The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-10-28

to the end to the famous motto, "Fifty-four forty
or fghtp And if war with England came, he
would blot out all boundary lines and "make the
area of liberty as broad as the continent itself"
On the annexation of Texas, he was not, less pro-
nounced in his views. He also took the then very
unusual position that the Constitution does not
necessarily follow the flag.
But the overshadowing question of Douglass
time was the question of slavery, and he will be
longest remembered for his relation to it. The
doctrine of "squatter sovereignty"-that each
Territory should have the right to accept or ex-
clude slavery-was not originated by him, but his
long and mastery defense of the principle has
linked it forever with his name. Forcing the pas
sage of the famous Kansas-Ne Nebraska Bill of 1854
was, in historic Importance, perhaps the greatest
single act of his career. "It upset precedents and
traditions, divided old parties and summoned up
new ones, made-and unmade-history." Doug
las rightly said: "I passed the Kansas-N ebraska
Act myself" The country knew it, and the North
was furious. II could have travelled from Boston
to Chicago in the light of my own burning eff
gies," he afterward declared.
A few years later he won the hardly less posi-
tive dislike of the Southern Democrats by his OPP
position to the extreme action of the Kansas pro-
slavery leaders. "Of his party associates but two
or three were brave enough to follow him." Now
the North praised, the South reviled. President
Buchanan and he were at daggers' points.
1t was just at this period that the memorable
Illinois campaign of Lincoln and Douglas occur
red-described in the last and best chapter of Mr..
Browns book, "The Rivals" Douglas was quick
Lincoln was persevering. Douglas had marvel
Gus natural gifts; Lincoln had can infinite capac-
itv for tolinU noiOc Mr. RrOuD Covc thof Tin
coin "had thoroughness for the others compe-
tence; insight into human nature, and a vast sym
pathy, for the others facile handling of men; a
deep devotion to right for the others loyalty to
party platforms" It was a battle of the giants,
and Douglas won.
Once again, however, and for the last time, the
giants were to grapple with each other. In 1852
and in 1856 Douglas had been a prominent candi-
date for the Democratic Presidential nomina-
ton; in 1860 the nomination came to him, but
from a party hopelessly divided against itself.
Gle carried but one State outright, and got but
twelve votes in the Electoral College. Lincoln
swept the North, Breckenridge the South, and
Bell, the Border States" His misfortune was
that it was a contest of sections and he had ad-
dressed himself to no one section but to the coun-
try as a whole. He represented the compromise
element and so was rejected both by the Abolition
lists and the uncompromising slavery advocates.
In every State there was a conservative element
supporting Douglas, but in almost every State it
was one element of the extremists that overcame
the other element and also the conservatives
Though overwhelming beaten in the electoral
college, Douglass popular vote was next to that
of Lincoln, and more evenly distributed than that
of any other candidate.
The conclusion of the whole matter is that
Douglas impresses one not so much for the great
ness that he achieved as for the greatness that
he so narrowly missed