Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28

sender were strong men, but even they
did not live up to the full measure Of
their opportunity. jefferson Davis and
Judah p. Benjamin were intellectual giants.
but their conception OF relative values
was hopelessly inaccurate. Stephen A.
Douglas was the greatest man in the SEN
ate In the closing era of the slavery fight,
but he devoted his talents and energy to
the hopeless task of resisting the ire
sistible.
In the house, as the crisis approached,
there were a great many men who after
ward achieved fame-Thaddeus Stevens,
Schuyler Colfax, John Sherman and others,
but they were there then not as great lead
ers, but rather because there were no
great leaders. Horace Greeley, out of no.
htical life, was then perhaps the most DOW
erful man in all the country until the de-
bate with Douglas brought Lincoln into
the foreground, But even Lincoln was
nominated for president on the ground of
expediency rather than because of his
transcendant greatness.
Hinton Rowan Helper, a North Carolina
poor white, wrote a book entitled THE
impending Crisis of the South-How to
Meet It." which appeared in 1858. 1t was
an attack on slavery based upon economic,
1890 NA4h A"pi a. bAOuhuSs dlu II pointed
out that the peculiar Institution" was
more harmful to the white people of the
south than TO anybody else. It had a more
profound effect than Uncle Toms Cabin. ="
or than all the agitation Of the abolition
lists. II was the last straw. Because John
Sherman had given the book his endorse
ment he was defeated for speaker Of the
house. Helpers book, by defeating Sher-
man. had the effect OF solidifying sectional
sentiment and thus precipItated the crisis
which 1t predicted. Helper died by his own
hand in Washington less than a year ago.
forgotten by the nation In whose history
he had played such an important part.
1t is interesting to remember that all
through this great fight the congress op-
Grated under rules in no wise changed from
those obtaining before the struggle was
precipitated. The speaker often used the
power OF appointing committees to further
party interests, but debate was practically
unlimited and there was no attempt by a
speaker, Of whatever party, to increase
the power Of his office. The debates upon
the Gag Rule" fill many volumes. That
rule, by which the house declined to re-
ceive abolition petitions, was not supple
mented by gag rules to cut off debate
such as subsequently came to be employed.
me speaker mao not conceived the notion
OF controlling the house by the simple de-
vice Of Withholding recognition. The strug-
gle was always one Of votes.
That II lasted so long In congress and
that congress never did take any decisive
action concerning II was due TO the fact
that the sentiment OF the country was
divided by geographical lines Into two sec
tlons-northern and southern-while the
politics Of the country was divided By
party lines crossing the geographical lines
at right angles. Concerning far different
issues the same phenomenon now presents
itself In the Slxty-first congress. There is
the sentimental division line between con-
servatives and progressives. crossed al
right angles by the party line dividing the
organizations OF the republican and demo
cratic parties. Those who expect congress
soon to take positive action concerning GER
tain mooted questions would do well Il
study the story OF the struggle over slav.
cry and prepare for a long, long wait.
ny FREDEEIo J. HAsKm.
90mmorFoW-Ths American ConNOHs-
Ths war Congresses.