The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-10-08

fate OF Webster and score Of lesser
men before him, lilo would be rrpudlnted
BY one side and abandoned az no longer
useful By the other. The south grew
daily mOV threatening, and the north
moro sensitive, 10 the man who would
bridge this chasnl. aud fool the north ~
II had been so often hoodwinked before,
and satisfy the alert and clcar-purpOscd
south, the presidency was certain. Ste
phen n, DouBlne, a statesman or infinite
resources, courage and ambition, under
took the task. The north might be ca
juled by promise and III apparently fair
PROSPECT for freednm.-thc south cared
nothing for phrases or plcndlngS. so long
a. ltS objects were secured, This skill
ful necr0manccr sought by un artful
juggle or words to satisfy both Sidee. lie
adrOltly put thu AbOltlOnlsts OF the
north ana the ilrr-catCrE OF che south In
the category Of dlSunnnlsla md then
BID for that conservative support which
always controls great crises. I'VE have
on,Efown ihc line Of $500 he cried.
The expansion nnd llmtlcSs possblli.
tles OF Our country have made this limit
obsolete, The government OF the states
which will come into the union from the
new territory and the continental Cn-
recr which Is our destiny, must be settled
Let the people OF all srCtl0uS 20 Rs they
list with their property. whethcr chat
tells or slaves lntI the territories. md
when the period OF statehood arrives
they can decide by ballot whether they
VIII recognize or exclude slavery or they
may determine the question IN the terri
tOrlal legislatures. This leaves the mat
ter With tic people. and recognizes the
very baslA OF popular government" I'm
der the name Of SQuAtt"r sovereignty
this remedy captlvGtsd III" public mind,
and Douglas became the central figure
In American politics.
The slave power entrenched In the
whi;" house and the SENATE. the house OF
representatives and the courts. conirOll-
Ing the machinery OF the Democratic
and largely az the WhIg parties, and re-
peRtedly and recently sustained in the
elections, felt confident that rXtram"
MEASURES for securing Kansas could be
safely pushed. With the whole strength
OF the administration behind the con-
splraiOrs. the IAcOmptOn constitution
fastening slavery on the new state was
frlGGul.ntly adopted against the pro-
test, clearly and enIphatlcally e1 pressed.
OF fOur.titthS OF the voters and sent to
Congress Tor approval. Douglas, alone,
OF the Democratic leaders, felt The force
ut the rising tide NJ popular Indignation
and awakening conscience. against
the threats and opposition ~ the PrCsi
dent and the southern senators. lie OPP
posed the endorsement OF the LccOmp-
ton constitution. broke from his party
organization. and demanded that under
every safeguard FOR 4 fair election. the
constitution should he submitted To the
peopl" Of Kansas. He stood boldly for
the principle uf sQuatter sovereignty and
rallied Ia. masses nc the Democratic
party or the north.
The DRIED scott Decision.
Will" Douglas had satisfied the north
with the doctrine that the verdict OF the
people upon their state government
should prevail, he had appcas-d the
routh wiki the understanding that the
whole question was subject to the decl|
ion OF the courts. Tile pro- slavery lead
rrS who never took a step In the dark.
knew that 4 decision In an unnOticed
case before the supreme court would be
decided In their favor. Douglas was
hailed by the northern wing OF his party
aS lts savior. and rode triumphantiy ns
the Little Giant upon the wave Or
popular approval. when the bred Scott
decision demolished his beautiful fabric
OF SqUatter sovereignty and Il less re-
s0urc-ful or weaker man would have
been buried In It's ruins. Ord Scott,
slave. had been carried by his master
into the free state OF Illinois, and also
into the territory where slavery was pr'a
hibteI by the ordinance Of 1881 The
master was FOR years resident OF these
places. bred Scott married there and
had TWO daughters. Moving subsequent
~ Into Missouri. himself and family
psa IN Ns.l a h.
master took his slave Into r free state
voluntarily and made that his rrsdenCe
the slave became FREE. by operation Of
law, and. demanded the Teleas. OF him
self and family. The English courts
from ManSileld's time had so decided.
and such hud been the uniform course OF
American decisions. with the mOditiCa-
tIon that the owner had the right Of
transit through free state TO another
slave state. The case had been FOR sew
er1l years in the courts without Mt
tracing amy attention. With ten thnu-
sand free and two thousand slave state
voters and the demand for fair cleo
ton on this question becoming TOO FOR
midnhle to br resisted. Kansas seemed
speedily destined 10 join the Union FREE.
and the Little Giant" TO be- the hero OF
the hour. Suddenly III" country was
amazed and shocked by the opinion Of
Chief Justice fancy. C0ncIlrr-d In by
the four justices from thu slave states,
Not only We're all previous decisions re-
vcrsed ard bred Scott, his wife. and
daughters. condemned tn slavery, but
the court decided that the property NJ
slaves was recognized by The C0nsIltu-
ton, that neither Congress, nor III" poo
pl. of the territories had the p6w"r to
prohib: Il. that tn" negro was excepted
# nh.
was property IA sacred aS any other
form OF legal possession. and had no
rights which a white man was bound 10
respect
Such were the conditions when Doug
las entered the lists FOR reelection to the
senate from Illinois.
Characteristic. ofthr Debate.
Lincoln had humor xand pathcs and
Douglas protested neither LrColn's
faculty OF being at once at home with
dis audience III the ra7y familiarity
which makes chem both friendly and re-
c"ptivc was tn" genius Of popular ora
tory. But with these elements he had II
sIngularly lUcid power OF statement and
was master Of logic. 'nlikn Douglas,
h" was weak unless he knew he was
right. His whole nature must be stirred
with the justice Of hls Cau7e Tor him 10
rise above the commonplace. But one"
convinced tiIat he was battling for right
and truth AMI h. was Irresistible. lie
became logical, "pigramnlntiG and "l0-
Vucnt. Convincing AZ was his speech
10 these who listened Il was NOR pow
crful when read In cold type,
Douglas was born in Vermont lie
had all the advantages Of IT. splendid
school system. and improved them by
an academic education. His boyhO0d
nnl youth were nuriurcd and taught by
precppt ana example IN n New England