The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-04-21

TIE Lars " SupnKr A. Dorra ~ 40 81
mssef Of Stephen A. Dcdalas Ms nsittsa kIs ME
q Y too socn. II Il w1s meant merely Tor !
caopai&a dOe1ment Il should have bees hen(
eack TIL after thu Chaflcston Convention b
designed for pcEnanercy Il slsosld not have lbeen
written TIA after lis DEATH u vt least NOT until
shall appear what shall be the ripe fruit Of his
career He was born as Brandon, W, on the
xSd Of April, 1878, and II therefore ~ years old
his family y Of Scotch descent, and can perhaps
DC traced back 70 stho Douglas" himself, some
OF whoae defiant courage and recklessness he
seema to have inherited. Denied by the poverty
OF his parents the means Of literal education.
he nevertheless made energetic use or the udyan.
tagcs within his reach, and having studied lav
2 short time, went west in 1889, At the age OF
~, determined 70 create position for himself.
How we'll b succeeded, 10 shown by the fact
mat within two years he was elected by the Lee
E'siaturc Of Illinois, Attorney General Of that
state His upward march from this period was
rapid: and from service in the Lcrislature and "A
Judge of the Supreme Court Of Illinois, he was
elected TO Congress in lS43 and to the Senate in
iSi7, where ne is now filling his third term.
career like this demonstrates power of some
sort The title of little giant" stands for
something more than physical energy. M.
Douglas Is giant among politicians Whether
ne Is or will become great as . statcsn.an is q
question to be settled in the future. There is
one essential deficiency in his political character.
ne does not recognize the moral element in pol
tiles in the slightest degree, makes no account
q It; never appeals to conscience, and in effect
desp'ses and scouts its authority. Yet as a poll
tician he i successful, and no man carries the
masses with him 90 easily. In his own State and
at the West everywhere, his success on the stump
Is perfect. Yet his arts are those Of the den,a.
gogue and the sophist, and the fame and inilu-
ence built on such foundations must necessarily
De perishable. Yet with courage amounting
to audacity, win that marches scornfully over
every obstacle; and a magnetic power to inspire
and control men, his ambition may reach its
goal, in spite of the great moral deficiencies
which make him an unsafe leader, and which will
give him much lower place in history than he
will hold during the period of his vigor and nflu-
ence. 1t is precisely this lack Of the moral quail
ity that stands in the way of his highest aspira-
lions more than anything else Men do not trust
him. Nobody can be sure what he will do to-
morrow. II placed in the Presidential chair,
those who elect him win tremble for the result
They can never be sure Of him for any given pc
Rod OF time, and this, notwithstanding the tena-
city, amounting to doggedness, with which he
sticks to his own purposes
The book before US gives pretty full and ac-
curate sketch of Mr.. Douglass career, but it is
highly cOlored BY the admiration of the writer,
and. like the portrait which introduces his hero
to the reader, though faithful in outline, has not
a few touches of dattery. II Mr.. Douglas should
be nominated for the Presidency it will be an
excellent campaign document for his parity
Otherwise it will fall dead on the publishers
hands, and find its way to the trunk-makers-
Springfield Republican.