History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 18

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

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Mr. Douglas came in between eleven and twelve in a carriage which had been sent for him at Peru. As he reached the limits of the city, he stood up in his carriage, bowing and waving his hat to men, women and children whom he happened to discover standing in the doors or looking out of the windows, as his train passed along. Arriving at the Geiger House, W. H. W. Cushman, Esq., made the reception speech and Mr. Douglas answered.

About half past two the speaking commenced. Douglas opening. Mr. Douglas knew that he could not stand up with Lincoln before the people in a fair discussion and escape a total discomfi- ture. To avoid this, he had recourse to stratagem and forgery to draw his antagonist from the discussion of the real issue. He took from his pocket a newspaper, which he said contained the proceedings of the Republican State Convention held at Springfield. October 5, 1854. He then read a portion of the resolutions which he said

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were passed by the convention, and charged Mr. Lincoln with being present and assisting in pre- paring them. With this he vehemently called upon Mr. Lincoln to answer every proposition separately, to do which would have consumed all his time, and Douglas would have accomplished his object of avoiding the issues of the campaign. Of this part of Douglas' speech, which in fact was about all there was of it, it is only necessary to say, that it was a base forgery, and he knew it was a forgery when he perpetrated it. No Re- publican State Convention was held in 1854. The party had no state organization until two years afterward. A convention of opponents to the Nebraska bill was held at Springfield on the day as stated by Douglas, which took the name of 'anti-Nebraska'! At that convention no such resolutions as Douglas read, were even introduced and he knew it when he perpetrated the for- gery upon the stand. The paper which he held in his hand has since been found to contain the proceedings of a people's meeting held at Aurora sometime in 1854. Having this fact before him, Douglas had the baseness to charge the proceed- ings to a Republican state convention, and fur- thermore to reiterate the charge that Lincoln helped draft the resolutions, when he knew that Lincoln was not at the convention and had noth- ing to do with it. As Lincoln took no part in the anti-Nebraska state convention, he had no distinct recollection of what was done, and so did not detect the forgery on the stand. Douglas foresaw that this would probably be the case and therefore put it forth, thinking that a great por- tion of his ignorant worshipers who do not see the papers, would not be undeceived before elec- tion. It was a desperate game of a man in des- perate circumstances. We can give but little idea of the appearance of the speaker while per- petrating his fraud. His face was livid with rage and despair ; he threw himself into contortions, shook his head, shook his fists; his whole body shook as with palsy ; his eyes protruded from their sockets ; he raved like a mad man. His voice at times descended to a demoniacal howl; and such looks as he gave his antagonist! They were those of a fiend in despair. The most considerate part of his worshipers were disgusted with their champion.

At the close of Douglas' hour, Mr. Lincoln came forward and was greeted with rousing cheers from full three-fourths of the vast crowd. He disposed of Douglas' grand onslaught, by simply affirming that he was not at the conven- tion mentioned, had nothing to do with its reso- lutions and consequently was not subject to criti- cism on them, whatever they were. This was an- swer enough for a fair opponent. Having dis-

posed of this, he entered upon leading topics and in a very gentlemanly and masterly manner gave Douglas such an excoriation as he will not get over before November. He did not retort upon Douglas by pronouncing his assertions 'infamous falsehoods,' but proceeded to show by the facts that they were such. His reference to Douglas' record upon Supreme Court decisions, cut Doug- las up so badly that he did not attempt a reply, but occupied most of his closing half hour . in enlarging upon his forgery, with more vehe- mence than before. Subtract the forgery from his two speeches and there is nothing left. Candid, intelligent men of all parties are free to say that Lincoln won the field. Douglas lost friends and lost votes by the exhibition that made of himself in Ottawa, and when his wilful forgery becomes generally known, he must lose every decent man in his party. As Douglas closed his second splurge, he left the stand and was caught on the steps by two stout Hibernians and led along to the Geiger House, followed by four or five hun- dred men and boys. He soon left for Chicago for fear his forgery would be detected before he left town. With him his worshipers disappeared and the Republicans had the ground to them- selves. A few moments after Douglas left the stand Mr. Lincoln descended the steps, accom- panied by Mayor Glover, and had proceeded a few steps when he was caught up by three or four Republican mechanics, and despite of his protests, was borne on their shoulders high above the crowd to the house of Mayor Glover, preceded by a band of music, and followed by a crowd of four or five thousand, the whole swinging their hats and rending the air with cheers. Arrived at head- quarters, Mayor Glover was called out and made a short and pithy speech, and then Mr. Lincoln shook hands with hundreds of warm-hearted Re- publicans, after which the crowd gradually dis- persed.

