the life of stephen a. douglas-第35节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ln　was　elected；　the　Southern　States　would　be　justified　in　seceding　from　the　Union？

To　this　he　said；　〃I　answer　emphatically；　No！　　The　election　of　a　man　to　the　Presidency　*　*　*　in　conformity　with　the　Constitution　*　*　*　would　not　justify　any　attempt　at　dissolving　this　glorious　Confederacy。〃

He　further　told　them　that　if　Lincoln　were　elected　he　would　aid　him　to　the　extent　of　his　power　in　maintaining　the　supremacy　of　the　laws　against　all　resistance　to　them　from　whatever　quarter；　and　that　it　would　be　the　President's　duty　to　treat　all　attempts　to　break　up　the　Union　as　Jackson　treated　the　nullifiers　in　1832。　　His　candidacy　was　obviously　hopeless。　　He　exerted　himself　to　avert　the　coming　storm。　　Lincoln　received　one　million　eight　hundred　and　sixty…seven　thousand　votes；　Douglas　one　million　two　hundred　and　ninety…one　thousand；　and　Brekenridge　eight　hundred　and　fifty　thousand。　　Of　the　three　hundred　and　three　electoral　votes　Douglas　received　but　twelve。　Lincoln　had　an　electoral　majority　over　all　opposing　candidates。

On　the　13th　of　November；　South　Carolina　called　a　Convention　to　consider　the　dangers　incident　to　her　position　in　the　Federal　Union　which；　on　December　20th；　unanimously　adopted　an　ordinance　of　secession。　Three　weeks　later　Mississippi　declared　herself　out　of　the　Union　and　was　promptly　followed　by　Florida；　Alabama　and　Georgia。　　By　the　20th　of　May　eleven　States　had　seceded。　　The　President　looked　on　it　as　a　lawsuit　between　the　States　and　exhausted　his　very　respectable　legal　learning　and　ingenuity　in　proving　that　he　had　no　power　to　raise　his　hand　in　defense　of　the　country。　　It　may　be　that　the　lawyer；　with　his　quiddits　and　quillets；　had　survived　the　man。　　It　may　be　that　he　had　so　long　breathed　the　atmosphere　of　treason　in　the　Cabinet　counsels　that　he　was　tinctured　with　the　widely　prevalent　pestilence。　　It　is　much　more　likely　that　the　timorous　old　man；　finding　his　term　of　office　ending　amid　universal　ruin；　his　friends　and　masters　rushing　into　mad　rebellion　against　his　Government；　weakly　adopted　that　famous　sentiment　of　the　French　King：　　〃It　will　outlast　my　time。〃

Congress　met　on　the　third　of　December。　　In　his　message　the　President　charged　the　entire　trouble　to　the　aggressive　anti…slavery　activity　of　the　North；　which　had　at　last　driven　the　South　to　open　rebellion。　He　protested　that　he　was　powerless　to　act　and　referred　the　whole　matter　to　Congress。　　Three　of　the　Cabinet　were　serving　the　enemy　and　many　seats　in　the　House　and　Senate　were　held　by　unblushing　traitors。　　The　forts　in　Charleston　harbor　were　besieged　by　South　Carolina。　　The　Government　at　first　dared　not　and　later　could　not　relieve　them。

Congress；　if　not　as　completely　palsied　as　the　President；　was　without　remedy　for　the　fearful　evils　of　the　time。　　Besides　its　quota　of　positive　traitors；　many　of　its　members　were　infected　with　the　mild；　moonshiny　political　philosophy　which　had　been　currently　in　Washington　for　a　quarter　of　a　century。　　Many　were　about　to　retire　to　private　life；　and；　like　Buchanan；　thought　the　Government　would　outlast　their　time。　　A　famous　Senate　Committee　of　Thirteen；　and　a　corresponding　House　Committee　of　Thirty…three；　were　appointed　to　consider　the　state　of　the　Nation；　both　of　which　toiled　much　and　accomplished　nothing。

The　Committee　of　Thirteen　reported　late　in　December　that　it　was　unable　to　agree；　and　on　January　3rd　Douglas　addressed　the　Senate　upon　this　report。　　He　reviewed　at　great　length　the　history　of　slavery　legislation　and　drew　from　it　all　the　conclusion　that　the　trouble　had　arisen　from　unwarrantable　interference　in　the　local　affairs　of　the　Territories；　and　that；　had　popular　sovereignty　been　given　a　chance　it　would　have　solved　the　problem　long　since　and　would　do　it　yet　if　fairly　tried。　　He　ascribed　the　trouble　to　the　pernicious　agitation　of　the　Republicans；　and　recalled　Lincoln's　most　radical　anti…slavery　utterances　in　the　famous　campaign　of　1858。　He　assured　the　people　of　the　South　that　Lincoln　would　be　powerless　to　hurt　them　if　they　remained　in　the　Union；　for　there　would　be　a　majority　against　him　in　both　the　Houses　of　Congress。　　He　denied　utterly　the　right　of　South　Carolina　to　secede　and　repudiate　its　constitutional　duties；　and　insisted　on　the　right　of　the　Federal　Government　to　enforce　the　law　in　all　of　the　States。　　Yet；　while　there　was　a　ray　of　hope；　war　must　not　be　resorted　to。

〃In　my　opinion；〃　he　continued；　〃war　is　disunion；　certain；　inevitable；　and　irrevocable。　　*　*　*　We　have　reached　a　point　where　disunion　is　inevitable　unless　some　compromise；　founded　upon　mutual　concession；　can　be　made。　　I　prefer　compromise　to　war。　　I　prefer　concession　to　a　dissolution　of　the　Union。〃

