The Cairo bulletin., 1908-06-29

United States senate. From The
standpoint both OF forensic eloquence
and OF far-rcaching results. the Lin.
coln-Douglas debates stand out among
the great political events Of all ma.
tions and all ages.
Fifty years have come aad gone
since then and now all over the state
arrangements are being made to cele-
brate these great debates in the seven
Illinois cities whose proudest boast
is that they were the scenes Of this
great historic, political drama.
Historians have united in saying
that the greatest OF these discussions
was that held at Freeport. August
81 1888. Winston Churchill. the novel.
list. in his novel, entitled The Crisis"
graphically describes not only this de,
bate, but also the old-time environ.
ment and how Mr. Lincoln rode in
wagon drawn by six milk.white horses
and the Little Giant" rode in six.
horse coach. For 40 miles in every d.
rection the farmers had assembled un.
der the spreading trees in the Free,
port grove where the debate was held,
until the audience numbered 10000
people Half of them were cheering
for Little Dug" and the other half
were waking the echoes for Honest
Old Abe" That was the The Crisis"
which gave to this country a mar.
tyred president and defeated candi
date, who was big enough and noble
enough, in his hour of defeat. when
the storm cloud hung like a darkenins
pail over his country. to rise above
disappointment and defeat, above par
tisanship and prejudice, to help and
assist in every way in his power the
man who had beaten him. Many PEG.
pie believe that If 1t had not been for
Douglas untimely death. history to
day would accord to him the same
need Of praise that 1t bestows upon
his more fortunate rival
Lincoln was a great president, and
yet when Douglas put his great dis |
appointment behind him and without |
trace of rancor or jealousy came 10 !
the assistance of Lincoln to help pre- |
serve the union they both loved he |
was as great in defeat as Lincoln was |
in victory. Illinois proudly points to
both Honest Old Abe" and to Lit
tie Dug"
And now that preparations are be
ing made to fittingly celebrate these
most historic events in Illinois, a rath
er interesting fact is developed. One
Of the prominent men of Freeport in
the early days was jeremiah Pattison
an old-line Democrat, who sat on the
platform with stephen A. Douglas in
the grove at Freeport on the warm
August day Of the debate so years ago
and cheered his political hero. Jere.
miah Pattison was a great admirer of
THE Little Giant" and when he had
a boy he named him after the great
Democratic statesman Of Illinois and
called him Douglas.
The boy became a man. and while
about the average height with the
name of Douglas he also succeeded to
the title Little Dug" He was sent
to the Illinois legislature 10 represent
his district. not once. but a number
of times. and the 60 Democrats in the
house elected him as their leader
Just as many years before the other
Little Dug" had been the leader of
the Democrats in the same house Of
As minority Leader
maize good and proved that
he knew how to lead. He put the
Democrats on record as standing for
something instead q mare obstruction
lists. Skilled ia parliamentary law.
thoroughly cCmprehending the rules.