In the evening the Court House was brilliantly illuminated, a procession was formed and escorted Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Lovejoy to the Court House steps, where the latter gentleman delivered an able and telling speech to an audience of a thou- sand or more. This was one of Mr. Lovejoy's best efforts, and the plain, forcible manner in which he brought out and exposed the iniquities of the democracy, left among his audience a high opinion of his abilities as a public speaker. The doubting were convinced that he is not the ultra man that the opposition would fain have him. He made votes by this speech.

At the close of Mr. Lovejoy's speech, a torch- light procession was formed, which conducted Mr. Lincoln back to his lodgings, where he thanked the people in a few words and retired.

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Maj. W. H. L. Wallace was called out, who made a short and pithy speech, at the close of which the crowd gave three times three and re- tired in the best possible spirits, all determined to bear Abe Lincoln to the Senate with their votes as triumphantly as they bore him to his lodgings on their shoulders. Thus ended the proceedings of the day. It is the general im- pression that Lincoln gained hundreds of friends in Ottawa, and Douglas lost as many. The friends of Douglas look discomfited. Some of the leaders for a while stood about the street corners, and boasted that Douglas had got Lincoln tight on those resolutions, but when the Chicago Press and Tribune came on Monday noon, with a complete exposure of the forgery, they retired to look up the documents. Finding their idol guilty, they refrain from appearing in public. The Republicans are jubilant and confident of rousing majorities in November."

The reader must make allowance for the parti- san spirit which pervades this report, yet the main facts are stated. Douglas suffered greatly from the unfairness to which he resorted. Lincoln so impressed the people with the seriousness of the situation and the absolute honesty with which he was dealing with them, that he won many Demo- crats to his way of thinking. Douglas suffered no loss in his reputation as an orator and a great man, but he did lose the confidence of serious- minded people. Lincoln not only brought the truth home to them, but also won the confidence of his hearers and caused them to know that it was indeed "Honest Abe Lincoln," as his friends loved to call him.

POLITICAL HISTORY.

The early settlers of the county coming largely from Ohio and Pennsylvania in the days of An- drew Jackson, it is not strange that the voters were largely adherents of the Democratic party. But a good many coming from New York and the New England states, the Whigs were not without representation. While the Whigs occa- sionally elected a candidate for a county office. the Democratic party was generally successful. In the '50s there was a strong anti-Catholic and an anti-foreign feeling in the country. This feel- ing was strongest among those who adhered to the Whig party. The large Irish immigration to the country at that time naturally joined the Democratic party. The organization of the American or "Know Nothing" party in the '50s caused many of the Germans to affiliate with the Democrats.

There was not a large number belonging to the

Abolition party, but those who did were earnest and outspoken and while they could not cast a large vote, they could talk and cause a stir. In 1852 they cast 552 votes in the county and car- ried the towns of Vermillion, Adams, Freedom and Ophir. Eden was a tie between the Demo- crats and Abolitionists. This was the last elec- tion in which the Whigs took part. They cast 1,203 votes, the Democrats 1,895 votes.

Senator Stephen A. Douglas had many warm personal friends in the county. His personal fol- lowing was large and enthusiastic. But when he championed the Kansas and Nebraska bill and Dred Scott Decision, which made it possible to spread slavery into all the territories and even into the free states, a large number left the Dem- ocratic party and joined those who called them- selves the Anti-Nebraska men. Among these were many of the ablest and best men in the Dem- ocratic party. Their influence was very great in causing others to desert the Democratic party. In 1854 the Anti-Nebraska party, already called Republican in La Salle County, was successful in electing F. Warner sheriff by 823 majority and coroner by 622 and so popular a man as G. W. Armstrong was defeated for representative on the Democratic ticket. In 1856 in the presi- dential election Fremont, the Republican, defeated James Buchanan by a majority of 1,056.

