out with such houndleas Gu
riosiiy to hear the famous Douglas, tho mAjori-
ty dtparled with equally bOundiess disappoint,
ment Beyond the immediate circle Of biz
acolytes and admirers, beyond the crowd
chiefly composed Of gentlemen Of Miesian ex.
traction, on the platform, there wis little inter
est and no enthusiasm. A few verdaLt peop.e
the extent of whose penetration appeared 4
hare left them in their bliseful delusion thai
| DoUgaa was an honest man, eheered fora while
each of his allusions TO p6pilaf soyefeiantv :