Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-06-07


las in hi. manly years doc. no, seem to bav"
marked Lis boyhcod. and his health .ailcd.
when. according to a strange New England
custom. he lett hi. workshop aud wen, to
the academy. Aftcr studying 4 year. he
removed with hi, mother. Who had married
. second time, To Ontario county. New
York, where he continued HE s,udis., and
subsequently, entered law oeic-. In 1883
he jpined the tide Of Western emigration. IN
pursu', Of an opening" No place exact.
ly satisfied him, bu, as hs funds vent down
70 thirty seven aud half eenu At Jackson.
vile. Illinois. be made virtue Of necc.-i.
~. halted, and soon opened school in tina,
vicinity, .,Oniinuins hrs Law studio. at the
SAN. time. In 1884, though lacking few
~eet. Of being ,wen,y.ons years old. Mr..
Dou,lA. va. admitted 20 the bar. Thence
forward his progress was rapid, and mus.
be RAPIDLY s'e,ehed.
Iti.s .gfeieut indication, IL not OF b..
s,ainmen,., certainly Of the impression
which he bad male upon the people OF Ill.
NOS. that within year FROM his admission
TO the bar. while not yet twenty-five year.
old. and no, over eighteen mouths resident
Of the State. the legislature elected him
Attorney General Of Illinois. In 1885. he
resigned b.. otbcc. having been chosen TO
the Leeisl.,ure. In 1887 be was appointed
Register Of the Land Othcs at Springfield.
by Prr.idep, Van Barren, aud held the Othce
two year,. In 1855 he Was the Democratic
candidate for Congress. and Loot the election
by Eve votes. In 1870 he began tina, 'y..
ten OF extended stumring. Of which he was
ouch master. and To which, there 10 reason
20 believe, he was virtually . martyr. In
December OF the sane year he VAS appoint
ed Secretary OF State Of Illinois; and IN
the February following, when bu, twenty.
eight year, old. he was chosen ~ the LeIl''
la,ure Judge OF the Supreme cOurt-thu'
receiving title which popuIarly eluns TO
him through life. IL lsi3 he resigned his
sea, on the Bench. tn become a candidate
tor Congress. lie was eho-en by 400 ma
jJrity va. re elected in 1874 by 1900 ina.
jority. and in 1916 by nearly 5000 maJori,y.
Befor. taking his sea, under the ia.t cleo
ton. he was chosen member Of the United
State. SENATE ior SIX years from March 1,
iSi7; to which position he was reelected
in i,j3, and again. after the memorable
canvass, in 1889. This i. mere outline Of
Mr. Douglas, ohsial career.
To adequately GIL i, up, and to Intervene
with !, 'he appropriate personal details.
would lar .urpass the limit. at our com.
mand. In one sense Il IL no, obligatory.
for no public man Of late year. ha, lived
more constantly aud con.picuou'ly before
the American people than Mr.. Douglas.
There was nothing taci,urn or reserved
abou, him. and he was ever 80 much in the
very focus Of observation tha, he might al.
most b. called =" the man without n shad.
ow." lie was also In the thick Of the fight,
IL any Was going forward in the political
arena. No issue Of Importance has arisen
during the las, dozen years. upon which
Sir. Douglas did no, take a prominent and
most influential position. Ga the Oregon
question. the annexation OF Texas. the CON-
promise Of 1850. the Kansas.Sebraska bill.
the Lccompton Constitution, the naiurali.
IatIon question and popular sovereignty.
his efforts are well known. and form q re-.
spectacle par, Of the political liters turo OF
the decade which is at this moment having
. termination Of historical import. i. 10
now tor early to gauge the value OF Mr..
Douglas political career. When the fires
OF civil war shall have separated The era IN
which he moved from the better which We
trus, ism store for W. and shall have burnt
out With them the evils, the follies and the
prejudiees OF this period, u moro correct es-
innate Of Mr.. Douglas than We can now at
tain to will generally prevail. We can only
hazard the speculation that while denying
to Mr. Douglas the attributes Of a great
statesman. and ranking him but the chief Of
politicians, the verdict Of history will be
that bis main distinction lay In the mighty,
bu, probably unconscious part which he
played in bringing the politics OF his day to
an even,ful crisis. lie Was the strong man
whose aail beat the chat from the wheat.
Without him the repeal Of the Missouri
Compounds could not have been accom-.
pIished. Without, him the Democratic
party could not have been broken a'ondsr.
Whoever considers fully these two facts.
will zee that Mr.. Douglas compressed, BY
has powerful energies, the ordinary poli'i.
cal progress Of squarter Of . century. At
least. into Eve years. The historian, also,
W believe. will recognise . growing pat.
riotism and msnlinss in Mr.. Douglss' @.