mination. While the
Democratic masses were, in fact, clamorous for Douglas, he was
defeated by combinations brought about through the active
instrumentality of United-States district attorneys, collectors,
marshals, and their deputies--all acting, as they had good reason to
know, in harmony with the wishes of the Administration from whose
favor they had received their places.

The Republicans of the loyal States, whose convictions and whose
prejudices were strongly developed by the controversy between the
President and Congress, had grave apprehensions as to the ultimate
issue. At various times during the fifteen years preceding the war,
they had seen men of strong anti-slavery professions, with strong
anti-slavery constituencies, "palter in a double sense" when intrusted
with the duties of a representative in Congress, and fall from the
faith, influenced by what were termed the blandishments of power, or
as was sometimes more plainly said, corrupted by the gifts of
patronage. They had seen this results brought about by an
Administration which the tempted and yielding representatives had
been specially chosen to oppose. They had now double ground to fear
that many more would prove treacherous to their professions of
principle, since they could take refuge under the protection of an
Administration chosen by their own party and still nominally professing
to be Republican. The magnitude of the patronage at the President's
disposal intensified the popular alarm; and the promptness with which
a large proportion of those holding office echoed the President's
sentiments and defended his policy, was taken as a signal that
acquiescence therein would be the one condition upon which the honors
and emoluments of public place could be enjoyed.

The great mass of loyal Republicans had descried a peculiar danger in
the gentle, persuasive, insinuating words with which the President,
in his annual message, sought to commend his policy. Phrasing of a
specious type can deceive an individual far more easily that it can
deceive a multitude of men. The quick comprehension of the people so
far transcends that of a single person as to amount almost to the
possession of a sixth sense. While the single person might be misled
by fallacious statements and suppressions of truth by the President,
the people discerned with keen precision the absolute facts of the
case. They saw that the policy of the President was at war with the
creed an