The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-07-04
MISCELLANEOUS.
SIX ETCH OF STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS

MISCELLANEOUS.
SKETCH OF STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS.
| STEPHEN A. DouGLAs, the Democratic
nominee for the Presidency, was born at
Brandon, Rutland county, Vermont, April
Odd, 1913, and is consequently now forty
seven years of age. His father, native of
the State of New York, was physician of
considerable eminence, and died suddenly
of appoplrxy when his son Stephen was
but little more than two months DID,
The widow, with her infant, and daughter
only eighteen months older, retired to a
farm which she had inherited conformity
with an unmarried brother.
At the age Of fifteen, her son Stephen,
who had received good common school
education, desired to prepare for college
but his family proving unable to bear the
requisite expense, he left the farm, deter
mined to earn his own living, and engaged
himself as an apprentice to the trade of
cabinet making, a. which he worked a year
and half, partly at Middlebury and partly
at Brandon, where his health become so
impaired by the severity of the labor that
he abandoned the occupation altogether -
He has often since said, that the happiest
days Of his life were spent in the workshop.
He now entered the Academy at Brandon
as student and remained there year.
His mother about this time was married to
a Mr.. Granger, Of Ontario county, n. Y,
to whose son her daughter had been pre-
violsly married Young Douglas removed
with his mother to Canandaigua, and en-
tered as student the Academy at that
place, in which he continued till 1888. lie
! studied law in the Office Of Messrs. Hub
bell, at the same time that he pursued his
academical course, having finally adopted
that as his profession.
In the spring of 1888, he went to the
west in search of an eligible place in which
to establish himself as a lawyer. At
Cleveland he was detained the whole sum
mer by illness, after his recovery from
which he went to Cincinnati, Louisville,
st. Louis and jacksonville, Ill. At Jack
sonville, he found his funds reduced TO
71-2 cents, and accordingly walked to
| Winchester, little town l6 miles distant,
where he hoped to get employment as a
school teacher. He found there a large
crowd assembled to attend the auction sale
of the stock of deceased trader.
The auctioneer was without a clerk to
keep the account of the sale, and perceiv.
ing that Mr. Douglas, who stood among
the spectators, looked like man who
could write and keep accounts, requested
him to serve in that capacity. Mr.. Doug
three days of the sale, receiving for his
services six dollars. With this capital in
hand, he promptly opened school, and
obtained 40 scholars, whom he taught for
three months at So quarter, devoting
his evenings to the study of some law
books which he had borrowed in Jackson.
vile. and on Saturday afternoons practising
in petty cases before the Justice of the Peace
of the town.
In March, 1884, he opened an office and
began practice in the higher courts, for
which, after examination, he had obtained
license from the Judges of the Supreme
Court. lie was remarkably successful at
the bar, as may be inferred from the fact
that within year from his admission, while
mot yet twenty-five years of age, he was
elected by the legislature Attorney General
of the State. This office he resigned in
December 1885, in consequence Of having
been elected to the legislature by the De,
mocracy of Morgan county. He took his
seat in the House Of Representatives, the
youngest member in that body. In 1887
he was appointed by President Van Buren,
Register Of the land office at Springfield
Illinois, post which he resigned in 1889
In Nov. 1887, Mr.. Douglas resolved the De-
mocratlc nomination Cor Congress, although
he was under twenty five years of age, and
consequently ineligible. lie however, at
. fain ha l,x, n,
election, which was on the first Monday in
Augut, 1888. His Congressional distric,
was then the most populous one in the
1 United States, and the canvass was con,
duct,d with extraordinary zeal and energy
4 Upward Of $4,000 votes were cast and the
Wing candidate was declared to be elected
by majority of five only \ number o!
ballots sufficient to have changed the re,
suit, were rejected by the canvassers be,
cause the name of Douglas was incorrectly
spell d.
After this defeat which under the cir
cumstanccs, was claimed by his friends a
victory, Mr. Douglas devoted himself exclu.
sively to his profession until 1910, when he
entered into the famous presidential cam.
paign of that year with so much ardor that
he traverscd the state in all directions for
seven months, and addressed more than
$50 political gatherings.
70 his eXertions was ascribed the adher-
ence of Illinois at that election to the De-
mocratic party. In December, 1910, Mr.
Douglas was appointed Secretary of State
for Illinois. In February, 1871 he was
elected by the legislature Judge of the
Supreme Court of the State which office he
resigned in lS43 to accept the Democratic
nomination for Congress, which was urged
upon him against his known wishes, on the
ground that he was the only Democrat that
could be elected. After a spirited canvass,
Mr.. Douglas was chosen by upward Of 400
majority. He was reelected, in 1914, by
a majority of 1900, and again in 1916 by
nearly 5000 majority. He did, not, how
ever take his seat under the last election,
having in the meantime been chosen to the
Senate of the United States, for six years
from the 4th of March, 1857.
In the House Of Representatives Mr..
Douglas was prominent among those who
in the Oregon controversy with Great Bri-
tain, maintained that our title to the whole
of Oregon up to latitude "a degrees, 40
minutes, was "clear and unquestionable." q"
lie declared that she never would, now or
hereafter, yield up one inch of Oregon, Ell
ther to Great Britain or any other govern
ment." He advocated the policy of giving