The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-02-12

decision declared that the people or
territory had no power to keep
a slave owner from bringing his prop
erty" into their community, and this
became the burning question OF the
day around which gathered those who
were opposed as we'll on dozen 9TH
er grounds. Lincoln was put forward
as the champion of the Free Soil party
against Senator Douglas, who upheld
the constitutional sanction Of slavery.
Lincoln's plain way Of putting things
was evident in his famous declara-
ton, "A house divided against itself
cannot stand. I believe this country
cannot endure half slave and half
free. do not expect the house to fall,
butt do expect it will cease to be d.
vided."
Put Douglas In Dilemma.
BY a clever set of questions Lincoln
put Douglas into a dilemma that re-
ouired him to lose either his following
in Illinois or his following among the
southern party. Douglas made his
choice, .antagonized the South, won the
senatorship against Lincoln, but put
himself out of the running for the
presidency. Then came the insurrec-
ton led by John Brown, and the feel
ing excited by this event still ran
high during the next presidential cleo
ton. Douglas had been forced to
stand for the right Of the people of
territory to exclude slavery, and thus
set himself against the bred Scott de-
cision permitting slave owners to bring
their property into the territories. Up
on this question the Democratic party
split. The Republicans met in Chica-
20, and here the Illinois men so ably
presented and advocated their new
champion. Lincoln, that Seward lost
the nomination and Lincoln won it.
In the following election Lincoln
succeeded over his rival by a narrow
majority, and really represented, so far
as votes were concerned, a minority
of the nation. Having staked upon this
election the whole doctrine Of state
rights and the extension Of slavery,
the leading southern states looked up
on Lincoln's election as defiance of
the whole course Of legislation looking
to the upholding of the southern view
Determined on Secession.
The war followed, for the South con-
sidered state rights and slave labor as
the foundation of their prosperity and
power, especially since the invention
of the cotton gin had made, as they
phrased it, cotton the king Of the
world of commerce. Woodrow Will
son points out that in the northern
opposition to slavery the South felt
keen sense of injustice. They believed
that the worst side of the Institution
was willfully presented, that its neces-
sites and it's better side were willfully
suppressed In the election of Lincoln
they saw the beginning of an attempt
to dominate them completely. It
seemed the outcome of continual bat
tie against them and their institutions,
and they saw no escape except by Sc.
cession from the Union.
AS president. Lincoln disappointed
the abolitionists and the more rabid
opponents Of the South. He waited
until he believed that there was armed
resistance to the federal laws, but
when this crisis came acted promptly
and effectively. The long conflict fol-
lowed and belongs to history.
Ever since those days Lincoln's
fame has been growing, and the best
students agree that his was the broad
est craftsmanship and the wisest brain
of all tested in those troubled times.
More and more the country has come
to see that he hest understood the
problems and best solved them Ills
assassination was blunder for which
the country. both North and South,
paid dear. His speeches, his public doc
uments, his state papers, reveal a
greater man as they are studied more:
deeply. and today the leaders OF
thought both North and South, pay
to his memory due noel of reverence.