He looked forward to victory this fall over the
hermaphroditic ticket of Taylor and Fillmore. He was never more
brilliant than he was this evening. He was compelling to look at, not
when standing, for then his short legs caricatured and belittled his
great body. But when he was seated his wonderful face and majestic head
truly represented his nature.
Outside the house, in the streets, we could hear the cries, "free soil,
free speech, free labor, and free men!" Douglas looked annoyed, ironic
lights passed across his face. He said in a satiric way: "Just listen
to that." These cries could not be met by direct denial, by an
epigrammatic retort. One could not so aptly say "slave banks, slave
tariffs, slave labor conditions." These required arguments to expound.
If labor conditions presaged slavery for white men were they freed by
negro slavery? Was not this roar outside of the house a part of the
tumult in Germany and France? Was not this America hailing Europe? Had
not this crowd caught up the Democratic platform which congratulated the
republicans of France? What would the German vote do, the Irish vote,
all the foreign vote? Had not the Whigs, marching through these streets
of Chicago, captured all the effective thunder of the Democratic party?
As Douglas sat before us I saw him as a giant around whom great forces
were gathering.
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