Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-08-14

that hC 6hOa4a v OC Il EAoaAa5 -
garded by his late followers as a dan
gerous hereto and a faithless turncoat.
The result justified Mr.. Lincoln's an
ticipations. Mr.. Douglas did not fully
develop his new theory nor personally
promulgate 1t as the fixed tenet of his
faction until the next year. when he
embodied 1t in the famous article con-
tributed by him to Harper's Magazine.
But it did its work effectually. and
when parties began to marshal for the
great struggle of 1850 Mr.. Douglas
was found to be not precisely what he
had promised-a Republican. fighting
their battles"-but an independent cam
didate. upon an Independent platform.
dividing the opposition.
Mr.. Lincoln pointed out on the spot
the wide difference between Mr.. Doug
las present views and those he had
previously maintained with such dog
ged and dogmatic persistence. '"The
new state of the case" had induced
''the judge to sheer away from his or
iginal ground" The new theory was
false In law and could have no prac-
teal application. The history of the
country showed it to be a naked hum
bug, a demagogue's imposture. Slav-
cry was established in all this country
without local police regulations" to
protect 1t. bred Scott himself was
held in a territory not only without
local police regulations to favor his
bondage. but in defiance of a general
law which prohibited it. A man who
believed that the bred Scott decision
was the true Interpretation of the con-
~stitution could not refuse to negro
slavery whatever protection it needed
in the territories without mourning the
guilt of perjury. To say that slave
property might be constitutionally con-
fiscated. destroyed or driven away
from a place where 1t was constitu-
tionally protected was such an absurd
'ity as Mr.. Douglas alone in this evil
strait was equal to-the proposition
meaning. as he said on a subsequent
occasion, mo less than that a thing
may lawfully be driven away from a
place where it has a lawful right to
be-"
"Of that answer at Freeport," as
Mr.. Herndon has 1t. Douglas instant
ly died. The red cleaning southern
tomahawk flashed high and keen.
Douglas vas removed out of Lincoln's
way. The wind was taken out of
Stewards sails (by the house divided
speech) and Lincoln stood out promi-
nent."
The state election took place on the
I'd of November, 1858. Mr.. Lincoln
had more than 1000 majority of the
votes cast. but this was not enough to
give him a majority in the legislature.
An old and inequitable apportion-
ment law vas still in operation. and a
majority of the members chosen under
1t were, as it was intended by the law
makers they should be. Democrats.
In the senate were fourteen Demo
Gratis to eleven Republicans. and in the
house forty Democrats to thirty-ive
Republicans. Mr.. Douglas was of
curse reelected and Mr.. Lincoln Bit
Mr.. Lincoln how he felt when the re-
turns came in. He replied that he
felt like the boy that stumped his toe
tt-hurt too had to- laugh. and he was
too big to cry"
In this canvass Mr.. Lincoln earned
a reputation as a popular debater Sec
ond to that of no man in America
certainly not second to that of his ia
mou antagonist He kept his temper.
he was not prone to personalities. he
INDUCED in few anecdotes. and those
of a decent character; he was fair,
frank and manly, and If the contest
had shown nothing else it would have
shown at least that "Old Abe" could
behave like a well bred gentleman un-
der very trying circumstances. His
marked success In these discussions
was probably no surprise to the people
of the Springfield district, who knew
him as well as or better than they did
Mr.. Douglas. But in the greater part
of the state and throughout the Union
the series of brilliant victories success
'sively won by an obscure man over
an orator of such wide experience and
renown was received with exclama-
tons of establishment alike by listeners
and readers.
THE END.