Stephen A. Douglas As a Lawyer.
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speech that his hearers were carried off their provision, all actual inhabitants of the State, feet; they took him off the platform, raised whether naturalized or not, were permitted him on their shoulders, and bore him in tri to vote. As most of the alien vote was umph through the streets, while a crowd fol Democratic, it became the policy of the lowed, shouting: "Three cheers for the Little Whigs to throw out this vote, and thus se Giant!" "Hurrah for Little Doug!" "You will cure the State for their party. In the Con be President yet!" Perhaps, he then heard gressional election in 1838, one unnaturalfor the first time the Presidential bee, whose ized inhabitant voted for Stephen A. Doug buzzing never ceased until life-long ambition las. The judges of election had received the was crushed by his overwhelming defeat in vote with a full knowledge that the voter had November, 1860. not been naturalized. The opposition, One of the judges of the Supreme Court through one Horace H. Houghton, insti of Illinois declared that Stephen A. Douglas tuted a qui tarn prosecution against Thomas should not have been placed in such a posi Spraggins, one of the judges of election. The tion, adding, "What business has such a case was tried before Judge Stone of the Joe stripling with such an office?" But, after Davies circuit, who decided that the State Douglas had held the office a few months, had no authority to give the right of voting the judge changed his opinion. It is said to an unnaturalized alien, and rendered judg that, during the time he was prosecuting at ment against the defendant. The practical torney, not a single indictment framed by effect of this decision was to cut one-half of him was ever quashed; and it should be the Democratic vote in the great northern remembered that his circuit comprised many district of the State. It would be fatal to the counties in which there were criminal cases Democratic party if that decision was allowed to stand as law. Douglas saw the impor embracing crimes of every grade. His suc cess as a prosecuting attorney was remark tance of this décision, and he had the case taken to the Supreme Court of Illinois for able, and his department at the bar, as well review, upon the point that the State, having as among the people of the counties to which already conferred the privilege of voting, had his duties called him, greatly increased his growing popularity. In 1836, he was elected the power or authority to do so or not. It was the first case involving such a question to the Legislature of Illinois, and was the youngest member of that body. He took a ever tried in the United States. It was under prominent part in the Internal Improvement stood that a majority of the Supreme Court system which was passed that session. After were opposed to Douglas' view of the ques the adjournment of the Legislature, he re- j tion, but, notwithstanding that, he fearlessly took up the case. The question was long sumed the practice of the law, and before he and elaborately argued in the winter of had been seven years at the bar he was 1839-40. The case was held under advise recognized as one of the ablest lawyers in ment until the next term of the court. Mean the State. He was retained in all the im while, the famous "Tippecanoe and Tyler, portant cases, on one side or the other. One too," campaign of 1840 was at hand. The case in which he appeared had an important Democrats of Illinois were alarmed, as the bearing upon the vote of Illinois, and there alien vote, if thrown out, would give the fore on his own political fortunes. By the State to the Whigs. Douglas learned that a Constitution of Illinois, which was adopted majority of the judges of the Supreme Court in 1810, every free male white inhabitant had agreed to sustain the decision of the above the age of twenty-one years was en court below, and he knew that, if such a de titled to vote at all elections. Under this
