of Missouri made possible the shifting of votes for
another Western man. At all events, on the third ballot Lincoln was
nominated. Now hundreds of correspondents began to write stories of this
great unknown. The next day Wendell Phillips demanded from Boston: "Who
is this county court advocate?" But there was a man in Washington who
could speak intelligently concerning the great unknown--his name was
Stephen A. Douglas.

In that hour Douglas knew the great mistake he had made. The Democratic
convention of that year at Charleston split their party asunder; the
Southerners clamoring for secession should Lincoln be elected, and
nominating John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky; the Northerners standing
fast for the Union and compromise, and nominating Stephen A. Douglas;
while a "Constitutional Union" party of old-line Whigs nominated John
Bell of Tennessee. Lincoln's election was the signal for secession.

In all the subsequent turmoil, Douglas vigorously sustained the Union
and the Constitution, both in Congress and before the people. When
Sumter was fired upon, he hastened to pledge his influence to Lincoln as
well as to the Union. "There are no neutrals in this war--only patriots
and traitors." Douglas hurried back to Illinois to unify the state for
the Union; he had borrowed $80,000 for his campaign, and he staggered
under the burden of debt. Also he had injured his constitution by
excess, and burned the candle at both ends by overwork. But above all
else was the thought that he had made the great mistake, and lost his
place in history, in saying that he did not care whether a new State
voted slavery up or voted slavery down. During his last sickness he
murmured incessantly, "Failure--I have failed." His last words were:
"Telegraph to the President and let the columns move on."

Douglas died on June 3, 1861, at the age of forty-eight. The lesson of
his life is the danger of compromise, the peril of refusing adherence to
the highest ideals of principle, and the failure of expediency and
opportunism.

As Douglas's star went down, Lincoln's star began to climb the sky. It
was Douglas himself who held Lincoln's hat while he made his first
inaugural address. By the irony of fate it was Chief Justice Taney of
the Dred Scott Decision who inaugurated Lincoln into office, that
Lincoln might later make Taney's decision forever null and void.

And that no dramatic note might be wanted, both Taney and Douglas heard
Lincoln plead w