Lowell (MA) Citizen & News, “Kellogg on Douglas,” March 17, 1860

KELLOGG ON DOUGLAS. Mr. Kellogg, the republican member from the Illinois fourth district, has been devoting an hour or so of congressional time to matters somewhat personal. After attending to an offensive paragraph in a New York paper, he proceeded to arraign sundry members of republican faith for untoward expression of sympathy for Judge Douglas whilst in the hottest of his fight against the administration on the Lecompton business. Mr Kellogg more than intimates that republicans visited Mr Douglas and talked with him in his parlor. Nor is this denied. But Mr Kellogg should remember that then Mr Douglas was shunned by his own partizans [partisans] in the senate. Of the democrats in that body his sole sympathizer was Broderick of California. It was only proper that in such a case the republicans should visit him in his affliction. It will hardly do to adopt the rule of ignoring the emenities [amenities] of social life among politicians of variant faith. The curse of our times is, that we have too much of this spirit in vogue, both in public and private life.

Socially, Mr Douglas is one of the most congenial men extant. No man loves a joke better than he. And his manners have improved unmistakably since his conquest of the belle of the federal city. If all the black republicans who call at the senator’s quarters are to be cut off, Mr Kellogg’s party will find itself without a quorum.

Mr Kellogg, we observe, made some rather curious statements in his speech on Tuesday. He said “Mr Covode had stated to him that Mr Douglas came into this hall and asked him to go to Trumbull and induce him to persuade the republicans of Illinois to consent to his return to the senate, that he might remain here and fight the administration; and that he was yet a young man, and would fight the republican battles in 1860.”