Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-03-20
THE LITTLE GIANT.
"Reminiscences of stephen A. Douglas.
He New or owned Slaves.

A emtntseences OF stephen "A. douglas.
He Neve or owned Slaves.
A New York paper recently pub
lished letter, purpoltlng to come
from New Orleans, describing plan
tation in Mississippi which belonged
to Stephen A. Douglas, and showing
that he was a hard master. The
writer said: mo one knew how the
slaves came into the possession of
Douglas, but 'reckoned' he bought
them bout forty years ago. ,"
This Is unjust towards the short
thick-set man, with florid, clean
shaved countenance and nervous
manner, which, while he lived, made
him attractive to friend and foe, and
gained for him the sobriquet of
"The Little Giant" Stephen A.
Douglas never owned negro in his
| life. When he first came to congress
he fell in love with lady from
| North Carolina, who had come to
! Washington on visit daughter OF
Col Martin, a rich planter. Douglas
| followed her to North Carolina,
where he wooed and won her. They
had two sons, and lived very happily
together until she died. think, al
though am not certain, that her
father had died previously, beguea-
thing to her the income of a planta-
ton which he owned in Lawrence
county, Mississippi, on which there
were upwards of hundred slaves,
and after her death the plantation
and slaves were to be the property of
her children In this way, Judge
| Douglas as the guardian of his minor
children, had the nominal care of the
Mississippi plantation. 1t was entire
| ly managed, however. by a Mr..
| Strickland, who used TO send accounts
of the comforts provided for the
slaves which consumed nearly all of
the receipts for the crops.
When the war broke out there was
large crop of cotton on hand which,
with more that was raised during the
war, fell into the possession of the
federal troops, and for which the two
sons of Judge Douglas received re
Enumeration. They are now living
one in Chicago, and the other in
4 North Carolina, and bear a striking
resemblance to their father. Just be-
fore the war, when Judge Douglas
was troubled by the presidential mag
got, he married a Washington belle,
Miss Ada Cults descended from the
New Hampshire Cutts), who was adj
mirably qualified by beauty, grace,
and department to advance his polit-
ical interests. She had no children,
and after his death she was marsed a
second time to Col. Williams, of the
adiutant generals department of the
army, with whom she had lived very
happily.
Judge Douglas was a man of great
ability. His mind was capable Of
grasping anal yzing, and calculating
the most abstract and difficult subjects,
either in the science of law or that of
government To these qualities was
added a courageous vigor, manly
boldness which characterized all his
efforts, and which enabled him to
stand up against the slave holders
power He expected to have been
nominated for president in 1852, and
and again in 1856, when the combined
courtasies of Franklin Pierce and
Jefferson Davis secured his sup
port for the administration of the
, former. But after Buchanan
administration a breach ensued.
II beg yos to remember" said Blu
chanan to Douglas, when their diff
culties commenced, ''the fate of
Talmadge and Rives, who undertook
to oppose the lead of the party to
, which they belonged" 'Mr. Presi-
) dent, exclaimed Douglas, defiantly,
II beg you remember that Gen. Jack
son is dead From that day he had
to fight the administration on the one
side and the republicans of Illinois,
headed by Lincoln on the other. In
= 1860 he would have been satisfied
with the Charleston platform and
Guthrie, of Kentucky, as a com
promise candidate 1t was the fear
of this that made the disunionists put
Breckenridge into the fight, against
his wishes aud his will, but he could
: not shake off his political entangle-
= ments. When hostilitios were de
: clared, he found his efforts to save
z the union washed out in blood. Had
5 his wife been spared, he would un-
doubtedly have stood by his old an
: tagonist, President Blncoln, as a de
/ fender of the union. He died when a
5 young man, disappointed and broken
hearted, but no publ man at Wash.
; ington-no, not one-has left behind
: him more devoted friends than Step
hen A. Douglas, and it is an insult to
his memory to accuse him OF having
, stood up against the slave, holders
powder while having owned slaves.