, 1862-01-25

Hr. HeHEHOTIQ. N1F. EFeE1Qant- WGS ubg
aware Of the programme Of this afternoon.
did not suppose there would be any remarks
made here, except, perhaps, By the mover OF
the resolutions; consequently, nothing was
further from my intention than addressing the
Convention on this occasion. Nor did con-
from the lips Of the gentleman from Shelby,
(afr; Thornton, namely: "The good that men
do. lives after them."
The remarks concerning the life and charac-
ter Of the distinguished statesman which hare
fallen from the lips Of honorable gentlemen at
question in American politics, which has now
gone to the court Of final resort. It may be
settled by battle, tomorrow, OF the next day,
or not for years. We are all anxious for its
settlement, upon the inmutable principles Of
justice. And there is no one that doubts such
settlement vii have to abide the fate of this
war. leave it with the war.
propose to speak Of other traits Of Judge
Douglass character than those that have been
enumerated. propose to enlarge upon the
them desire to apply that text to the age,
to the day, to the very hour, to the scenes By
which We are surrounded, in which We now
live, and to speak Of facts with which ne are
Judge Douglas died poor. He had filed al-
most every position in public life-aM hut one
to which he had aspircd; bat he died poor.
He had been 4 politician He was q partisan
himself amongst partisans and competitors
but never in the seycrest contest in his career
was charged by the most bitter Of his oppo-
nents that he had put his fingers too far into
the public treasury.
NeFer was he the richer for aug position
he ever held. A poor boy he came into your
Legislature; and g mere boy he went out OF
your Legslature-the richer for no charter
that passed it; for no scheme ofprlyate speeu-
lat1on Or plnnder. He went into Congress.
He sat N his seat there session after session,
while untold millions were passed upon but
whoever said, much less, whoever believed,
that one cent Of public money went wrongful
y into the hands Of Stephen A. Douglas?
and honest men, he died poor. How many
gentlemen are there now within the sound Of
my cho1ee, who have had business with Stephen
A Douglas, and where is the man that evcrs
dared to broach the proposition to him. that
with his success with this or that legislative
enactment, he might possibly be the richer?
And how few Of our public men in this cor
rupt age, can thus be spoken of
There is another evil of The times, with re-
speet to which, Judge Douglas shines Is CON
spicuoasly as be does II the matter before al
luded TO-. 1t is the fashion nova days when q
man attains public position, TO drag all hisrc-
atiyes into office after him. 1t is noted fact
in the history Of mankind that greatness don't
appertaln to whole fanlly; that when large
amount Of brain is concentrated in one
proportion, from the heads Of Others of the
same family. Judge Douglas, when elected
to Office, considered that Wien the people
voted for him, they did not vote for the whole
family Of Douglases, and their collaterals.
| Never did Stephen 4 Douglas in his life put
his relatives I know it is true he had reIatiyes
| in Office but they acquired those offices as he
| acquired his-upon their own intrinsic merits.
My first acquaintance with Judge Douglas
! Was during his campaign with John 7. Stuart.
Hc WIS then as poor as he WAS when he died.
| He had not the means of carrying on the
| campaign in manner to secure him proper
| degree Of personal comfort AL his success de-
pended OIL his talent. Well do remember
when parted with him in Chic ago, after he
ing On horseback. asked him what could
| plainly before the people.'' And when
! asked him what he considered the issue? He
| took pencil and wrote: Shalt oar Go"ern-
| nent be q Government Of Banks or II Govern
t on my ears to this hour, r,and ! hope never will,
while God gives me strength to put d vote in
/ the ballot boz for the old Jacksonian pfinci-
| pies.
He stood on that Issue, and no man did as
| much to implant the sub-treasury principle in
| the hearts Of the American people Us Stephen
| 4. Douglas.
The next time I saw Judge Douglas, lie
came to Chicago as ono OF our Supreme
| Judges, who then performed circuit dutics.
