The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-06-15
THE DOUGLAS FUND.

Homestead for the Senator's Family.
To the People of the United States, and more par.
ticularly 10 the people of Illinois -
STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS is dead He has fallen
at the meridian of life. For twenty-five years
he has served the public honorably and without
personal profit. For nearly twenty years he de-
voted his time, his abilities and his labors to his
State and his Country. He served both State and
Country from love of both, and not from a
hope OF pecuniary profit. For the last four years
he gave up his time and all other interests to his
country, and, to the utter exclusion Of all bust
ness pursuits, devoted everything and, at last,
his life, to the salvation of the Republic, the in.
tegrity of the Union, and the maintenance of the
Constitution. In the contest for these sacred
| and patriotic objects he has fallen in the very
prime of life; bnt not until he had rendered in
calculable benefits to the American people.
Fellow.countrymen When thus laboring for
your interests and the interests of your pos
terity, his own means were lost. He died
not only poor, but has left to bis wife and
children a legacy Of debt. The only unen-
numbered piece of land-a small tract, less than
three acres-of which he was ever possessed, was
when he died, the property of his widow. At
the reques: of the people of Illinois, coming up
to her even in the hour of her sorrow, she sur
rendered his remains TO the State, and with them
gave that piece OF land for his interment, asking
of the people only that she might be allowed to
reside near the grave in which he reposes. She
has thus given to the people of Illinois all that
was left of Douglas. This lot in which now rest
his ashes, Is in the centre ofthat beautiful grave
known as his long chosen and favorite home.
The surrounding portion of the tract is covered
with mortgages. His children, his widow, and
his countrymen, to approach his grave, must do
so by permission of the sheriff. his creditors,
and strangers. Will the nation he has served
forget Douglas in the tomb? Will the American
people, whom he has served 80 long and so faith
fully, suffer his widow and his orphans to be turn
ed from the home he loved, the soil he defended
to seek elsewhere, and from strangers, shelter
and support? Shall they be shut out from the
sight of his tomb, and denied the melancholy
satisfaction of being near his grave? Shall the
wife and children of Douglas go forth homeless,
houseless wanderers from the State of Illinois:
We propose to the American people and par
tcularly to the people OF Illinois, to raise by vol
untary contribution, a fund, to be administered
by William A. Richardson, William B. Ogden,
John T. Stuart, Zadee Casey, David Davis, Thorn
as Drummond, and John d. Catan, for the re-
demption of so much of his property as will fur
nish his widow with suitable home at Cottage
Grove; or, if such selection should by such Trus-
tees, hereafter be deemed inadyisable, to the
purchase of a suitable home for them in the State
of illinois and also, to be invested for the sup
port of the widow, and the education of the
children of STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS.
The Hon. John d. Cation, Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Illinois, will act as receiver of
this Fund.- to whom all subscriptions, from states,
counties, corporations, societies, committees and
individuals will be RENTED. His address is at
Ottawa, Illinois.
The Hon. Thomas Drummond, Judge of the
United States Court for the northern district of
Illinois, will act as Treasurer.
We commend the proposition, fellow country
men, to your earnest and immediate considera-