Washington sentinel., 1854-04-11
Wastingtnn gsutinsl.
LErrER OF SENATOR DOUGLAS,
LETTER OF SENATOR DOUGIHs'
VINDIcATNG HIS CHARACTER AND HIS POSI-
TIoN ON THE NEBRASKA BILL AGAINST THE
ASSAULTS CONTAINED IN THE PROCEEDINGS
A PUBLIC MEETING
Composed of Tpenty:fre Clergynen IN the
city Of Chicago.
pIrpIIC MEETING
WASHINGTON, April 6, 1854.


inps Of the public meeting composed of twenty
Eve clergymen of the city of Chicago opposed
to the Nebraska bill. These proceedings con-
sist OF a protest in the name Of Almighty
God" against the passage of the Nebraska bill
and signed by yourselves as citizens aud as
ministers of the Gospel Of Jesus Christi and
also Of four resolutions, which are stated to
have been adopted with but one dissenting
voice. The last of these resolutions is as fol-
lows:
"4th. That in the debate recently held in the
Senate Of the United States upon the presenta-
ton Of the memorial of the clergy of New Eng
land, we greatly deplore the apparent wan. Of
courtesy and reverence towards man and God,
manifest especially in the speeches OF the sena-
tors from Illinois and Indiana; and that we regard
the whole tone and spirit of that debate, on the
part OF the opponents OF said memorial, an
outrage upon the privileges Of large and respec-
table body Of citizens, upon the dignity of the
Senate, and upon the claims Of the divine name,
word, and institutions, 10 which we owe pro-
toundest honor and reverence"
Here am distinctly and especially" charged
with the apparent want of courtesy and rev.
erence towards man and God, in the perform
ance of my public duties in the Senate. This
is grave charge, whether preferred against
private individual or public man, and one
which should not have been made recklessly
and without sufficient authority. IF unsup-
ported by evidence and contradicted by the re-
cords, its enormity is greatly aggravated by the
startling fact that it emanates from ministers
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" protesting to
speak in the name of Almighty God" and
by his authority. When you shall read that
debate carefully, you will be surprised at the
injustice you have done me by attributing to
me the language which found it necessary
to quote, for the purpose Of comment, from the
protest signed by the three thousand and fifty
clergymen of New England. agree that the
language quoted was wanting in courtesy and
reverence to man and God,n and it was for
that reason that | called the attention Of the
Senate and the country to the astounding fact
that any body Of men, calling themselves cler-
gymen, or by any other name, in this age and
in this country, would presume to claim that
they were authorized by the Almighty, and in
his name, to pronounce an authoritative judg-
ment upon political question pending before
the Congress Of the United States If you had
attributed this language to its true authors
and directed your censure against them, in
stead of me, who but, quoted to expose it,
should have united with you in saying that it
did manifest an apparent want of courtesy"
to the Senate and reverence to God"
In the latter clause of the same resolution,
you also say:
That we regard the whole tone and spirit Of
that debate on the part of the opponents of said
memorial, as an outrage upon the privileges Of a
large and respectable body Of citizens" &c.
And in the third resolution, you say:
That, in our Office as ministers, we have lost
none OF our prerogaiiyes nor escaped our respon-
sibil'ties as citizens" &c.
1t Is your obvious intention in these two res
olutions to convey the impression to the world
and induce the public TO believe that /, and
those senator's who participated 18th me in the
debate referred to, denied to the signers Of that
protest their right .as citizens in consequence
of their profession as " clergymen."
Unwilling as | am to believe that you, rs the
professed ministers of Jesus Christ, assembled
in His holy name, could deliberately put forth o
charge so unjust and unfounded, yet am una
BILE to put any other construction upon you
language, or to conceive of any other objec
you could have had in passing these resolutions
In vindication of nay own character agains
the aspersions which you have so unustly cas-
upon it, yon must permit me to say to you, will
the most profound respect for your Office al
ministers that, if you had read the debate
yourselves before you pronounced judgment
upon it. instead Of following the lead of an un
that the charge in any of its forms, and in all its
length and breadth, was wickedly and wanton
ly untrue. So far from denying to the clergy
of New England, or of any other portion Of
this country, any Of their rights . as citizens,
and so far from questioning their undoubted
right to petition, protest, or demonstrate, in re
spect, to any measure coming or pending before
Congress III the same manner, and by the sam,
authority as other citizens under the Constitu
ton, the debate shows that each and ever,
senator against whom you have preferred THU
grave charge distinctly and expressly recog
nised and affirmed such right. In order t
render my yindication complete, and TO disa
buse you of the error into which you have fal
len-for, in your case, it must be error merely
proceed to establish this position by extract
from the debate, as it appears in the Congress
ional Globe, and republished in pamphlet form
at the abolition establishment in this city. A
page IL of that pamphlet, you will find tha
Mr.. DoUGLAs said:
The senator from Texas says the people hav,
right to petition. / do not question ii. do no
trish to aprrs ministers of The Gospel of that right
do not acknowledge that there is any member
of this body who has higher respect and vener
alton either for minister of the Gospel or for hi.
holy calling than have but my respect is for him
an has calling. will not controvert what the sen
ing perhaps, no body Of men in this country three
thousand in number, who combine more respect
ability than these clergymen."
Permit me to inquire of you, reverend gen
tlemen, whether you had read my speech, and
particularly this portion of it, when you charged
me with committing,.in that debate, ian out
rage upon the privileges Of a large and respect
able body of citizens" referring to the clergy
men who had signed that protest, and when
in another resolution, you charged me and
others, by implication, with the design of de
priving you of your prerogatives as citizens,
on account of your "office as ministers!"
now call on you, "as ministers of the Cos
pei Of Jesus Christ, Hns citizens" and as hon
est men, who are under high moral and rel
gious obligation TO speak the truth and to d
justice to all men, to withdraw this charge, an
make an open and public confession of the il
justice you have done me!
Again, in your resolutions, you do not col
fine your censure to myself, but you extend
to Senators Mason, Butler, Petit, Adams, an
Badger including all who participated in tho