It is interesting to note how the towns divided in this contest : The townships carried by Fre- mont were twenty-one: Adams, Bruce, Dimmick, Eden, Earl, Farm Ridge, Freedom, Grand Rapids, Hope, Mendota, Manlius, Mission, Northville, Ophir, Peru, Serena, South Ottawa, Troy Grove, Vermillion and Waltham. Fillmore, the Know Nothing candidate, did not carry any townships. Those going for Buchanan were eight in number : Brookfield, Dayton, Deer Park, Eagle, La Salle, Ottawa, Rutland and Utica.

ORGANIZATION OF TIIE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

La Salle County lays claim to being the place where the name Republican was first chosen for the party in opposition to the Democratic. The call was made in June of 1854 in which the name was used. The state convention of Michigan met on July 6th and adopted the name in its plat- form. But at least this was the beginning of the new party in the state of Illinois, as will be learned from the history of the movement given by its father, Judge E. S. Leland.

Judge Leland was a Whig, but became more and more restless at the aggressions of the slave power. It was with great joy that he was received by the anti-slavery people who knew

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the great influence which his accession would have.

JUDGE LELAND'S STATEMENT.

"The Republican party originated from a belief that the institution of human slavery was a great wrong, and because of strong disapprobation of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and of the conduct of Northern politicians, who were disposed to tolerate slavery in consideration of the assistance which they hoped to receive from the people of the slave states in obtaining the honors and emoluments of office for themselves.

"After consultation with friends in this coun- try who coincided with me in sentiment on the subject, I drafted, in the month of June, 1854, a call for a mass meeting to be held at the court- house in Ottawa. I do not recollect the exact date when it was written, but in the number of the Ottawa Republican, dated June 24, 1854, a copy of it is given, with a statement that it was then in circulation for signatures. The call was as follows :

".Believing that the time has now arrived, when the opponents of the further extension of slav- ery, driven by a common and pressing danger. should waive the differences of opinion which have heretofore existed between them on other points, and which have now nearly ceased to ex- ist, and should now unite in resisting the unjust demands and wanton encroachments upon free- dom, which have been submitted to for the sake of peace, till submission has ceased to be a vir- tue :

".We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the inhabitants of La Salle County who are opposed to continual agitation of the country and the breach of its peace and quiet by the advo- cates of the further extension of human bond- age to free territory, and who are consequently opposed to the late appeal of the Missouri Com- promise, which, in the opinion of Senator Doug- las in 1849, "had become canonized in the hearts of the American people, as a sacred thing which no ruthless hand would ever be reckless enough to disturb," and who will continue to oppose this and other ruthless and reckless measures. the end and object of which are, under the name and pretense of Democracy, to spread and extend the evils of slavery, will assemble together in mass convention, at the courthouse in Ottawa, on Tuesday, the ist day of August next, at one o'clock p. m., for the purpose of reasoning to- .gether, and so concentrating their power. that it may be fully felt at the ballot box at the approach- ing fall election, and so that those in a land of liberty, who. spaniel-like, will fawn upon the

hand that smites them, and whine for crumbs, shall be taught at the polls-the only place where such instruction can affect them-that officehold- ers are the people's servants, not their masters.'

"On the first day of August, 1854. in pursuance of the call, a meeting was held in the courthouse yard, on the south side of the courthouse, the court-room not being large enough for the pur- pose. The speaking was from a two-horse wagon, loaned by some friend for a platform for the use of the officers of the meeting and the speakers. The resolutions offered had been previously drafted by myself, and they were reported by the committee without change, and were unani- mously adopted. The proceedings of the meet- ing. as published in the Ottawa Republican, dated August 5, 1854, were substantially as follows :

