From the South, however, came little but eternal damnation. Southerners professed “astonishment” that the Illinoisian had turned against them. “Douglas was with us until the time of trial came,” said a Georgian, “then he deceived and betrayed us.” A South Carolinian lamented that “this defection of Douglas has done more than all else to shake my confidence in Northern men on the slavery issue, for I have long regarded him as one of our safest and most reliable friends.”
