Transcriber's Note:
Original spellings and inconsistent hyphenation have been kept,including the earlier spelling variant Douglass.
whose wisdom and kindliness have inspired
a generation of students
To describe the career of a man who is now chiefly remembered as therival of Abraham Lincoln, must seem to many minds a superfluous, ifnot invidious, undertaking. The present generation is prone to forgetthat when the rivals met in joint debate fifty years ago, on theprairies of Illinois, it was Senator Douglas, and not Mr. Lincoln, whowas the cynosure of all observing eyes. Time has steadily lessened theprestige of the great Democratic leader, and just as steadily enhancedthe fame of his Republican opponent.
The following pages have been written, not as a vindication, but as aninterpretation of a personality whose life spans the controversialepoch before the Civil War. It is due to the chance reader to statethat the writer was born in a New England home, and bred in ananti-slavery atmosphere where the political creed of Douglas could notthrive. If this book reveals a somewhat less sectional outlook thanthis personal allusion suggests, the credit must be given to thosegenerous friends in the great Middle West, who have helped the writerto interpret the spirit of that region which gave both Douglas andLincoln to the nation.
The material for this study has been brought together from manysources. Through the kindness of Mrs. James W. Patton of Springfield,Illinois, I have had access to a valuable collection of letterswritten by Douglas to her father, Charles H. Lanphier, Esq., editor ofthe Illinois State Register. Judge Robert M. Douglas of NorthCarolina has permitted me to use an autobiographical sketch of hisfather, as well as other papers in the possession of the family. Amongthose who have lightened my labors, either by copies of letters pennedby Douglas or by personal recollections, I would mention withparticular gratitude the late Mrs. L.K. Lippincott ("GraceGreenwood"); Mr. J.H. Roberts and Stephen A. Douglas, Esq. of Chicago;Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller and the late Hon. Robert E. Hitt ofWashington. With his wonted generosity, Mr. James F. Rhodes has givenme the benefit of his wide acquaintance with the newspapers of theperiod, which have been an invaluable aid in the interpretation ofDouglas's career. Finally, by personal acquaintance and conversationwith men who knew him, I have endeavored to catch the spirit of thosewho made up the great mass of his constituents.
Brunswick, Maine,
November, 1907.