The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-07
=. TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
washington, d. C.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.
The Lincoln Douglas Breckenridge.
Bell Can1naicn.
washington, D. c.


the practical politics of the presiden-
! tial campaign of 1860 has been buried
| beneath the glory q the Lincoln adj
ministration and the horrors of the
! Civil war. The political result of that
campaign was the promotion of the
newly born Republican party toupow-
| er, the second political revolutfon of
| American history.
For the first twelve years Of gov
| eminent under the constitution the
! Federalists were in power With the
| election of Thomas Jefferson an ac-
! tual revolution was accomplished. and
the power of government was given to
the Democratic party. The Demo-
Gratis ruled for sixty years. Twice dur
| ing that time the Wings elected a
president, but there was no practical
interruption of Democratic ascend
ency. With the election of lincoln, the
Republican party assumed the reins of
power and held them forty eight
years. The two cleveland administra-
tions checked. but did not stay the Re-
publican march
The first Lincoln campaign was
marked by practical politics. Mr. Lin
coin did not make an active cam
paign. The Republicans contented
themselves with continued denuncia-
tions of border ruffianism." Many
of them were somewhat ashamed of
their candidate, and none of them,
outside of Illinois brought the per-
The fight ragged in its greatest bit
terness between the two Democratic
candidates, Stephen A. Douglas and
John Q. Breckenridge. john Bell led
the Constitutional Union forces as the
representative of extreme conserva-
tism, but, like Lincoln, he took no in
dividual part in the campaign1
y Famous Speaking Tour.
Douglas, the little giant of
from New England to Louisiana. A
wonderful orator earnest as he was
IN his efforts to accomplish the saliva
ton of, the Union and believing that
the only way to save it was his way;
the country never knew before and
perhaos never will know again such q
mastery campaign. But it was all in
vain. He had broken with the south
and with Buchanan. and not logic n Or
reason nor oratory had power to heal
wounds SO deep.
Douglas was indirectly responsible
for the nomination of Lincoln. Two
years before, in 1858, Lincoln had OPP
senate. heir JOINT debates in that
year still 1--we in the memories of men,
and will live on the pages of history
for all time Douglas was the better
speaker, and he won the election for
senator. But Lincoln had pressed him
whole country upon him.
1t was against the advice of every
friend he had that Lincoln bore down
upon Douglas and asked him a series
of questions involving slavery in the
territories. One question was: Can
a territorial legislature exclude slavery
if it sees fit2" If Douglas had ans
wered that question in the negative
Lincoln would have been elected sena-
tor in 1858 and might never have been
president. But Douglas said @Yes.'
That reply carried him back to the
United States senate, caused Horace
Greeley seriously to propose Douglas
for the Republican nomination for
president in 1860, broke the Demo-
cratic party in twain and elected Lin
coin president.
The Status Of Slavery.
Slavery in the territories was the
whole issue, as it had been more or
less for half century. 1t was Thomas
Jefferson, Virginia slave holder, who
wrote into the northwest territory bill
the provision that that territory should
pc forever free of slavery. The uues-
ton was compromised in 1920 and in
1900 by Henry Clay. The Wilmot pro
Nlso, using the exact language of
1honas Jefferson, kept slavery off the
Pacific coast. In 1854, by the actNAf
stephen A. Douglas himself, assisted
by FRANKLIN Pierce, the Missouri com
promise OF 1929 was repealed and The
whole question of slavery extension re-
opened.
The south held that the territories
were federal and belonged as much to
the Save states as to the free, and
That until they became states the fed
eral constitution was their only law,
fhe constitution permitted slavery
py It's silence, and this theory would
MAKE them slave territory. The north
heId that congress could Iegislate
slavery out of territory, but could
not leg1sIate it in--that the territories
must be free. Douglas took the mid
ole ground. a position which CLAW
would nave supported, and declared
IN favor of popular sovereignty-that
IS, OF permitting the people of a ter
ritory to decide the slavery question
for themselves
The Democratic national convention
met at Charleston that year. The
Ilght on the platform was long and
Ditter, and when it was seen that
douglas controlled the convention and
the Douglas platform would be adopt
ed, the majority of tie southern state
delegations Withdrew from the con-
vention. The regular convention then
ADJOURNED to meet in Baltimore The
bolters adjourned to meet in Rich
nond: The Richmond convention met
on time. but immediately adjourned to
another day to await the action of the
Baltimore meeting.
The regular" convention assembled
IN Baltimore and the old fight broke
out afresh. Caleb Cushing of Massa-
chusetts. who was president of the
convention, finally became SO disgust
ed with the Douglas followers that he
resigned his chair, and led another
DOT from the convention The rem
nant of the Irregular convention then
proceeded to nominate Stephen A
Douglas for president and BENJAMIN
Fitzpatrick of Alabama for vice presi-
dent. Fitzpatrick declined and the
second place was given to Hersehel "
Johnson of Georgia. The Caleb Cush-
ing boilers in Baltimore nominated
John c. Breckenridge. then vice presi-
dent of the United States, for presf-
dent. and Joseph Lane of Oregon for