the life of stephen a. douglas-第36部分

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ed　principles。　　His　education　was　defective。　　He　entered　the　great　arena　with　little　of　either　mental　or　moral　culture。　　Yet；　severely　as　we　now　judge　him；　he　did　not　fall　below　the　prevailing　standard　of　political　morals。　　His　real　sin　was　that　he　did　not　rise　above　the　ethics　of　the　times；　that　he　remained　deaf　as　an　adder　to　the　voices　of　the　great　reformers　who　sought　to　regenerate　the　age；　and　who　were　compelled　to　grapple　with　him　in　deadly　struggle　before　they　could　gain　footing　on　the　stage。　　The　time　was　out　of　joint　and　he　felt　no　vocation　to　set　it　right。　　While　his　ethics　has　fared　hard；　his　mental　gifts　have　been　over…estimated。　　The　availability　of　all　his　resources；　his　overwhelming　energy　and　marvelous　efficiency　among　men　of　intellect；　gave　rise　to　the　impression　which　still　survives　that　he　was　a　man　of　original　genius。　　But　of　all　his　numerous　speeches；　heard　or　read　by　millions；　not　a　sentence　had　enough　vitality　to　survive　even　one　generation。　　Though　for　ten　years　of　stormy　agitation　he　was　the　most　commanding　figure　in　our　public　life　and　wielded　power　of　which　Presidents　and　Cabinets　stood　in　awe；　the　things　for　which　he　is　chiefly　remembered　are　his　unfortunate　doctrine　of　popular　sovereignty　and　the　resistless　power　with　which　he　defended　his　most　dubious　relation　to　the　question　of　slavery。

His　powerful　influence　upon　the　overshadowing　question　of　the　times；　his　restless　activity　in　shaping　the　course　of　great　political　events；　fast　drifting　into　darkest　tragedy；　have　obscured　his　work　in　less　conspicuous　fields。　　While　it　does　not　come　within　the　scope　of　this　work　to　do　more　than　portray　his　relation　to　the　great　national　tragedy　which　was　slowly　evolving　during　the　entire　period　of　his　political　life；　it　should　not　be　forgotten　that　his　activity　covered　the　whole　field　of　legislation　and　that　no　man　responded　more　generously　or　efficiently　to　the　countless　demands　upon　time　and　energy　which　so　greatly　burden　the　American　statesman。

It　is　pleasant　to　find　a　Lieutenant　General　of　the　United　States　army　in　his　old　age　and　retirement　recalling　a　visit　in　his　boyhood　to　Washington；　to　seek　redress　of　some　West　Point　grievance；　and　how　the　only　man　he　could　find　who　had　the　leisure　enough　to　effectively　interview　the　Secretary　of　War　on　his　behalf　was　Douglas。

It　is　sufficient　for　our　purposes　to　say　that　for　thirteen　years　he　had　practical　control　of　all　legislation　affecting　the　Western　Territories；　that　he　drafted　the　bills　establishing　territorial　governments　for　Minnesota；　Kansas；　Nebraska；　Utah；　New　Mexico　and　Washington　and　prepared　the　acts　for　the　admission　of　Wisconsin；　California；　Minnesota　and　Oregon。　　He　secured　for　his　State　an　enormous　grant　of　public　land；　which　resulted　in　the　building　of　the　Illinois　Central　Railroad。　　He　warmly　advocated　the　building　of　a　railway　to　the　Pacific。　　He　consistently　favored　the　most　liberal　appropriations　for　internal　improvements；　and；　with　that　provincial　patriotism　and　jealousy　of　Old　World　interference　which　was　fashionable　fifty　years　ago；　vigorously　opposed　the　Clayton…Bulwer　treaty　as　a　practical　annulment　of　the　Monroe　doctrine。

It　is　not　to　be　set　down　in　his　list　of　sins　that　he　failed　to　bridge　over　the　widening　chasm　between　the　North　and　the　South；　but　it　must　be　charged　to　him　as　a　mental　defect　that　he　hopelessly　failed　to　comprehend　the　significance　of　the　great　movements　which　he　seemed　to　lead；　that　in　the　keenness　of　his　interest　in　the　evolutions　of　political　strategy　he　failed　to　discern　the　symptoms　of　coming　revolution。

When　the　storm　that　had　been　brewing　before　his　eyes　for　ten　years　broke　upon　the　country　it　took　him　by　surprise。　　The　ardor　of　his　temperament；　the　eagerness　of　his　ambition；　make　his　conduct　at　times　painfully　resemble　that　of　the　selfish　demagogue。　　But　the　range　of　his　vision　was　small。　　He　erred　less　from　corruption　of　the　heart　than　from　deficiency　of　the　mind。　　But　what　statesman　of　note　during　those　strange　and　portentous　years　preceding　the　war　could　safely　expose　his　speech　and　conduct　to　the　searchlight　of　criticism？　　The　wisest　walked　in　darkness　and　stumbled　often。　　It　was　not　the　fate　of　Douglas　to　see　the　mists　amid　which　he　had　groped　swept　away　by　the　hurricane　of　war。

What　he　would　have　done　had　his　life　been　protracted　ten　year　longer；　is　subject　of　interesting　speculation。　　By　temperament　and　habit　he　belonged　to　the　preceding　generation　and　it　is　difficult　to　conceive　him　working　in　harmony　with　the　fiery　and　unyielding　Puritans　who　succeeded。　　He　loved　the　Union　heartily　and　hated　secession。　　He　would　have　supported　Lincoln　in　the　great　crisis。　In　the　regenerated　America；　which　rose　from　the　fiery　baptisms　of　the　war；　with　its　new　ideal；　its　new　hopes；　its　new　convictions　and　deeper　earnestness；　he　would　probably　have　found　himself　sadly　out　of　place。　　The　epoch　of　history　to　which　he　belonged　was　closed。　Young　as　he　was；　he　had　outlived　his　historic　era　and　there　is　a　dramatic　fitness　in　the　ending　of　his　career　at　this　time。





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