born and
reared in such a place; all the family sleeping in this one room in the
bitter cold of winter. Sickness without medicine. Imagine Douglas living
here. His early youth had its hardships; but after all he has had a
comfortable life. He soon became prosperous. Now he is rich. What public
man has become so rich? Yes, here is the American cotter's home; and so
many boys have come out of a place like this and gone to the wars or
into public life. It is America's symbol."

"You do not like Douglas, do you, Reverdy?" I asked, as we turned away.
"Yes, I like him, I have always supported him--but somehow I feel that
he is not good enough. I don't know what else to call it. You know, I
don't like slavery; at the same time I don't know what to do with it.
Sometimes I think Douglas' plan is all right, again I am not sure. All
the time I feel that there is not enough sympathy in his nature for
these poor negroes. I confess that at times I am for letting the
territories manage it for themselves; and at other times I am for
keeping it out of the territories by law. All the while I like Douglas'
plan for the West. He has done wonderful work for the country. I wish I
could make myself clearer, but I can't. I saw slavery in the South and
know what it is. I am a good deal like Clay. He had slaves but disliked
the institution. I have never had any slaves and I dislike it as much.
Yet the question is what to do. If you keep it where it is you simply
lay a siege about it. Great suffering will come in that way to the
negroes of course. It is a kind of strangulation, selfish and small. On
the other hand, if you give it breathing space what will become of the
country? I know Douglas' argument that it cannot exist in the North. But
suppose you have it all over the South, that's pretty big. Besides,
what's to hinder new work being found for the slaves? Why can't they dig
coal and gold like peons? Why can't they farm? Perhaps not; and yet I am
not so sure of Douglas on that. He is the most convincing man in the
world when you are with him. But when he goes away from you his spell
slips off and you see the holes in his argument."

"You have been reading and thinking, haven't you, Reverdy?"

"Oh, yes, all the time. What I am afraid of is a war. I had a little dab
of it in the Black Hawk trouble. But a war between these states would
shake the earth. I have two boys, you know. Sarah worries about it.
Everybody's beginning to live in a kind o