The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-10-06
Stephen a. Douglas before Missourian:

wing of the Court House, TO crowd of
some two or three thousand pefsons.-
The fame of the Little Giant had pieeed-
ed him many days, and much curioaity
was manifested to see and hear him.
He is, as always represented, little
man, with a blg head, and a tolerable dis
play of abdominal rotundity. His face
bespeaks no particular refinement or In
tellectuality, nor does his presentation in
any respect convey any impression of the
terror or senatorial might which he has
at certain periods excited in certain por-
tions of the country.
He began his remarks to thevery good
natured and curious crowd, by discuss
ing fanatacism as developed by the pas
sage of the Fugitive Slave Law, and
denouncing The men of the North who
pronounced the measure unconstitution-
al. The Fugitive Slave Law was con
stitutional, and should be enforced and
obeyed. He then passed to a discussion
of the principles embraced within the
Kausas-Nebraska bill, and dwelt some
time upon the position that Congress had
no right to interfere with the local laws
of the States or Territories.
He had been requested by note
handed him from the crowd, to give
his views upon the late Kansas troubles,
and what he thought of the interference
of the Missourians in the elections in
that Territory. He said he had been
asked that question in Illinois as well as
here. He would answer it here in the
same manner he did there. He was op-
posed to any interference on the part of
any State or people with the internal reg
ulations of the Territory, but while he
was ready to declaim against the wrongs
committed by Missourians, he was open
to denounce in unsparing terms the cru
sades against slavery, undertaken by reg
ular organized societies in Massachusetts,,
who had marched through Chicago with
banners and devices, and travelled up the
Missouri river into Kansas, with the sole
intention of making it free State.
The speaker in this portion of his re-
marks displayed the cunning politician
most unmistakably. Heinveighed against
both the acts of Massachusetts, and Mis-
souri,, but dwelt in such violent terms up
on the acts of the former State that the
ohtrages of the latter seemed as nothing
in the scale between the two. thereby ao-
complishing what he had designed-hat-
terry of the South. He made special and
bitter alhusion 10 certain body of men
who passed through the North into Kan
sas and became actual settlers, but had
nothing to say against Davy Atchison and
his followers, who crossed the borders,
and with pistols and bowie knives, made
a foray upon the rights of the people at
their elections, and then retired to their
homes again to gloat and boast over the
lawless victory. The Little Giant is too
careful of hurting Davy's feelings. 1t
would look bad to see such old friends
and co-workers in Congressional villain
les abuse one another. Verify, there is
honesty among rogues.
After long discussion of the rights OF
Kansas, and the wrongs committed by
nearly everybody else but himself, in re-
gard to these rights, he went into phil
lippic upon Know-Nothingism. A large
part of the southern midnight order
had been cheering tremendously during
the evening; but as the speaker took his
position and denounced their principles
so wholesaledly, their 'hurrahs subsided
somewhat, and the anti-Know-N Nothings
were observed to "giye forth now and
then.
The views of Stephen A. Douglas up
on Know Nothingism, have no novelty
or peculiar force to recommend them.-
They are what have appeared, and been
discussed thousand times over, by the
public journals and speakers of the day.
They were all well enough repeated, and
well enough received.
During the course of his anti-Know
Nothing remarks, he was interrogated
pretty nicely BY the ''sore ones OF the
crowd.
Some of the questions seemed to irri-
tate him, and at one time in a fit of hatred
toward the people of Illinois, who have
SO widely repudiated him and his actions,
he exclaimed that ''There pere A6olitoR-
ISIS and hnoaO Nothings enough IN the
city Of Chicago to 0ioiote eserv principle
Of the Constitution ot'tte United States. -
We commend the compliment TO our
Lake City neighbors.
We lett the crowd as the Little Giant
was about making his peroration, de-
nouncing fanaticism and all the other
isms of the day, and exhorting the peo-
pie to stand by the Constitution. The
entire speech was a disappointment The
speaker has loud voice, but a labored
delivery. We waited for some fine ora
torical displays, commensurate with the
widely bruited stories of his superior ell
oquence, but not one single sentiment nor
harmonious period fell upon eur ear. We
listened to hear arguments of a specious
kind at least, but were disappointed. All
we did see and hear, was little man,
dressed in black dress coat, black era
vat, white vest, and white breeches, har-
ing his hair slightly fuzzed, standing be-
hind three glass lanterns placed On a Ia
bic, delivering himself with loud voice
and slow accent, shaking his head and
| fore finger when desirous of being en-
phatic, aud endeavoring by all the non
committal cunning OF the mere politician
to make believe that he was great
statesmanof large and fundamental views.
and aetuated by no other desire than love
for the Constitution and his country. He
failed. He was only positive on one
thing. and that. his opposition to Know
Nothingism. This amounted to nothing
for, the party is dead. He delivered a
philippe against it-he might more ap-
propriately have pronounced an eulogy
upon it. His chief aim was to datter
j :. =. = : !.