* This was, indeed, the
view of many men of his own day and, among them, of Lincoln. Yet
the type of man on whom the masters of the game of politics
relied saw nothing in Douglas's position at which to be
disturbed. It was merely playing politics, and if that absorbing
sport required one to carry water on both shoulders, why--play
the game! Douglas was the man for people like that. They cheered
him to the echo and sent him back to the Senate. So well was
this type understood by some of Lincoln's friends that they had
begged him, at least according to tradition, not to put the
question at Freeport, as by doing so he would enable Douglas to
save himself with his constituency. Lincoln saw further,
however. He understood better than they the forces then at work
in America. The reply reported of him was: "If Douglas answers,
he can never be President, and the battle of 1860 is worth a
hundred of this."
* There are three ways of regarding Douglas's position: (1) As a
daring piece of evasion designed to hold all the Democrats
together; (2) as an attempt to secure his locality at all costs,
taking his chances on the South; (3) as a sincere expression of
the legal interpretation mentioned above. It is impossible in
attempting to choose among these to escape wholly one's
impression of the man's character.
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