The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-16
ARTICLE XII.
Douglas, the "Little Giant of De-

One day in 1884 mass meeting was be-
ing held in Jacksonville, Ill, to consider
the adyisability of indorsing the acts of
PRESIDENT Jackson. who had caused the
government deposits to be withdrawn
from the United States bank A young
lawyer, only twenty-one years old. had
peen called upon to present series of
resolutions sustaining the president. AS
soon as he had done this Josiah Lambert
prominent lawyer afterward attorney
general OF the state. made bitter speech
IN opposition to the resolutions in the
course of which he took occasion to abuse
the young man who had presented the
resolutions. and fatty to contradict him
in statement of fact. Then the boy,
for he was such in both years and an
pearance, rose to reply He first called
on some well known Wings to give testi-
mony on the question of fact. and all
were compelled to certify that his state
ment of the case had been correct. Ihen
he proceeded to speak on the question at
isSue-and he spoke for an hour. so eff
fectlvely, so eloquently and so concluS-
lively that Lambert was constrained to
flee in dismay, while the crowd went wild
with enthusiasm. At the close of the sad-
dress his admirers passed the resolutions
almost unanimously, and then selling the
young orator they bore him in triumph
on their shoulders out of the court house
and around the public SQUARE cheering
him and calling him the Little Giant"
So originated the title by which he was
known for the rest of his life and so be-
gan the public political career which
made Stephen A. Douglas the leader of
the Democratic party not only Of Illinois,
but in the nation itself And what at the
time doubtless seemed more important,
that one speech charged Morgan county
from a Wing to a Democratic county and
Kept it Democratic until several wears
later. when Douglas removed to another
county. Such political and oratorlcal
triumph for such a stripling is almost
unparalleled in lie history of American
politics.
Douglas was the son of a physician in
Brandon, VT. He was educated at the
academy Of his native town and at the
then famous academy Of Canandaigua,
N. Y. So earnest a student was he that
during his three years at Canandalgua he
not only mastered the classical studies of
that institution, but in addition COM
pleted nearly the entire course of the
best universities, and also pursued a
course in law so successfully that he was
nearly prepared for admission to the bar
Then the young man, anticipating the IA
nous advice of Horace Greeley, went
West" and made his way to Jackson
vile. Before he was quite of voting age
he had been admitted to practice law IN
the state of Illinois, and within few
months had SO won the confidence of his
party leaders that he was asked to pre-
sent the resolutions at the mass meeting
referred to above. How he acquitted
himself on that occasion we have seen.
Within ten years from that day he had
ben states attorney, member of the leg
islature, registrar of the land office, sec
rotary Of state, judge of the supreme
court and member of congress, to which
Office he was elected in 1843. He was then
thirty years of age, rather short of STAT
ure, with a high forehead, raven hair,
afabIc manners and the courage Of his
convictions. From that time until his
death, in 1861, he was constantly mem
Der of either the lower house of congress
or the senate, and almost from the outset
he held leading position.
When Mr. Douglas was serving as
judge Of the supreme court 1t was his for
tune to save the life of the famous Joe
Smith, the Mormon apostle The Nor
mons were then living at Nauvoo, Ill., |
and Smith was arrested on some criminal |
charge, and brought before Judge Doug |
las for trial A mob of 400 men rushed |
into the court room to lynch the accused
and hang him on a gallows that they had
been thoughtful enough to erect in the
square outside The sheriff declared him
self unable to protect the prisoner. On
this Douglas stood UP and, speaking by
name to a big Kentucdan in front of the
approaching mob, said: ST appoint you
sheriff of this court. Select what depu- |
ties you choose, and clear this court
ROOM The gigantic fellow, fiattered by |
the recognition, obeyed orders Knocking
down three or four OF the leaders, and |
calling on some of his acquaintance for
assistance to help throw the others out
of the windows and ordering still others
to get out, he soon had the room cleared. |
Douglae had no legal right to appoint his
impromptu sheriff, but his nerve" had
saved Joe Smiths neck from the halter,
a favor which neither Smith nor the Nor
mons ever. forgot, and for which they af-
terward did Douglas more than one
service in their turn.
During the years when Mr.. Douglas |
was member of the national legisla-
tlIre many stirring questions came before |
that body for action ON all party meas
Tres he was strenuous Democrat.
Among the measures considered during |
those years might be named the anneXa-
ton of Texas, the Mexican war the ore,
gcn boundary and the compromise bill |
of 1850. Of the annexation of Texas he
was an ardent supporter. 1t Will be re-
membered that previous to TINS time
Texas had gained its independence from
Mexico. In 1874 President Tyler sub
mitted treaty for the annexation Of
the state, but this treaty was not &C
This vote, however, did not settle the
question. The Southerners and many In
the North were determined to add that
vast territory to our own. Nor was this
determination based simply on the de-
sire to increase the size of the field that
might be opened to slavery. Foreign ma
lions were seeking commercial privileges
In the new state. Calhoun and Douglas
claimed that England was aiming to &C
quire Texas as an English colony. Mex
leo was strenuously attempting to alien
ate the Lone Star" from the United |
States and holding out special faYors |
il only it would remain Independent. |
Would 1T not be far wiser to annex Tex |
as, especially since Texas wished such |
union than to have a rival nation on |
our borderS-a rival nation. too, that |
might and probably would seek aiHance |
with European powers thereby becom- |
ing perpetual menace to our peace and |
safety? These were some of the argu- |
ments used by Douglas and his party |
friends, and, as they could command |
votes as well as arguments, the measure |
was passed when 1t was brought up |
again and Tyler signed the bill on |
March 8. 1885, the very last day of his |
term.
But with the admission Of Texas there |
sprung up at once the question Of TERRI |
tory. Mexico had never formally recog-
nized the independence of the rebehious |
state and assuming that independence, |
the two states did not agree on the |
that her territory extended to the Rio |
Grande This claim Mexico would not
concede but insisted that her territory |
included all that district lying between |
the Rio Grande and the Nueees. Mex |
leo was a weak nation and therefore |
Mexico was wrong. It is not difficult to |
understand how the advocates of annexa-
ton satisfied their Judgment, but 1t IS |
not so easy to perceive how the proHot-
ers of the Mexican war Justified them |
selves for their course. The president, |
Mr. Polk ordered Gen. Taylor to Oc- |
eupy the territory and when an attack |