But no
one can say that he changes his principles; rather he avails himself of
opportune conditions, which are many, to advance himself and the things
he believes in. The country has no truer friend. Though I am an alien I
am a resident, and therefore I can participate in political affairs and
help him without being naturalized. At the present time Douglas is in
Springfield, and is much in the office of one of the newspapers there,
to which he contributes editorials sometimes. Recently the office was
attacked by some men who had been accused of trickery of some sort by
the newspaper. Douglas was present; and, though he is a little fellow,
he helped to beat off the attacking parties; and in the general assault
the sheriff was stabbed by one of the editors; but the matter has all
blown over.
"My own unfortunate affair has the appearance now of dying down.
"A very terrible thing has happened in the killing the Reverend Lovejoy
at Alton, a town not far from Jacksonville. He was running an abolition
newspaper which was offensive to the slave interests or the peace
interests, if you want to call them that. And persisting in his
agitation of the slave question they undertook to destroy his press. In
the altercation Lovejoy was shot. There is great feeling over the
matter.
"It is impossible for me to convey to you the intellectual atmosphere of
the country.
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