Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-11-09
The Black and the White DouEIns.
SPEECH OF FRED. Douo1As AT CHICAGO.
[prom the CHICAGO Tribune oct. s1.l

ers in Metropolitan Hall this evening. You
| have come up here in obedience to a humane
and patriotic impulse, to consider of the re-
| quirements of patriotism and humanity, at an
| important crisis in the affairs of this nation.
| In this patriotic and holy purpose l hail
| your presence here with grateful, sincere and
heart felt pleasure. l am anxious to address
you on the great subject which has called you
together, and will do so-but circumstances
will justify me in saying few words first of a
personal nature.
nave the misfortune Of being deemed an
intruder by some ofyour fellow citizens. My
visit among you is thought to be untimely,
and to SAVIOR of impudence and the like. Up
ON this matter Ihave word to say in my own
defence. A man that will not defend himself
is not fit to defend good cause.
And first, ladies and gentlemen, am not
sure that visit on my part to Chicago would
at any time, afford those who are now COM
planning of me any special pleasure. But,
gentlemen, l am not ashamed of being called
an intruder. l have met it thousand times
i'll thousand different places, and am quite
| prepared to meet it now, and here, as have
met it at other times and in other places.
Every inch of ground occupied by the color
ed man in this country is sternly disputed.
| At the ballot box and at the altar-in the
|
| truder. He is, in fact, seldom welcome visi-
tor anywhere. Marvel not, therefore, if l
seem somewhat used to the charge of intru-
! siveness, and am not more embarrassed in
meeting it. Men have been known to get
used to conditions and objects which at the
first seemed utterly repulsive and insutferable.
| And so mayI.
One reason why l am not ashamed to be
| here is this l have a right to be here and a
duty to perform here. That right is consti-
tutional right, as well as natural right. 1t
belongs to every citizen of the United States.
1t belongs not less to the humblest than to the
| most exalted citizen. The genius of Ameri-
| can institutions knows no privileged class or
classes. The plebian and the (would-be) pa
trican stand here upon common level OF
equality, and the last man in the world who
should complain Of this is the earnest advocate
| of popular sovereignty.
have a right to come into this State to
prosecute any lawful business in lawful
manner. This is a natural right, and is a part
Of the supreme law of the land. By that law
the citizeus Of each State are the citizens Of
the United States, with rights alike and equal
in all the States. The only question of right
connected with my case here respects my citi-
zenship. If l am citizen, am clothed all
over with the star spangled banner, and de-
Tended by the American Constitution, in every
State of the American Union. The Constitu-
ton knows no man by the color Of his skin.
The men who made it were too noble for any
such limitation Of humanity and human rights,
The word white is modern term in the legis-
| lation OF this country. 1t was never used in
the better days of this republic, but has sprung
up within the period of our national degener-
! acy.
claim to be an American citizen. The
Constitution knows but two classes : firstly,
citizens. and secondly, aliens. am not an
alien and am, therefore, a citizen. am
moreover free citizen. Free, thank God
not only by the laws of the State in which
was born and brought up, but free by the laws
| of nature
1t has been given out, believe, by some
friends, and also by some of the enemies of
| the principles l am here to sustain, that have
come into this State TO confront in public de-
bate my distinguished namesake, the Hon.
Stephen A. Douglas.
Fellow citizens, / wish to disclaim so much
of this report'as eau possibly IMPLY the slight
est disrespect for the talents of your honora-
BILE senator. His fame as an orator, and as a
man of energy and perseverance, has not risen
higher anywhere than in my own Judgment.
He is man of the people. He came up from
among them, and that by the native energy of
his character and his manly industry. l am
ever pleased to see a man rise from among the
people. Every such man is prophetic Of the
good time coming. have watched him dur
ing the past winter, when apparently over
whelmed with learning and eloquence, rise
again, and with more than the tact and skill
of veteran, drive all before him. There is
perhaps, something in name, and that may
possibly explain the peculiar interest with
which have watched and contemplated the
fortunes of Mr.. 5. A. Douglas.
This feeling, think you will all admit, is
quite natural. No man likes to read in a
newspaper of the hanging of man bearing
his own name.
On the other hand, no man bearing the
name of Douglas would think less of his name
if this great nation should in the abundance
of its goodness, be pleased to place that name
in the scroll of its Presidents; and this, not
withsanding the trte saying, that a rose by
any other name would smell as sweet.
| But this time, the times bid us to have done
with names. Names have lost their signi6-
canoe in more ways than one-deeds, not
words, are the order Of the day; names are
valued as long as they are associated with hon
or, justice, and liberty and become execra-
BILE when associated with falsehood, treachery
and tyranny.
1t is alleged that l am come to this State to
insult Senator Douglass. Among gentlemen,
that is only an insult which is intended to be
| such, and disavow all such intention. | am
| not even here with the desire to meet in pub
lie debate, that gentleman. am here, pre-
cisely as / was i'll this State one year ago
with no other change in my relations to you,
| or to the great question of human freedom,
than time and circumstances have brought
about l shall deal with the subject in the
same spirit now, as then; approving such
! men and such measures as look to the securi-
ty of liberty in the land, aud with my whole
heart condemning all men and measures as
serve to subvert or endanger it.
The people, in whose cause come here to
night, are not among those whose right to
regulate their own domestic concerns is SO
feelingly aud eloquently commended for in GER
tain quarters. They have no Stephen Arnold
| Douglas no General Cass to contend at North
Market Hall Tor their popular sovereignty
They have no national purse, no offices, no
reputation with which to corrupt Congress, or
to tempt men. mighty in eloquence and influ-
ence into their service. Oh, no They have
nothing to commend them but their unadorn-
ed humanity. They are human-thats all
only hman. Nature owns them as human
| God owns them as human; but man owns
them as property, and only as property Ev-
| cry right of human nature, as such, is denied
them, they are dumb in their chains To
utter one groan, OF scream, for freedom, in
the presence of the southern advocate of pop
ular sovereignty, is to bring down the fright
full lash upon the quivering flesh. / know
this suffering people l am acquainted with
| fheir sorroxya I am ono with them in nxne-