Show The Last Speech o of Douglas A friend has shown us a copy of the Jasper Iowa Free Press of June 27 1861 It II has has' in full the last speech of Sl Stephen phen A. A Douglas delivered at National hall Chicago on May liay 21 1861 on the occasion o of th the mighty might reception tendered him by the peale peo pea people people P le of that cit city regardless of party He had attended the i in inauguration lug of Dir Mr Lincoln and held his hat while he delivered his inaugural speech His holding the presidents president's hat was a silent notice e to his o own party that no matter about political differences Mr 1 Lincoln was vas his president and of every man in the nation who held his country higher highe than his p party arty The speech of Douglas Doug Doug- las lag was a masterful one the occasion most pa pathetic For years he her had been the lithe little Giant the one to wh whom m his friends hadlie had tad turned with ever eer increasing ng affection and enthusiasm he lie had struggled for the highest place and nd believed he had earned it but when he went vent back bark to Chicago that thal last time he knew v that all aU his political hopes were dead and while the thousands were vere roar roaring ng their welcomes around him he lie knew that a fatal disease was vas upon upon him him and that probably that would be the last time he would ever hear those welcomes the last time he would ever raise his voice in a public appeal to his countrymen The speech was worthy the occasion and the man He told how he had struggled ed to reconcile the differences between the south and the north of the sacrifices he lie had made to accomplish that reconciliation conciliation but t that the conspiracy entered into long fong g before to destroy the union ran on at full head to its sinister culmination tion though there had never been an any cause for secession nomore no nomore more then than there had been every day since the union nion was j formed Then he declared that there was nothing left but to fight and that the more vigorously it could be pre pressed the shorter would be the agony He told how much depended upon Illinois s and every word rang out like a trumpet call can Finally while urging on the war he reminded his hid audience that ours was was' wasa a Christian land and that no barbarisms must be added to the wars war's horrors His last words in renewing his thanks for the ovation extended extended extended ex ex- tended to him were most solemn ane and pathetic and must have rung in jn the t e ears of his listeners s like the tolling of funeral bells A great little Giant w was s Stephen A A. Douglas his last speech was for him hint a dissolving view th the splendor of which was las by shadowy f funeral plumes |