The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-15
WASHINGTON CITY, THURSDAY, JULY 15 1858
THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN IN ILLINOIS
SPEECH OF MR. DOUGLAS AT CHICAGO,
Delivered July 8, 1858.
(From the Chicago Preas aud rrIbansl


prom the Chicago aud Tribune
Mr. Douglas said : j find no language which can
adequately express to this vast assembly my profound
gratitude for the magnificent welcome which you have
extended to on this occasion This vast sea OF hui
faces indicates how deep an interest is felt by the
people in the great questions that agate the public mind
and underlie the foundations of free institutions
reception like this, enthusiastic that can
be the object of the enthusiasm clearly shows that there
is great principle which sinks deep into the human
heart and involves the rights and liberties OF whole
people.
What has brought you together with unanimty and
cordaity before excelled if equalled any
casons have not the vanity to believethat it is any
personal compliment to 1t is expression of your
devotion to that great principle of segovenment to
which my life for many has been and in the whole
of the future will be devoted II there Is any one
principle dearer and sacred than all others in free
governments is that which asserts the right OF every
people to form and adopt their fundainentsf m~s
and to manage and regulate their own internal affairs
ara domestic institutions.
When found an effort being made during the recent
session of Congress to force constitution upon the peo
pie of Kansas against their WILL and to force that State
into the Union with constitution which the people had
rejected by ten thousand majority, felt bound,
of hopor, representative OF Illinoisbound by
every consideration of duty, fidelity, and of patriotism
to resist to the utmost OF my power the consum-
nation of that fraud. We did resist it, and resist
ed 1t successfully, until the attempt abandoned
We forced them to refer that constitution back TO the
people of Kansas to be accepted rejected, they
should decide at election which is fixed for the first
Monday in August. 1t is true that the mode of refer
cnce and the form of Submission not such as
could sanction with my VOTE for the reason that it dis
crirnDated between free States and slave States
ding that If they came in with the Lecompton consttt
tion they could be received with $4,000 but If they
chose to demand another constitution consistent
with their sentiments and their feelings they should not
be received into the Union until they had 93 APO nhab
tants. [Cheers.
did not consider that mode of submission fair, for
free any election fraud upon the right sof the people
which holds out inducements for affirmative votes and
penalties for negative votes cheers but while was
not satisfied with the mode of submission while resist
cd that mode to the last, demanding fair just free
mode OF submission, still when the law passed it has
placed it within the power of the people of Kansas at
that election to reject the Lecompton constitution, and
then make out another in harmony with their opinions
and their principles instead do not believe that either
the penalties the one hand, the inducements on
the other going to force that people to accept
stituton to which they rreconcilably opposed All
can say is that if their votes be controlled by such
considerations, all the sympathy that has been expended
upon them has been misplaced and all the efforts made
in defence of their rights of segoyernment were made
in unworthy cause if they are to be influenced in
the result by these considerations.
Hence my friends, regard that Lecompton battle
having been fought and the victory won because the
rogant demand for the admission under the Lecompton
constitution Internationally whether the people wants it
or not was abandoned, and the principle which recog-
nses the right of the people to decide for themselves
substituted in its place. My friends, while devoted my
best energies all my energies mental and physical to
the vindcat of that great principle and while its
result has been such will enable that people to come
into the Union with such constitution they DESIRE
yet the credit Of this great moral victory is to DO dvf
among large number of men of various and different
political creeds. Cheers reoiced when found, in
this great contest the republican party coming up
fully snd sustaining the principle that the people of each
Territory when coming into the Union, had right to
decide for themselves whether slavery should or should
not exist within their limits
had seen the time when that principle was contro-
verted had seen the time when all parties did not
recognise the right of the people to have slavery Free
dom-to tolerate prohibit slavery they chosebut
this power claimed by the Congress of tho United
States to the exclusion of the decision of the people of
the Territory; and when found, upon the Cttenden-
Montgomery bill, the republicans and the Americans of
the North joining with and may say, too some glo-
rous American and old line wings from the South Zap
plause like Citenden and Bell Applause when saw
these gentlemen uniting with portion of the democracy
to carry out vindate the rights Of the people to de-
eide whether slavery should should not exist within
their limits was reoiced within my secret soul, for
an indication that the American people, when they
to understand the principle, would give it their
cordial support
Tho Crttenden bill was as fair, perfect exposition
of the doctrine Of popular sovereignty could be carried
out by any bill that devised, and it proposed
to refer the LcOmpton constitution back to the people
of Kansas with the right to accept reject it, they
pleased at fair election to be held in pursuance of law
and In the event tney IL
its stead then they became State under the constitution
of which they approved. The bill just in all its
provisions gave 1t my cordial support and was re-
oced when found that had passed the House of Rep
resentatives and for time entertained the hope that
it would have passed the Senate.
regard therefore, the great principle of popular SOW
eregny having been vindcated and made triumphant
in this land permanent rule of the public policy in
the organization of Territories and the admission of
States. Illinois took her position upon this principle
many years ago You will recollect when in 1885, after
the passage of the compromise measures of that year.
returned home that there great dissatisfaction at
my in supporting those measures. [Cry of
'shame'1 Iappeared before the people of Chicago at
| n mass meeting and made yndication of each and
every of those measures, and by reference to that
speech, which printed and circulated broadcast
throughout the State at that time, you will find that
there said these measures were all founded upon the
great principle that free people ought to possess the
right to form and regulate their domestic institutions in
their way, and while these things conferred by
the constitution upon the people of the States, l saw
why the principle should not be extended
to all the Territories of the United States.
general election held in this State few months
aerward at which all these questions thoroughly
canvassed and members instructed in regard to the
wishes of their constituents upon the measures When
that election the members assembled and
ceeded to consider the merits of these measures, and
what the result of their action They passed
lutions first repeating the Wilmot Provso instruction,
and in lieu of that they adopted another in which they
declared that the great principle which asserts the right
OF the people to make their own form of government
and establish their institutions is the brthrght Of
freemen the gift of Heaven and legacy from
no limitation on that right must hereafter be inserted in
apv Territories n Territory