Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1859 — 'The Chicago Times on Senator Dougias and. his Personal Enemies. [ARTICLE]

The Chicago Times on Senator Douglas and his Personal Enemies.

[From the Daily Sentinel.

As a matter of public interest we give the comments of the Times, on the personal difficulties between Senator Douglas and other Democrats, (Slidell, of Mississippi, and Jones, of Iowa,) which is hard to be understood as coming from a paper which is supposed to be personally and politically friendly to Judge Douglas. It says: “That it will be attempted by the enemies of Senator Douglas in Washington, to force him into a duel, and that failing to precipitate him into a personal encounter, we have before intimated. Indeed, we are entirely of the opinion that it Senator Douglas induced to accept a challenge, he would be given one in twenty-four hours after his arrival at the capital. But there will be no duel, for the sufficient reason that he doesnot recognize the code duello. He will not send nor accept a challenge. But this does not give full assurance that no fight will take place. Clearly, if there be any man, or any set of men, in Washington, who are so hostile to Senator Douglas as to resort to deliberation and plot to get him upon the field as a target for, their pistols, there is much reason to fear that, failing in this design, they may go to the length of assaulting him on the street —or perhaps in the Senate chamber. “It is possible- that these painful apprehensions will be put to route by time and events; the heated passion of a sore and desperate clique of enemies of Senator Douglas may cool, alter he reaches Washington, and things presently take a new shape and turn. We certainly hope so. 'l'he democracy will be dissappointed if this unnatural and profitless war be not soon ended; it. is certain, however, that a clique of small Senators, whose members number not more than three or four, exists, who will not allow the distractions to be healed, until Douglas be killed off— if that be possible. There is no longer doubts entertained in intelligent circles in Washington, that this clique stand pledged to themselves first, that Douglas shall go out of the Democratic party, and if he will not do that, then to take his life in a duel, or degrade him in a personal encounter. The former of the contingencies desired by these political desperadoes will not, cannot happen; neither will the second; and the last will not as the result of any provocation from Senator Douglas.”