Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-12-15
Speech of Hon. S. A. Douglas,
On that portion Of the Presidents Message re-
latina to Kanzas.

/ 'eig AOhSs VIC OiHtt tuat Pelt Va ~ W saw 'i'0
room.
After introducing the subject, Mr.. Douglas
| spoke as follows:
The President. after expressing his regret,
and modification, and disappointment. that
the constitution had not been submitted to the
people, in pursuance Of his instructions to
Governor Walker, and in pursuance of Gov
ernor Walkers assurances to the people, says,
however, that by the KanEas- Nebraska act
the slavery question only was required to be
referred to the people, aud the remainder of
the constitution was not thus required to be
submitted. He acknowledges that, as a gen.
eral rule, on general principles, the whole
constitution should be submitted but accord
ing to his understanding OF the organic act of
KanEas, there was an imperative obligation to
submit the slavery question for their approval
or disapproval, but no obligation to submit
the entire constitution. In other words, he
regards the organic act, the Nebraska bill, as
having made an exception of the slavery
clause. and provided for the disposition of that
question in a mode different from that in
which other domestic or local, as contra dis
tinguishsd from federal questions, should be
decided. Sir, permit me to say, with pro-
found respect for the President of the United
has committed Fundamental error, an error
which lies at the foundation of his whole ar
gument on this matter. l can well under
stand how that distinguished statesman came
to fall into this error. He was not in the
oouRtry at the time the Nebraska bill was
passed he was not patty to the controver-
sv and the discussion that took place during
its passage. He was then representing the
honor and the dignity of the country with
great wisdom and distinction at foreign
court. Thus deeply engrossed, his whole
energies were absorbed in conducting great
diplomatic questions that diverted his atten-
ton from the mere territorial questions and
discussions then going on in the Senate and
House of Representatives, and before the peo-
pie at home. Under these circumstances he
may well have fallen into an error, radical
and fundamental as it is, in regard to the OBJ
ject of the Nebraska bill and the principles
asserted in it.
Now, sir, what was the principle enuncia-
ted by the au hors and supporters of that bill
when it was brought forward Did we not
come before the country and say that we re-
pealed the Missouri restriction for the purpose
of substituting and carrying out as a general
rule the great principle of self.government,
which left the people of each State and each
nestle Institutions in their own way, subject
only to the constitution of the United States
In support of that proposition, it was argued
here, and have argued it wherever l have
spoken in various States of the Union, at home
and abroad, everywhere, l have endeavored to
prove that there was no reason why an ex-
cepiion should be made in regard to the slave
ry question. have appealed to the people if
we did not all agree, men of all parties, that
all other local and domestic questions should
be submitted to the people. | said to them,
owe agree that the people shall decide for
themselves what kind of judiciary system
they will have; we agree that the people
shall decide what kind of school system they
will establish we agree that the people shall
determine for themselves what kind of a bank
ing system they will have, or whether they
will have any banks at all we agree that the
people may decide Tor themselves what shall
be the elective franchise N their respective
States they shall decide for themselves what
shall be the rule of taxation and the princi-
pies upon which their finance shall be regula-
ted +; we agree that they may decide for them
selves the relations between husband and
wife, parent aud child, guardian and ward !;
and why should we not, then, allow them to
decide for themselves the relations between
AAoobOA nh0 oSANoAb W ny AudhO all SAC6p-
ton Of the slavery question by taking it out
of that great rule of self government which
applies to all the other relations OF life p The
very first proposition in the Nebraska bill was
to show that the Missouri restriction, prohib-
iting the people from deciding the slavery
question for themselves, constituted an ex.
ception to a general rule, in violation of the
principle of self government, and hence, that
that exception should be repealed, and the
slavery question, like all other questionssub-
mitted to the people, to be decided for them
selves.
Sir, what was the principle on which the
Nebraska bill was defended by its friends
Instead of making the slavery question an ex-
ception, it removed an odious exception which
before existed, Its whole object was to abol-
ish that odious objection, and make the rule
general, universal. in its application to all
matters which were local and domestic, and
not national or federal. For this reason was
the language employed which the President
has quoted, that the 9Th section of the Mis-
souri, act, commonly called the Missouri Com
promise, was repealed because it was repug-
nant TO the principle of non. intervention es-
tablished by the compromise measures of
1853, sit being the true intent and meaning
Of this act not to legislate slavery into any
Territory or State, nor to excludeit therefrom
but to leave the people thereof perfectly free
to form aud regulate their domestic institu
tons in their own way, subject only to the
Constitution of the United States We re-
pealed the Missouri restriction because that
was confined to slavery. That was the only
exception there was to the general principle
of self government. That exception was
taken away for the avowed and express pur-
pose of making the rule of self government
geneaal and universal, so that the people
should form and regulate their domestic insti
buttons in their own way.
Sir, what would this boosted principle of
popular sovereignty be worth, if it applied
only to the negro, and did not extend to the
white mans Do you think we could have
| aroused the sympathies and the patriotism Of
| tlAis broad RSpnhlin. and have carried the
Presidential election last year in the face Of
tremendous opposition, on the principle Of
extending the right of self government to the
negro question, but denying it to all the rela.
| tons affecting white men. No, Sir. We
aroused the patriotism of the country and
carried the election in defense of that great
/ principle, which allowed oil white men to
form and regulate their domestic institutions
| to suit MISREPRESENTATION applicable to
white men as well as to black men-lnstitu.
tions applicable to ireemen as well as to slaves
institutions concerning all the relations Of
| life, and not the mere paltry exception of the
| slavery question. Sir, have spent too much
strength and breath, and money, too, to es.
tablish this great principle in the popular
heart, now to see it FILTERED away by bring
ing it down to an exception that applies to
the negro and does not extend to the benefit