The age-herald., 1898-03-08

Lincon's being dangerous man was ab- surd He was frank to fault; but was none the less great because readily un- derstood As to antagonizing social sys- tem that is not so easily answered. Many ways of arriving at point appear upon examination. All at once 8 thing van iShes in the absence of any direct attack or even an intention to eliminate it. From it's formation up to the time of Lincoln's election the control of the Jefefsonian de- mocracy had been lodged in a social sys- tenn, which in the ordinary course of po- litical hostility would naturally receive its share of assault
 This theory, which comes straight from the plain truth of history, presents the idea of centralizing forces, that is every where in nature, quite as clearly as does the constitution. There Is really no escape from it. And the rashness of the dom- inant side of the democratic party was in not recognizing it. It had administered the law all it's life, but had never intimated, and probably did not suspect that in character it was precisely like that to which it objected and against which it finally revolted. It could dictate easier than it could submit. And when the south- ern division of the party was confronted with the alternative of yielding to a supe- rior power or defying it, it chose the latter course promptly, rightly believing its chances of success in direction grew less as the nation grew older. The time for ac- tion, if action there must be, was then. The future was not promising Clouds that were surcharged gathered in the north. The president might be powerless by req son of the opposition in congress then, but that was only a temporary relief to dem- ocratic interests. It was plain to every body who could understand the breadth of popular movement on a just principle that the majority which had borne Lincoln Into the presidential chair could control the government in all its departments. The democrats were then claiming for their measures the distinction of Conservatism, and when the election returns showed a republican house and president their hope, diminished to a minimum, was in con- servative senate. But that was only for the moment. The last session of the Thirty sixth congress was then assembled. It was in December, 1860. In four months a new congress would meet. Its complex ion of course, was already known so far as legislative elections could determine. The states in which the changes affected the democrats adversely were Tennessee, where Alfred P. Nicholson retired and Andrew Johnson was made military gov ernor; Kentucky, where Breckenridge was expelled and succeeded by Garrett Davis, who was elected as a whig; Missouri, where John B. Henderson was appointed in place of Trusten Polk, who was expelled, the other expulsion affecting this state, that of Waldo P. Johnson, resulting in the democratic succession of Ribert Wilson. In Ilinoils there was no change brought about by the death of Douglas, democrat suc- ceeding him. In nine other states in which senatorial changes occurred includ- ing New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, the party representation remained as in the last congress This is something of the disheartening condition that confronted Senator Clingman and his associates who had been told by their political ancestry