Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-04-15

Douglas spoke In the Dark

ing there are names in the obituary
/ columns of the newspapers whose own
ers were associated with events or in
cidents to which | held a personal,
even If humble, relationship. And
each name reminds me OF how close
we fellows were TO each other in the
/ first months of the Civil War, and how
much we have forgotten. There died
recently man who was. like myselI.
only one of a million soldiers, but /
mad reason to remember him. because
in the first week of war he stood be-
side me in front of the old Neil
House, in Columbus, Ohio and heard
that wonderful speech of Stephen A.
Douglas, which was never reported,
and yet gave courage to thousands of
/ broken-hearted and despairing men
1t was about a week after Fort
Sumter had been fired on, and Doug
las was on his way to Chicago and
Springfield to confer with his friends
| and supporters In Illinois He hal
been delayed by accidents on the rail
ways, and went quietly to the Nall
( House for rest The Governor and
members OF the Legislature heard OF
his presence in the city, and organ
lied P demonstration In his favor He
had been very popular with his party
in Ohio, and since the inauguration OF
Lincoln had been almost as popular
with the Republicans. He was regard
ed as the leader of the Union Deme
Gratis, and there was already gossip as
to the important position he was 20
hold in the struggle against secession.
All men in political life had been
stunned and enraged by the events Of
1 the last week, and they as we'll as
the people who looked up to them as
leaders turned hungrlly to Douglas,
hoping that he might say the right
word, and yet fearing he might say
the wrong one When the crowd gath
cred in the street in front of the Neil
House. myself and several other young
men, leaning on the fence of the cap
! itoi grounds, strained our eyes to see
the great Democratic leader, who had
held Lincolns hat on inauguration
| day. But we did not see him. da
came. half dressed, 30 thc i, ,ndow of
his unlighted bedroom, and, standing
| in the darkness, spoke 10 the crowd
| below.
! His deep voice rolled out from the
darkness and fell like a benedlction
on the crowd standing with upturned
| faces in the street Never had voice
so thrilled me, never had mere words
| seemed so solemn and impressive rs
! those spoken by Douglas that night
| My boy friend standing at my side
| caught my arm at the first word, and
| held me in his clutch until the last
| word had been spoken, and the crowd
! Of legislators, politicians and business
men seemed as much impressed by the
mystery and the words as we Younger
men were
Douglas said at once that a great
crisis had come upon the country, and
tina; al party and other questions
must be pushed aside lie said slowly,
as If weighing every word, The Union
must be preserved. and the insurrac-
ton against the government must be
crushed. After the word crushed
came q pause that gave emphasis to
the phrase, and then, speaking as slow
~ as before, he pledged his hearty
support TO the Lincoln administration.
and declared there was no other course
open 10 the loyal citizen, who must
stand by the government until ma
ticnal authority was everywhere ree-
ognized Then, declining a reception,
he closed his window, and the crowd
dispersed
Members Of the Senate and mem
bers OF the House walked away arm
in arm, like boys There was no cheer
ing. hut all had been comforted, and a
good many Democrats who had BEEN
On the feace that night Jumped off on
the other side. There were in that
crowd. standing within ten feet Of my
perch ON the fence, one man who was
10 become President. four men who
were to become major generals In tho
Union Army, a score Of men who wele,
as brigadiers, 70 hold important com
snauds, four men VINO were to become
Governors, three cabinet officers. and
several hundred who were within
three months to he carrying musketa
in defense Of the flag
"Of all the more prominent moa
presen; Oh that evening not ono Is
living nov Douglas. then spoken OF
as a possible lieutenant general, died
within six weeks Deunisoa, Garfield.
Cox, Tod and others who li4od 10 10
great work. all are dead Some OF
the young men who were with me
that night at the fence became dis
tinguished soldiers Not a few Of them
fell on the field, but the most Of them
lived On for thirty or fourty years
can place only one Of the hundreds
who heard Douglas speak in The dark
in April. 1861 In the last year they
have gone fast. but II any are left
they should put on record their recni-
lection Of the incidents Of that night"
Chicago Inter Ocean