the life of stephen a. douglas-第21节

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ate　that　he　knew　the　knife　would　be　put　to　the　throats　of　his　followers。　　The　Administration　Senators　assailed　him。　　But　he　was　equal　to　all　emergencies　and　his　new　position　as　the　recognized　leader　of　the　anti…Lecompton　revolt　gave　him　the　enthusiastic　applause　of　the　Northwest。

On　March　23rd　the　bill　went　to　the　House。　　A　motion　was　made　to　refer　it　to　a　special　committee。　　A　contest　over　this　motion　arose；　lasted　all　night；　and　degenerated　into　a　general　brawl；　in　which　a　Member　from　Pennsylvania　knocked　down　a　South　Carolina　Member；　and　many　others　were　engaged　in　fisticuffs。　　At　last　a　reference　was　agreed　to。

On　April　1st；　while　the　House　had　the　bill　under　consideration；　Montgomery　of　Pennsylvania　offered　a　substitute　which　had　been　offered　by　Crittenden　in　the　Senate　and　there　rejected；　providing　that　the　Constitution　should　be　submitted　to　a　vote；　and；　if　adopted；　the　President　should　at　once　proclaim　the　admission　of　the　State；　if　rejected；　the　inhabitants　should　hold　a　new　Constitutional　Convention。　　This　substitute　passed　the　House　but　was　rejected　by　the　Senate。　　A　conference　Committee　was　appointed；　which　reported　the　notorious　English　bill；　providing　that　a　generous　grant　of　land　should　be　offered　to　Kansas；　and　the　people　at　a　special　election　vote　to　accept　it。　　If　they　so　voted；　they　were　to　be　admitted　as　a　State　with　the　Lecompton　Constitution。　　If　they　rejected　the　grant；　they　could　not　be　admitted　until　they　numbered　93；000；　which　meant　indefinite　postponement。　　The　bill　was　merely　an　offer　of　a　bribe　to　the　people　to　accept　a　Constitution　which　they　abhorred。　Its　form　was　such　that　men　who　still　believe　it　well　to　maintain　the　guise　of　decency　could　vote　for　it　on　the　pretence　that　it　was　a　land　grant。

Douglas；　who　had　now　tried　the　thorny　path　of　rebellion；　faltered。　He　was　tempted　to　support　the　bill　and　seek　reconciliation；　but　decided　to　vote　against　it。　　It　passed　the　Senate　by　a　majority　of　nine　and　the　House　by　a　majority　of　eight。　　In　the　following　August　the　proposition　was　submitted　and　rejected　so　decisively　that　the　maddest　fanatic　must　have　seen　that　all　hope　of　making　Kansas　a　slave　State　was　gone　forever。





Chapter　XIII。　　The　Illinois　Campaign。




Congress　adjourned　on　June　16th　and　Douglas；　after　spending　a　few　days　in　New　York；　returned　to　Chicago。　　Meanwhile　the　people　of　Illinois　had　awakened　to　great　political　activity。　　On　April　21st　the　regular　Democratic　Convention　was　held　at　Springfield　and　without　opposition　passed　a　resolution　endorsing　his　candidacy　for　re…election。　　On　June　9th　the　〃Administration　Democracy；〃　consisting　of　the　Federal　office　holders　and　those　democrats　who　condemned　his　anti…Lecompton　battle；　held　a　Convention　at　Springfield；　the　purpose　of　which　was　to　divide　the　party　and　insure　his　defeat。　　On　the　17th　the　Republicans　held　their　Convention　at　Springfield　and　chose　Lincoln　as　their　candidate　for　United　States　Senator。

The　nomination　of　Lincoln　was　not　an　accident。　　He　was　prepared　to　accept　it　in　a　speech　that　should　serve　as　the　text　of　his　campaign　and　was　destined　to　great　fame　in　after　years。　　Against　the　resolve　of　his　friends　he　announced　the　dangerous　doctrine　that　the　Government　could　not　endure　permanently　half　slave　and　half　free。　　〃A　house　divided　against　itself　cannot　stand。〃　　He　did　not　expect　the　Union　to　be　dissolved　or　the　house　to　fall；　but　that　it　would　cease　to　be　divided。　　〃Either　the　opponents　of　slavery　will　arrest　the　further　spread　of　it；　and　place　it　where　the　public　mind　shall　rest　in　the　belief　that　it　is　in　the　course　of　ultimate　extinction；　or　its　advocates　will　push　it　forward　till　it　shall　become　alike　lawful　in　all　the　States；　old　as　well　as　new；　North　as　well　as　South。〃

The　repeal　of　the　Missouri　Compromise　and　the　establishment　of　squatter　sovereignty　was　a　great　step　towards　the　nationalization　of　slavery。　　This　was　followed　by　the　Dred　Scott　decision　forbidding　Congress　to　interfere　with　it　in　the　Territories。　　All　the　legislation　of　Congress　had　carefully　reserved　a　place　for　this　expected　decision。　　Douglas　had　hinted　it　in　the　Senate　long　before　it　was　announced。　　Pierce　and　Buchanan　had　proclaimed　it　before　the　Judges。　　〃We　cannot　absolutely　know　that　all　these　exact　adaptations　are　the　result　of　preconcert。　　But　when　we　see　a　lot　of　framed　timbers；　different　portions　of　which　we　know　have　been　gotten　out　at　different　times　and　different　place；　and　by　different　workmen；Stephen；　Franklin；　Roger　and　James；　for　instance；and　when　we　see　these　timbers　all　joined　together　and　see　they　exactly　make　the　frame　of　a　house　or　mill；　all　the　tenons　and　mortises　exactly　fitting；　*　*　*　*　*　we　find　it　impossible　not　to　believe　that　Stephen　and　Franklin　and　Roger　and　James　all　understood　one　another　from　the　beginning　and　all　worked　upon　a　common　plan　or　draft　drawn　up　before　the　first　blow　was　struck。〃

