, 1877-08-26
A SCRAP OF HISTORY.
Was Stephen A. Douglas Mobbed
in Chicago?
Some Points Of Political and Per
sonal history.
The Hon. William Bross' Recollections
Of the North Market Meeting.
70 the Editor Of The Tribune.

Of the North Market Meeting.
10 the Editor Of The Tribune.
CHICAGO, Aug. o5-In the Chicago Times Of
Sunday, Aug. 10, is IN article on By-Gone
Days,'' protesting to give history Of what it is
pleased to call mob On the evening OF the LIST
OF September, 1854, got up to prevent Senator
Douglas from vind;cating his course in securing
the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise in the
Congress OF 1854. Though. I. figure as d
leader Of that pretended mob, should pay no
attention to the article we're it not to defend
my fellow-citizcns of that day against the IN
Justice that newspaper ,viliticrs hare ut times
ever since cast upon them. Whatever my con-
duct. OF influence NAV have been III my resi-
dcncc Of nearly thirty years in Chicago, I have
in two cases at least done all could to prevent
u mob. Ono was when Gen. Burnside ordered
the Times to be seized and Its publication stop
red for its false, vindictIvc and reasonable
diutribes against the armies OF the Union, June
8, 1868. I heard then threats Of hanging Mr..
Story to 1amp-post from men not accustomed
to act from mere impulse, and did what I
could
TO CALM THE RAGING ELEMENTS
Of passion and let tho old rcprobatc liyc.
Though by his latterlng the South With the
hope that they had i powerful party In .tnc
North, and in the end could win, thereby pro-
longing the War aud costing them thousands OF
lives, and OF course destroying for the same
reason tens Of thousands of Union men to put
down the Rebellion. he proved himself the re
morsclcss enemy Of his race, believed 1t best
on the whole to let him and his paper live. For
thts-it may be that those who come after us
. will bitterly condemn me and the others With
whom Iacted-Mr. Storey has never forgiven me,
and be Will doubtless pursue me With oil the
riu:culc and ylllatnous epithcts that his maugnl-
ty can command so long as LIE lasts
Now, as to the so-called mob and my relations
With =
TIE LATE SENATOR DOUGLAS.
When Mr.. Scripps and established the Denao-
cratic Press, issuing the first number Sept TO,
1851, It was generally supposed that judge
Douglas had either loaned us money or had an
interest in tine concern. Neither was true. but
both our principles, and as We thought our m
OF the Democratic purity. John Nentworth's
Democrat affected strong Abolition tendencies
and VIC we're therefore right, certainly as Dusl-
ness venture, in the course We adopted. as
far as a thoroughly indepenucnt journal
properly could do so, VIC favored the policy and
the measures OF Judge Douglas, quoting his
spceches and keeping Ills name prominently be-
lorc tue people. In the session OF 1851 nc
brought in bill for the repeal Of the Missouri
Compromise. We then thought 1t the mistake
Of his lie, and still believe that SO history
will record it. His speech Oh the bill conynce1
Ms that the Democratic Press and Senator Doug
las must part company, and, after considering
the matter for q week OF TWO.
Mr. SCRIPTS WROTE 4 scoRCAISG ART1oLR
cordcmnine the repeal, quoting Judge Douglas
In lS4S against the Senator III 1854. The article
created great sensation, and, coming from
paper that had been bis strong supporter, prob
ably did him more harm than all the denuncta-
lions OF the opposition. Asa Fenson 1or myNslng
the personal pronoun frequently in what fol-
lows, it should be stated thar the canvass became
very active and cxactlug, and, US a consequence,
the heaith Of Ar. SCripps, never strong man,
gave way in the latter part OF July or early III
August, aud be did not write q line for the pa
per- aud was scarcely ever at the office till some
weeks after the election in November. Ut
course had the entire charge Of the paper;
In the summer of 1854 the Is KNOWN Notllingn
country, and it was pitted against Judge Doug
las aud other leading Democratic politicians, Us
deriving their strength and support largely from
Our foreign-born population. The hno"-Noth-
ings were. coulposcd mainly OF thc Te1g oest
portions OF our Amcrlcan-born people, and were
not the nen to take the law into their own
hands unless to defend themselves from the at
taeks of the rabblc. Mr.. Scrlpps and myself
were not knuw-Nothirgs. During the esrly
weeks of MI. Srripps' sickness. wrote two or
three articles, wll1cns without attacking them by
name, showed the faiacy OF their principles aud
really took the foundation stones ont Of their
entire structure.
QUE FRIENDS IN TIE ORDER
said to nc, You are now on the record, this
thing We know cannot last; but you will find 1t
to your interest to let it grow and die in its own
gouil time; aud we did so. They told US al1 that
it was necessary for us to know III regard to their
movements, and, as Mr.. Douglas meeting ap-
preached, thcy assured us there would be 10
mob. tn the meantime the Democratic Press
used all the inllucncc it could command to pre-
vcut one. On tho morning Of the meeting We
said:
b. some means or other the impression has been
created abroad that indignity would be offered
to Judge DonEias in the event OF his ATTEMPTING 10
spcaE Gcre. nc have branded the prediction as
s1aadcs upon the good name Of or citizens z. and
by their conduct tonight. Any attempt to inter:
rupt the prescribed coucsc Of the Meeting would
as We las as leave ieave an inaeibe Sigma upon CITY
which many long years could not eradicate.
1ia1or alillken, who presided at the meeting,
it was published on Monday, Sept. 4,--satd to
us :. that tie efforts VIC had made to allay e1-
citcu1cnt, to preserve the peace Of the city, and
to save its reputation from the disgrace OF mob
ocracy, met his unqualified appreciation, and
that Of all the papers OF the city no one was SO
deserving Of tlc appreciation OF the laW-and-
When Senator Douglas came home, some
time in August, his few faithful friends rallied
around hin, and, after much caucusing, the
time for '~
Ills GREAT SPEECH
Was fixed for the evening Of the lst Of 'scptenl-
ber. at the North Market Hall. Three Or four
days before the meeting called upon him at
the fremont House, and requested him to write
out copy of his speech for 1nc, and I wo1.1u
publish il in full. Though the Press bud
pcrsistcntly opposed, aad perhaps denounced
him bitterly at times, he received me with great
courtesy and poliLeness,-be was too good a
politician, and too thoroughly gentleman to
do othcrwsc.-tllanlicd nle f1r MY offer. but
said he pcrcr wrote out his speeches before de-
livery. lie let the reporters write them out,
and then corrected tllcm where necessary.
On TUESDAY morning before the meeting
published statement Of the programme Of the
Uculot=ury. and told our liberty-loyinE citizens
how to prevent its accomplishment. 1t was de-
tcru1incd By the Democracy to fill North Market
hall at an carly hour with the rabb'c, thus pre-
venting othcr people from gaining admittancc,
pass resolutions strongly yin0orsing the repeal Of
the Missouri Compromise aud Senator Douglas,
aud have that 60 out Us the opinioi OF the poo
p1c Of Chicago. The substantial and ordcr-lov-
ing people were urged to turn out carly, and
thus -
DEFEAT. TIE SCHEMES OF THE POLITICAL
TRiCKSTENs.
H. T,oro3oe, friends -onyirfr f}aE ff1}s nt1-