The Yazoo Democrat., 1854-09-27
SPEECH OFJUDGE DOUGLAS AT
CHICAGO.

- 20 ft,sd,ross known az the Nebraska and
I<ansas not (Groams and checrs.1 at
anv fine to night make any statement
which Won will ask tic authority for, ! as
sure vou will make kind and respectful
response. (Cheers.) All want y to pre-
sent that measure in its true light, know
that considerable excitement exists ~ TINS
CITY respectin0 the measure, but J do Dot
know whether you have had any opportunity
to read the bill. TIE Whole press of TINS
city has denounced this measure, but never
till this day has any paper IN this city ever
published that act. You lave been told that
| the bill legislated slavery into territory now
free. by act of Congress. will read the l4tn lil
section Of the bill to you, by winch you VIII
see that the act itself declares that its true
intent and meaning is not to lcglslate Save
ry into any terTitoryt or to exclude IT there-
from, but to leave the people thereof Tree 10
regulate that subject for themselves. (Cheefs
and noise) It is perfectly consistent for
those who have denounced and slandered me
to seek to prevent me from being heard ~
my own behalf tremendous cheeilng.)
| say that / have been charged with legisla-
| ting slavery into free territory. ! say that
the bill leaves the American people in the
territory free to decide thatquestion for them
selves.
| A Yo1cE.-We knew that before.
Judge D.-If YOU knew that before then
YOU knew that the charge against me was
| false. (Great cheering.) The bill IS framed
on the great principle of the right OF the
people to regulate their own government.
l1Great noise wasshere made in the crowd, III
! terruptine him for some time.) When order
was restored Judge j.. resumed by saying
that the attempt to prevent him from speak
| ING indicated desire that the truth should
not be discussed. A good cause needed no
violence to defend it. lie said he knew his
/ rights and would not permit them TO be vio-
| lated lie knew that threats'of personal VI
olence had been made If be attempted TO
speak, or to offer any explanation. After
further confusion and remarks respecting IT
by the speaker, he read the 14th section OF
tie act, that slavery was not legislated INTO
or excluded from the territories. lie asked
was the correctness of that principle denied.
A VoIcE.-We deny it.
Judge D.-Then you deny the right OF
the people to selfgovernnent. That is the
Iprinciple of the Nebraska bill. The great
| objection you have is the repeal of the Mis-
souri, compromise. (Cries of yes, yes.) We'll;
what was the Missouri COMPROMISE II was
the prohibition of slavery north of line,
| and the recognition of slavery south Of that
line. Was there, he asked, man IN this
crowd in favor Of recognizing slavery south
| of any line 2 Tremendous cheel1ng) lie
would show that the abolitionists and free
soiers, in 1913, were pledged 70 the rer cal
of the Missouri Compromise: the candidate
who was on the Buffalo platform was pledg-
ed for the total prohibition OF slavery IN all
TIE territories of the United States, north and
r al. e bn.
whole abolition and free sell party who voted
for Van Baren in 1913, voted for the repeal
of the Missouri compromise. Having dispo-
sed of the free soilers and aboltionists, he
desired to give them company Tho whig
marty in ali the free States in 1913 werepledg-
ed to the Wilmot prov;so, aud the exclusion
of slavery in all the Territories. Consequent
" they, too, were in favor OF the repeal OF
the Missouri compromise. The whlg party
and tie free-soilers and abolitionists ali hay
mo been in favor Of its repeal in 1848, the
democratic party nominated Lewis Cass, who
had previously proclaimed that that compro-
mise was unconstitutional, and he received
the votes of the democratic party. Who,
then, in 184S, was in favor of the Missour;
compromise Not one of the crowd around
him. "a voice-Stephen A. Douglas. -
Well, then, said he, 1 was the only man in
Illinois in favor of the Missouri compromise
He said that in 1913 he had offered the Mis-
SQUIRT compromise as a settlement Of the sla-
very question, and 1T was resisted in the
House of Representatives by Northern votes.
A YoIcE-Why did you repeal it?
Judge D.-The reason for its repeal, he said,
was because it had been repudiated ly the
North, and new settlement was necessary.
lie said that in lieu of the Missouri ComprO
mise, was adopted principle Of allowing
the people to regulate their own institutions.
In 1850 the people of Chicago, by a unani-
NOUS vote Of the City Councils, endorsed the
principles Of the compromise measures of
1850. The Illinois Legislature endorsed the
principles of these measures, andin the House
of Representatives of the Legislature of Illi-
nois resolutions were adopted instructing him
to vote to apply the principle of these COM
promise measures to all future territorial gov
ernInent, on both sides of the line. That res
oution (which he ready was voted by all the
representatives, except four. Not represen-
tative from Cook county voted against it
lie did not understand the Justice Of the whig|
party, who voted or lodged on these resolu
tons of instruction, to complain of his obey
ing them. Afterfurther discussing this point,
Mr. Douglas continued his remarks. lie said
that IN answer to the question why he intro
duced the Nebraska bib, he did so because it
was right-because it was IN accordance with
the principles of the Compromise measures
of 1850, and because he had been instructed
to do so by the Legislature OF this State.--
He did SO because he desired the peoDls fo