The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-04-21
Douglas spoke i'm the Dark


first months of the Civil War. and how
much We have forgotten. There died
recently a man who was, like myself,
only one of million soldiers, but |
had 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 Neil
House for rest. The Governor and
members of the Legislature heard o.
his presence in the city, and organ
lied a 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 Demo
Gratis, and there was already gossip as
10 the important position he was 70
hold in the struggle against secession.
All men in political life had been
stunned and enraged by the events of
the last week, and they as well as
the people who looked up to them as
leaders turned hungrily 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
itol grounds, strained our eyes TO see
the great Democratic leader, who had
| held Lincolns hat on Inauguration
day But we did not see him. He
came, half dressed, to the window of
his unlighted bedroom, and, standing
below
His deep voice rolled out from the
darkness and fell like benediction
on the crowd standing with upturned
faces in the street Never had voice
so thrilled me; never had mere words
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 great
crisis had come upon the country, and
that all party and other questions
must be pushed aside. He said slowly,
as If weighing every word. The Union
must be preserved, and the insurrsc-
tion against the government must be
crushed After the word crushed
came a pause that gave emphasis TO
the phrase. and then, speaking as slow
ly as before, he pledged his hearty
support to the Lincoln administration
and declared there was no other course
open to the loyal citizen, who must
stand by the government until ma
tional authority was everywhere rec
ognized. Then, declining 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, but all had been comforted, and d
good many Democrats who had been
on the fence that night jumped off -
the other side. There were in tina;
crowd, standing within ten feet of my
perch on the fence. one man who was
to become President, four men whc
were to become major generals in the
Union Army, a score of men who were
as brigadiers, to hold important com
mands, four men who were to become
Governors, three cabinet officers, and
several hundred who were within
three months to be carrying musket'
in defense of the flag.
"Of all the more prominent meT
present on that evening not one :.
| living now. DOuSldS, lnel spoken o
as a possible lieutenant general, diel
within six weeks. Dennison, Garfield
Cox, Tod and others who lived to d,
great work, all are dead. Some o
the young men who were with M
that night at the fence became dis
tinguished soldiers. Not a few of then
fell on the field, but the most of then
lived on for thirty or fourty years
| can place only one of the hundred
who heard Douglas speak in the darl
in April, 1861. In the last year the.
have gone fast, but if any are lef
they should put on record their recoi
lection of the incidents of that night
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Sixteen Sons i'm Civil War.
It was Cornelia the Roman matrol
and mother of Grachi, who on being
asked to exhibit her jewels called he
children into the apartment where sh
was entertaining visitors and present
ing them said: These are my jew