"Agreeably to previous notice about 500 per- sons assembled at Ottawa on Tuesday last, for the purpose of organizing a party opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the fur- ther extension of slavery. On motion Wells Wait was chosen temporary chairman. 'The permanent officers were Edwin S. Leland. of Ottawa, presi- dent ; E. T. Bridges, of La Salle, T. Hampton, of Ottawa, and J. F. Linton, of Peru, secretaries. After speeches by the president of the meeting and by Rev. M. P. Sweet. of Peru, and the read- ing of a letter from the Hon. Jesse O. Norton, dated at Washington. July 24. 1854-the Mem- ber of Congress from this district-in answer to a request from Isaac D. Harmon. T. D. Brew- ster, H. L. Tuller, J. H. McMillan. William Paul, F. S. Day and S. A. Winston, that he would. be present and address the meeting, the following persons were appointed a committee on resolu- tions : Churchill Coffing, Richard Thorne. Abner A. Fisher, Alson Woodruff, John Hosford. L. D. Smith. Wells Wait. Samuel R. Lewis and Giles W. Jackson. The committee reported the following :

I. "Resolved. That since slavery with insult- ingly aggressive spirit, recklessly and ruthlessly tramples upon all compromises and disregards all sacred and time-honored compacts, which she has made with freedom-agitates unceasingly to ex- tend her blighting influence and bitterly de- nounces all agitation against such extension, we have ceased to put our trust in compromises upon this subject. and henceforth and forever we are uncompromisingly opposed to violating the self- evident truth 'that all men are created equal,' by permitting another inch of slave territory whether north or south of 36 degrees and 30 minutes, to become part and parcel of this Union, and we do earnestly recommend to all true-hearted men, who love their country-to whom liberty is dear and

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slavery detestable, that waiving the differences of opinion that have hitherto existed between them on other minor points, and which have now nearly ceased to exist, they rally around the ban- ner of freedom to sustain her sacred cause.

2. "Resolved, That we have no confidence in the political honesty of the man, who in 1859, publicly expressed the opinion that the Missouri Compromise 'had become canonized in the hearts of the American people as a sacred thing which no ruthless hand would ever become reckless enough to disturb,' and who, in 1854, himself be- came reckless enough, with ruthless hand, in the hallowed name of Democracy, to assist in throw- ing down this rampart, behind which freedom had entrenched herself to defend against the as- saults of slavery.

3. "Resolved, That we are tired of, and dis- gusted with, the tricks of political gamesters, and that we fervently hope that the people will rise in their majesty, and in spite of the wily devices and fraudulent chicanery of unscrupulous time- serving politicians, will demand for the next President of the United States some reliable op- ponent to the extension of slavery, possessing the real, not nominal Democracy, incorruptible patri- otism, sterling integrity and Roman fortitude, of Thomas Hart Benton, of Missouri, to turn the money changers out of the political temple, be- fore it shall entirely become a den of thieves ; and we recommend to our friends in other parts of the Union that a convention be held at such time and place as on consultation shall be deem- ed advisable, for the purpose of selecting candi- dates for President and Vice-President, who are opposed to the further extension of slavery.

4. "Resolved, That we have reason to fear that in the present position of affairs, national conventions, Whig and Democratic, so called, if managed as they have heretofore been, cannot be relied upon to present candidates who can be trusted as true to the principles of freedom, and we recommend that reliance be not placed on them or either of them.

5. "Resolved, That in co-operation with the friends of freedom in other parts of the Union, we hereby form ourselves into the Republican party, pledged to the accomplishment of the fol- lowing purposes, to wit: To bring the adminis- tration back to its original principals of liberty ; to restore the prohibition of slavery to the terri- tories of Kansas and Nebraska, and to prohibit it in all other territories now belonging to, or to be hereafter acquired by, the United States ; to repeal the fugitive slave act of 1850: to per- mit the states, where slavery exists, to continue to be weakened and injured by it till reason, re- moving the veil from before their eyes, shall in-

duce them to benefit themselves by its abolition ; to protect the constitutional rights of all citizens going to other states ; to advocate the democratic and oppose the aristocratic principle at all times, on all occasions, and without cxception.

6. "Resolved. That inasmuch as squatter sovereignty is alleged to have been established in Kansas and Nebraska, we are highly gratified to hear that the free North has, in good earnest, un- dertaken to furnish squatter sovereigns, and we hope that they may be furnished in sufficient numbers to secure the blessings of freedom to themselves and their posterity, in spite of all threats of ruffian bullies to keep them out by force and violence.