He　repelled　the　suggestion　made　in　some　quarters　that　the　Republicans　ought　to　cease　their　fight　on　Douglas　and　rally　to　his　support　in　his　contest　with　the　slavery　propagandists。　　He　reminded　them　that　the　very　essence　of　Republican　faith　was　hostility　to　slavery；　while　Douglas　frankly　declared　that　he　did　not　care　whether　it　was　voted　up　or　voted　down。　　The　cause　must　be　entrusted　to　those　whose　hearts　were　in　the　work　and　who　did　care　for　the　result。

On　the　9th　of　July　Douglas　returned　to　Chicago　and　received　a　royal　welcome。　　A　special　train　loaded　with　prominent　citizens　was　dispatched　to　meet　him。　　On　his　arrival　he　was　greeted　with　tumultuous　applause。　　He　addressed　the　vast　multitude　from　the　balcony　of　the　Tremont　House。　　Thirty　thousand　people　are　said　to　have　gathered　to　hear　him。　　He　was　profoundly　pleased　by　this　splendid　ovation　so　strikingly　in　contrast　with　the　reception　four　years　before；　when　his　neighbors　refused　even　to　hear　him　in　defense　of　his　course。　　Among　the　distinguished　visitors　on　the　speakers'　stand　sat　Lincoln。

After　thanking　his　audience　for　the　enthusiastic　reception；　he　plunged　into　the　subject　then　uppermost　in　the　public　mind　by　rehearsing　his　relation　to　the　whole　Kansas　problem。　　He　reminded　them　of　his　early　and　consistent　devotion　to　popular　sovereignty；　which　had　been　so　utterly　outraged　by　the　Lecompton　Constitution。　　He　assured　his　hearers；　however；　that　his　opposition　to　that　Constitution　arose　from　no　sentimental　morality　and　bore　no　relation　to　the　ethics　of　slavery。　　He　insisted；　not　that　it　be　good　or　just；　but　that　it　be　submitted　to　a　vote　of　the　settlers。

He　then　addressed　himself　to　Lincoln's　Springfield　speech。　　He　attacked　his　extreme　doctrines　with　characteristic　adroitness。　Lincoln's　speech　was　of　doubtful　prudence　as　a　campaign　argument。　It　really　foreboded　civil　war　or　a　peaceful　dissolution　of　the　Union。　　While　this　alternative　was；　perhaps；　inevitable；　political　expediency　forbade　its　avowal。　　Douglas　declared　the　necessary　result　of　his　philosophy　to　be　a　war　of　sections；　a　war　of　the　North　against　the　South；　of　the　free　States　against　the　slave　States；　to　be　continued　relentlessly　until　the　one　or　the　other　should　be　subdued　and　all　should　either　become　free　States　or　all　become　slave　States。　　But　this　was　not　the　true　theory　of　the　American　Union。　　The　States　differed　widely　in　soil；　climate；　resources；　tastes　and　habits。　　Their　laws　and　institutions　were　utterly　unlike。　New　Hampshire's　laws　were　unfit　for　South　Carolina；　those　of　New　York　were　not　suited　to　the　Pacific　Coast。　　Uniformity　in　local　and　domestic　affairs　would　be　destructive　of　State　rights；　State　sovereignty　and　personal　liberty。　　Uniformity　was　the　parent　of　despotism　the　world　over。　　The　only　way　of　attaining　Lincoln's　proposed　uniformity　would　be　to　abolish　State　legislatures；　blot　out　State　sovereignty　and　merge　the　States　into　one　consolidated　empire。　　But　diversity；　dissimilarity；　variety　in　all　their　local　and　domestic　institutions　was　the　great　safeguard　of　their　liberties。　He　insisted　on　reverently　bowing　to　the　Supreme　Court　as　the　authoritative　expounder　of　the　Constitution；　rather　than　appealing　from　it　to　a　tumultuous　town　meeting　where　constitutional　questions　arose。　　The　Federal　Government　was　founded　on　the　white　basis。　It　was　made　by　white　men；　for　the　benefits　of　white　men；　to　be　administered　by　white　men　in　such　manner　as　they　should　determine。　Let　each　State　decide　for　itself　how　it　would　treat　the　negroes　and　let　its　neighbors　alone。

〃The　issues　between　Mr。　Lincoln　and　myself；〃　he　said；　〃are　made　up；　*　*　*　*。　　He　goes　for　uniformity　in　our　domestic　institutions；　for　a　war　of　sections；　until　one　or　the　other　shall　be　subdued。　　I　go　for　*　*　*　the　right　of　the　people　to　decide　for　themselves。　　On　the　other　hand　Mr。　Lincoln　goes　for　a　warfare　on　the　Supreme　Court。　*　*　*　*　I　yield　obedience　to　the　decisions　of　that　Court。　　*　*　*　*　I　am　opposed　to　negro　equality。　　I　repeat　that　this　nation　is　a　white　people；　*　*　*　*　a　people　that　have　established　this　Government　for　themselves　and　their　posterity。　　*　*　*　*　I　am　opposed　to　taking　any　step　that　recognizes　the　negro　man　*　*　*　as　the　equal　of　the　white　man。　　I　am　opposed　to　giving　him　a　voice　in　the　administration　of　the　Government。〃

The　reception　was　recognized　by　the　politicians　of　both　parties　as　a　great　succ