He　asked　the　Republicans　to　consent　to　the　reestablishment　of　the　Missouri　Compromise　line；　which　he　had　swept　away　six　years　before　amid　their　earnest　protestations。　　He　also　proposed　to　establish　popular　sovereignty　by　constitutional　amendment；　such　sovereignty　to　begin　when　a　Territory　had　50；000　inhabitants；　and；　by　another　amendment；　to　prohibit　future　acquisition　of　territory　without　a　concurrent　vote　of　two…thirds　of　each　House　of　Congress。　　His　purpose；　he　said；　was　not　to　settle　the　slavery　question；　but　to　expel　slavery　agitation　from　the　arena　of　Federal　politics　forever。

This　was　his　last　important　speech　in　the　Senate。　　It　was　delivered　under　circumstances　of　awful　solemnity。　　He　seemed　not　deeply　impressed　with　the　gravity　of　the　situation　and　was　still　interested　in　it　chiefly　as　a　party　problem。　　He　did　not　expect　the　baptism　of　blood　that　followed；　but　cheerfully　looked　forward　to　compromise　and　reconciliation。　　The　Northern　Democrats　might　yet　rescue　the　country　by　mediating　a　truce　between　radical　Republicans　and　radical　Southern　Democrats。　　In　the　present　state　of　affairs　who；　but　himself；　the　chief　of　these　neutrals；　could　lead　this　great　movement？　　His　mental　habits　were　those　of　the　politician。　　He　saw　all　event　primarily　in　their　relation　to　party　tactics。　　Now　that　the　earth　began　to　rock　beneath　his　feet；　he　suspected　that　it　was　only　a　theatrical　earthquake　and　prepared　to　seize　upon　every　advantage　that　might　be　gathered　out　of　the　confusion。　　He　could　not　comprehend　the　deep　and　unappeasable　passions　that　rent　the　Nation。　The　grim　earnestness　of　his　fellow…countrymen　was　as　inconceivable　to　him　as　the　demoniac　enthusiasm　of　the　great　Apostle　was　to　the　scoffing　Athenians　who　heard　him　on　the　Hill　of　Mars。　　But；　as　the　great　tragedy　deepened　and　darkened；　he　quit　his　political　speculations　and　began　to　think；　not　of　the　success　of　his　party；　but　of　the　possibility　of　saving　the　Union　from　imminent　wreck。

He　returned　to　Illinois　and　addressed　the　legislature；　urging　energetic　support　of　the　war；　and　on　May　1st　was　welcomed　back　to　Chicago　by　an　immense　assembly　of　all　parties。　　He　was　escorted　to　the　great　hall　in　which　Lincoln　had　been　nominated　and　there　addressed　the　people。　　He　spoke　not　as　a　politician　but　as　a　generous　patriot。　　He　denounced　in　unmeasured　terms　the　Southern　conspiracy　which　had　resulted　in　secession　and　now　had　ripened　into　open　and　bloody　rebellion。　　He　saw　the　treason　of　the　South　no　longer　as　a　mere　element　in　an　interesting　political　game；　but　as　the　blackest　of　human　crimes　and　an　awful　menace　to　the　life　of　the　Republic。

〃There　are　only　two　sides　to　the　question；〃　he　said。　　〃Every　man　must　be　for　the　United　States　or　against　it。　　There　can　be　no　neutrals　in　this　war；　only　patriots　or　traitors。　　*　*　*　It　is　a　sad　task　to　discuss　questions　so　fearful　as　civil　war；　but　sad　as　it　is；　bloody　and　disastrous　as　I　expect　it　will　be；　I　express　it　as　my　conviction　before　God　that　it　is　the　duty　of　every　American　citizen　to　rally　around　the　flag　of　his　country。〃

Not　long　after　his　return　home　he　was　stricken　with　serious　sickness。　The　disease　was　not　of　such　a　character　that　it　was　expected　to　prove　fatal；　but　the　highest　medical　skill　and　most　tender　nursing　were　unavailing。　　The　truth　was；　although　unsuspected；　that　his　vital　energies　were　completely　exhausted　by　the　enormous　labors　and　deep　agitations　of　the　past　ten　years。　　He　had　just　passed　his　48th　birthday　but　was　already　gray　and　prematurely　old。　　He　had　dwelt　amid　the　tempest　for　twenty　years　and　had　felt　more　of　severe　strain　than　most　men　who　had　seen　the　Psalmist's　three　score　years　and　ten。　　When　told　that　his　end　was　near；　and　asked　what　message　he　would　send　to　his　boys：

〃Tell　them；〃　he　said；　〃to　obey　the　laws　and　support　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States。〃

On　the　morning　of　June　3rd　he　died。　　His　remains　lie　buried　in　Chicago　on　the　shore　of　Lake　Michigan；　a　spot　fitly　chosen　as　the　last　resting　place　of　this　most　ceaselessly　active　and　inexhaustibly　resourceful　of　American　statesmen。

History　has　not　been　kind　to　Douglas。　　The　farther　we　recede　from　events　the　more　trivial　seem　the　temporary　circumstances　which　influence　them　and　the　clearer　appear　the　changeless　principles　which　ought　to　mold　men's　conduct。　　But　to　the　eager；　impetuous　man　of　action；　the　temporary　circumstances　are　apt　to　be　of　overmastering　force。　　He　was　a　practical　man　of　action；　whose　course　was　generally　guided　by　the　accidental　circumstances　of　the　hour；　rather　than　by　fixed　principles。　　His　education　was　defective。　　He　entered　the　great　arena　with　little　of　either　menta