! He was ridicnled as the baby Judge" and
especially was lie ridieulcd for his presump-
tlon in daring to come to Chicago to hold
/ court where VIC had then, as now, some of the
| ahlest lawyers in the Enion. remember an
agreement which was made among his political
| friends: 1t WAS, that they would not disturb
| him during the evenings, so that he might have
iii opportunity to study the grave questions
| OF law which minht come before him for de-
termination. But I never found him with 4
| law book in his hand The fact is, no man
ever studied books as little He had IN intui-
tive sayacity, that grasped every legal question
| the bar. He knew what the authority ought
to be, and can safely say that, unpopular as
he was with the bar Tslac1, lie came to Chicago,
be went away the most popular Judge We evel
| had in that circuit.
Ne met again, and tint was in the Anlcri-
can Congress, to which my colleague {Mr,
Ficklin) las alluded. I shall never forget the
! lour-that great hour to mc-Whcn lie arose
Oh that floor and the speech concerning Jack
sons tine-tlat great effort, with reference to
which General Jackson afterwards took Iii;
hand and complinlcnted hiul, by saying, thai
lie hid ne,cr found his own full Justification
till be read It in the speech Of Judge Douglas
That speech made lin leader in the Houst
| Of Representatives.
And well do I remember the great eclebra
1 :
1914, in homer Of the passage Of the bill re
funding General Jackson's fine. It Vas tht
last time the United States democracy Q
America ever assembled in full glory on . fes
xTe occasion. think sec the stars tia
now shining before me. There wer,
silas Wright, Co. Benton, 1eyI Wood
ident King, Judge Wilkins, Senator Sc
yier, General Dodge, and, in fine, every one 0
that glorious old band of Democrats WHIT
adorned that day; but the most Of whom hive
with General Jackson, preceded Judge Doug
las to their final destination. On that occa
: sion, ever to be remembered, there was nj
, man more highly complinented by all prescn
than Judge Douglas for his efforts in the hall
of Congress. The EIjahs marked hun out a
: the Elisha upon whom the nlaut1c was 500
to fill. I knew Judge Douglas we'll at til
| time OF the passage Of the Illinois Centra
, | Railroad bill There was money at that tim
in that bill, but not for him or fur his emolu
mcnt. Illinois stocks had previously gon
4 down very low, and our State been almoE
i brought TO the verge Of Reputation. It ~
f understood that tie bill was to pass the ne,
t day. stir w:s made in the lobbies an
G among the hangers. on about Congress, Wit
i mary started to New York to speculate i
t stocks. Judge Douglas had the same oppo
: tunity through lnoneycd friends as Others, bl
J. it wa= his boast that he ucyer would make
i cent through HIS p0llilcal poSl{lon-
q Dou2las was naturally great man, as muc
4 so as any man that cyeradorned American Iii:
d tory. He w:s ambitious, but it was not 5
Z much as the ambition Of his friends iu his b.
5 half With them there was no man like Dou!
r las. With thcul there was 10 place tb,t oug1
d not to be filed by Douglas. With them th
), old proverb that there is time and place Il
II all thugs was entirely set aside With tbcl
d here was always the place for Douglas, and no
/, was always the time for Douglas. Many hay
i | asserted that hc would have been Presidcl
Il but for his own anxiety. In his own case,
u that of the gallant Clay, it was not his ore
:. anxiety, but that of his friends. Scarce ";
If one Presidential election decided before tht
,r began the contest in his name for the next
Mr.. President: make these remarks as dl
= from one5 who opposed Judge Douglas in Il
latter part Of Ills career, so far Is related to
le extension Of human slavery, but from one
It bis most ardent friends and admirers in :
J. those measures in which be walked in the foo
Il steps of the f.thcrs of our Constitution.
tc deed, he may be said to be the only man Tho
r. personally, over and aaoYe all others, eY
|c desired to see made President. never VII
C to become so strongly personally attached !
r any other man It Is dangerous to be so, f
Il We should always follow principles rath
Is than men. But when almost adored him
il agreed with him in principle. Our scparati0
n continued for seycra1 years, upon our disagree
nent touching the propriety ofthe extension
tie Ordnance Of 81, to all new territory. Bl
when he made his last speech in this Hall au
in the Wigwam at Chicago, I recognized hi
no longer IS 4 partizan, but as apatriot, hgh
ing for the same constitution, the same Il:
and the same country as myself After tho
speeches the last particle Of animosity IN Il