Lincoln was elected.  But Douglas was not dishonored.  He had achieved a great personal triumph.  He had polled 1,357,157 votes in the country against Lincoln’s 1,866,452.  In Illinois he had polled 160,215 votes to Lincoln’s 172,161—­in spite of New England and the Germans.  He had received 163,525 votes from the South against Lincoln’s 26,430.  But he had lost to Breckenridge or Bell fourteen southern states.  Protective tariff Pennsylvania had given Lincoln 268,030 and Douglas 16,765.  Protective tariff Massachusetts had given Lincoln 106,533 and Douglas 34,372.  Douglas had fought the South, he had fought against the disadvantage of a divided party, he had fought the protective tariff, yet Lincoln had polled but a little more than 500,000 votes more than he had.  No use to say that the populace does not understand questions of government or that they cannot rise to high justices and rewards.  Douglas’ personal triumph had been great, but his remarkable popular support shrunk to an insignificant twelve votes in the electoral college.  He was vanquished and I was more deeply depressed than I had ever been in my life.  Lincoln was elected!

And the South seceded.

CHAPTER LXII

It is war!  Mars has descended.  The irrepressible conflict has taken the sword.  The house divided against itself is in the last contest to see whether there shall be two houses or one.  The devils are now to be cast out, not by Satan but by the Lord mighty in battle, great in anger.  Grapes of wrath are to be treaded now, and a furious wine drawn from the broken flesh of men hitherto growing peacefully on peaceful stems, North and South.

Douglas wishes without ostentation to make himself clear in his friendship and support of Lincoln.  No envy, no pique, no chagrin.  He has often prophesied this war.  For years he has warned the country against sectionalism.  He does not now say, I told you so.  The war has come.  He is for the North, as he told the South he would be if elected himself.  He is against disunion with all his heart.  His health is broken; he has no future on this earth except to work to bring peace, and to win the South to save the Union.  And he labors like a Titan to these ends.

I waver in my plans to go to Washington to see Lincoln inaugurated.  In any event I shall devour the report of the proceedings.  I cannot keep my mind off the event.  I cannot wait to see Douglas to express to him my great admiration, my deep affection.  Yet I fear he is beyond the reach of such things.  What does he care whether I admire him or not, or whether any one loves him or not?  Such things cannot touch him now.  But I would see him again.  And I would see Lincoln too.

On the morning I am to start I leave my house in Chicago; then I return to my porch and think, holding my satchel.  I start again, force myself to go.  I drag myself on to the train.  Things are changed now.  I can go by rail all the way.  No need of boats and canals in this late February of 1861.