7. "Resolved, That we tender to our Repre- sentative in Congress, our State Senator in the State Senate, and our Representative in the House of Representatives of this state, our warmest thanks for their opposition to slavery.

8. "Resolved, That we will not knowingly (and we will take a great deal of care to avoid be- ing deceived) be guilty of the great moral wrong of supporting for office any man who is in fa- vor of the late repeal of the prohibition of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, or who, for the sake of standing well with his party, is willing to wink at the iniquity, or acquiesce in the enormity of such an insulting attack upon the rights of freemen, and of such violation of the first princi- ples of true Democracy.

9. "Resolved, That liberty and all attempts to secure its blessings to ourselves and our poster- ity are national in their character, and the main object for which the constitution was adopted ; and that slavery and all attempts to impose its ac- knowledged evils upon posterity are sectional in character, and at war with the principles upon which our nation was founded.

IO. "Resolved, That we are opposed to this continual thrusting of this sectional issue upon the country, and to repeated agitation of the country by a sectional party, seeking to extend its local evil. And we believe it to be the duty of every lover of liberty in relation to this sub- ject to know no North and no South, but, desiring the well-being of our whole country, to unite in causing the further spread of this local pesti- lence to our national domain, to be stayed by an act of our National Congress.

II. "Resolved, That the course of the Mis- souri slaveholders, who are now attempting by violence to prevent the citizens of the free states from immigrating to Kansas and establishing homes there for themselves and their families. is as unfair and as dishonest as the late repeal of the law prohibiting slavery, and is exceeded in brutality only by slavery itself.

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12. "Resolved, That the power of the United States to govern a territory purchased and be- longing to the United States, which has not, by becoming a state, acquired the means of self- government, results necessarily from the fact that it is not within the power and jurisdiction of any particular state, and is within the power and jurisdiction of the United States, and that the right to govern must be the inevitable conse- quence of the right to acquire territory, and that the possession of this power by Congress is un- questionable. We therefore believe that the sov- ereignty over the Territories of the United States, until they shall have become sovereign states, must necessarily be in the people of the Government of the United States, and that Con- gress has, and it ought to have, the power to ap- prove or disapprove of the acts of their Legisla- ture ; that in relation to their legislation concern- ing their ordinary, temporary and domestic mat- ters Congress should allow them the greatest lib- erty, and approve of their acts, unless they are manifestly unjust ; but in relation to matters which may permanently affect injuriously the Re- publican principles upon which our nation was founded, such as the establishing a monarchial or aristocratical form of government, the enact- ment of a law of primogeniture, or the practice of polygamy, or the acquiring a property qualifi- cation for electors, tolerating the wrong of per- mitting some of the inhabitants to own others, or the like, Congress should intervene. It is the duty of the United States to see that the inhab- itants of these territories during their minority have a liberal Republican education, Congress should never tolerate anything tending to the for- mation by them of immoral and despotic habits.

13. "Resolved, That we recommend to the voters of this congressional district, who desire to unite in the organization of a new party to be called the Republican party, upon the platform of the foregoing resolutions, to assemble in their several counties and elect delegates to a conven- tion to be held at Bloomington, in the county of McLean, on the 12th day of September next, at 12 o'clock M. of said day, for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Congress, who will be supported by the opponents of the further ex- tension of slavery, without regard to their former party organizations. And we recommend further that the voters of La Salle, Grundy and Living- ston counties who desire to unite with said Re- publican party elect in their respective counties delegates to attend a convention, to be held at Ot- tawa on the 2d day of September next, for the purpose of electing candidates for the Legislature of the state.

"We recommend that there be one for each 2,000 inhabitants, and one in addition, if the fraction ex- ceed 500. We also recommend that Richard Thorne, Alson Woodruff, Giles W. Jackson. Philo Lindley and Madison E. Hollister be, and they are hereby, appointed a committee to call a convention of said Republican party, for the pur- pose of nominating county officers for the county of La Salle."

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History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 18

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855 Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286