Douglas, Stephen Arnold, 1813-1861 to Virgil Hickox
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05621.02 Author/Creator: Douglas, Stephen Arnold, 1813-1861 Place Written: Chicago, Illinois Type: Letter signed Date: 10 May 1861 Pagination: 6 p. : Height: 24.1 cm, Width: 19.5 cm Order a Copy
Douglas, serving as a Democratic United States Senator from Illinois, responds to a letter from Hickox, Chairman of the Democratic State Committee (refer to GLC05621.01). States " ... war is being waged against the United States with the avowed purpose of producing a permanent disruption of the Union and a total destruction of its government ... All hope of compromise with the Cotton States was abandoned when they assumed the position that the separation of the Union was complete and final ..." Discusses the first Civil War battle at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, 12-13 April 1861. Cites political history, including the famous disagreement between Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. Referring to the Democratic Party, states "If we hope to regain and perpetuate the ascendency of our party we should never forget that a man cannot be a true Democrat unless he is a loyal patriot." This letter was published in the Daily National Intelligencer of Washington, D. C. 17 May 1861 and in the Chicago Tribune 23 May 1861.
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