The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-07


will subdue you; we intend to subjugate you"
Why2 Because you were sent there by Aid
Societies.
Now, sir, if the Aid Societies did wrong, punish
them but has not the honest settler who is liv-
ing on his claim the same rights with another
man, no matter by what agency he got there
Are you going to hang him for treason? Are
you going to hunt him out as you would wolf,
because he went on the boats cars of the Aid
Society, and thereby paid less price than if he
went there in any other way2 If man went
there bound by secret oath, taken beforehand,
that he would corrupt the ballot-box-that he
would force certain institutions upon the people,
and overthrow all that your bill promised, there
is not a word of disapprobation on your lips.
leave the world, with the light of the evidence,
to judge between the secret oath-bound society
under the command of the late Vice President
Atchison, Stringfellow, and company, and the
Massachusetts, Aid Society, composed of men OF
peace-men who have never meddled with your
institutions, but have only aided persons to get
to Kansas more easily and more cheaply than
they could have gone without such aid. leave
the people to judge between the two. From the
verdict of the Senate appeal to the people. A
great controversy is pending, which will decide
whether Slavery is to be propagated by iilegiti-
mate means-whether Freedom, going into your
Territories in innocence, is to be prescribed
That question is pending before the American
people. To them take an appeal from all your
arguments and votes here, and doubt not what
the result will be-
But, sir, l have not yet done with your Kan
sas-Nebraska bill. told you it was fraud.
Can prove it +? We shall see. After saying that
you left the people entirely free to fix their do
mestic institutions in their own way, you had
great trouble in adding the words, "subject only
to the Constitution of the United States" What
qualification, I ask the Senator from Illinois, did
he understand to be made in legal effect by the
addition of those words2 / ask the Senator to
answer me. Did he hold that the Constitution
of the United States, by its own vigor, carried
Slavery into the Territory, and rendered it legal
for STAKEHOLDER to take this species of property
there2 l again ask the Senator from Illinois
whether he understands that that was the case
Mr.. DOUGLAS. The Senator from Ohio has
been using such language, that l cannot go
into discussion with him. He has spoken of
" fraud" and premeditated fraud" in such d
manner that perceive the object is to get up a
controversy. do not intend to have a contro-
versy with him here to-day. Therefore he can
go on and finish his speech.
Mr.. WADE. Well, sir, the Senator called on
us, not great while ago, to be explicit as to
what our issue was l have been explicit as to
our issue. have told you what the "Black
of whom / am one, are contending
for. We intend above all other things, that you
shall not have another inch of territory any
where for Slavery, and especially not Kansas,
which you have attempted to steal. Now, when
call on the gentleman to be equally explicit,
he says that use Incorporate language. Per-
haps | do, for am impelled by considerable zeal
on this subject, because it has brought jeopardy
on our country. 1t is enough to stir the blood
of every man who has any love of country to see
how our liberties have been jeoparded by the
late course of things. The Senator from Illinois
refuses to tell me what he understood, as chair
man Of the Committee on Territories, was meant
by the insertion of the most material clause in
the Kansas-Nebraska hill. | know that many
gentlemen from the South held that no leglsla-
ton was wanted to enable them to take their
slaves into the Territories They held that the
institution gives the right, without legislation.
The Senator from Mississippi Mr.. Brown avow-
eddy held that doctrine. That Senator, in speech
delivered not long since, said it was unfortunate
that the law did not define particularly what
was the meaning of the language to which |
have alluded. know why it was not done. You
could not agree among yourselves about it.
Council after council was held on these very
words. Many Southern gentlemen said that Sla-
very carried to the Territories by force of the
Constitution; others held different doctrine
and you had to compromise by putting in the
words, Subject only to the Constitution Of the
United States" which overthrow the previous
clause about leaving the people perfectly free
to form their own institutions This specious
language calculated to tickle the ear of the peo-
pie, was entirely nullifed and overthrow by
the addendum, which you now refuse to explain.
The Senator from Mississippi, Mr.. Brown in
the speech to which have referred, said:
sin passing the Kansas BILL Congress- in my opinion,
committed one error and out of that has grown
much of the confusion and dscord which have since
distracted the inhabitants of the Territory II just
10 repeal the Missouri restriction; but il nnwse 10
leave the inhabitants of the Territory in doubt the
extent of their real powers 1t was grevous error rot
have defined precisely what meant by leaving the
people OF the Territory perfectly free TO form and regulate
their domestic institutions in their own way"
That declaration comes from no enemy of the
measure, but fast friend to it, but an honorable
man, who will not shrink from giving me his
views of the Constitution upon any matter con-
nected with this great controversy. have given
his opinion. Then l am justified in saying that
you failed to define what you meant on this most
important of sill subjects, You left in your dec
laration as a trap to catch men who knew Moth
ing of what You intended. ! knew it. There
was no Senator on the floor who did not under
stand perfectly well that that addition was ob-
tanned by great labor pain, and deliberation, and
in the minds of perhaps majority here annulled
to tickle the ears of the people. That stump
speech, which, as Mr.. Benton said, was injected
into the enacting clause ofyour law, was annulled
by this other clause, which those who were not
lawyers would not be likely to understand; and
to-day the Senator from Illinois cannot tell me
how he understands 1t,
l knew by another indication what was the
meaning of that. Nearly all of you went back
on the stump and said, 4" Is it not right for the
IL &c Al -
institutions in their own way? Who can object to
so reasonable proposition as that7 These Black
Republicans, however, waet to come in, and By
some arbitrary rule override the will of the peo-
pie in the Territories" And yet, you all knew
that that was not the understanding which was
attached to the very clause that you undertook
to palm off on them / shall not occupy time by
reading from the Journals of the Senate for / re-
member what took place on that occasion. My
then colleague, Mr.. Chase, in order to test yoilI
veracity on that subject, and your good faith in
that enactment, proposed to insert at the end Of
that clause this most reasonable proposition
pcridd That the Territorial Legislature shall have
power 10 exclude sayery In said Tsn1sorYn
The votes of all the friends of the bill stand re.
corded on the Journals against that proviso; and
yet you complain of me because speak freely on
this subject. You say the people were to be left
perfectly free; and yet, when the test came
~hsthet they should be free or not you voted il
down. This was like the apples of Sodom-fail
to the look, but as you approach them, and at
tempt to taste them, they turn to bitterness and
ashes.
Is this the way in which the American Senate
is to deal with the unsophisticated people of the
United States2 Yon pretended that you had nc
power to legisate at all for the Territories; thai
on-intervention was to rule; and, again, Mr.
Chase tested you by asking you to declare thai
the people should have the privilege of choosing
their own Governor, judges, and other officers
de offered an amendment for that purpose, 80 al
TO test your real views on the subject of non.
intervention; but you as promptly voted it down