The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-08-07


one man, may take slaves into tcrritory,
and all the other mes Of the tcrritory NAV
be opposed to it, and yet, by reason of the
constitution, they cannot prohibit it. When
that Is 80, how much is left of this vast
matter OF Squatter Sovereignty, should
like to know?--( a voice )-ssit has all gone.''
When We get back, we get to the point of
the right of the people to make a constitu-
ton. Kansas was settled, for example, in
1854. 1t was Territory yet, without hav-
ing formed constitution, in very regu-
lar way for three years. All this time ne.
gro slavery could be taken in by any few in
dividnals, and by that decision of the Su-
preme Court, which the Judge approves, all
the rest of the people cannot keep it out;
but when they come to make constitution,
they may say they will not have Slavery
But it is there; they are obliged to tolerate
it IN some way, and all experience shows
that it will be so--for they will not take the
negro slaves and absolutely deprive the
owners Of them. All experience shows this
to be so. All that space Of time that runs
from the beginning Of the settlement of
the Territory until there is sufliciency of
people to make n State COnstitution-alI
that portion of time Popular Sovereignty is
given up. The seal is absolutely put down
upon 1t by the Court decision, and Judge
Douglas put his on the top Of that; yet he
is appealing to the people to give him vast
credit for his devotion to Popular Sovcr-
eignty. (Applause and cries of ssright;"
''good," ssgood.'D s... r.- .-:sl. ~ -. .. = = r
Again, when we get to the question. of
the right Of the people to form State con.
stitution rs they please, to form it. with
slavery-if that is anything new, confess |
don't know it.. Has there ever been n time
when any one said that anybody other than
the people of a Territory itself, should form
their constitution? What is new in it, that
Judge Douglas should have fought several
years of his life, and pledge himself to fight
all the remaining years of his life for? Can
Judge Douglas find anybody on earth that
said that anybody else should form con-
stitution for people? "a voice, "Ycs.")
Well, l should like YOU to name him;
should like to know who he was. (Same
voice-'John Calhoun.") ~.. .-a
Mr.. Lincoln-No, Sir, never heard Of
even John Calhoun saying snch a thing
lie insisted on the same principle as Judge
Douglas, but his mode of applying it in
fact, was wrong. 1t is enough for my pur-
pose to ask this crowd, when ever a Repub-
licaa said anything against it? They never
said anything against it, but they have con-
stantly spoken for it; and whoever will un-
dertake to examine the platform, and the
speeches Of responsible men of the party,
aud irresponsible men, too, if you please,
will be unable to find one word from any
body in the Republican ranks, opposed to
that Popular Sovereignty which Judge
Douglas thinks that he has invented. Zap
plause.] | suppose that Judge Douglas
will claim in little while, that he is the in
vcntor Of the idea that the people should
govern themselves; [chcers and laughter:
that nobody ever thought Of such thing,
until he brought it forward. We do re-
member, that in that old Declaration of In
dependence, it is said that ''We hold these
truths to be sclf-evident that all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain inalicnable rights;
that among these, nre life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; that to secure these
rights, governments are instituted among
men, deriving their just powers from the
consent Of the governed There is the
origin of Popular Sovereignty. Loud ap-
piause. Who then, shall come in at this
day and claim that he invented it? Laugh
ter and applause.] .-r .- -...-
.xcoAPToN CONSTITUTIONS.
The Lccompton Constitution connects
itself with this question, for it is in this mat
ter of the Lecompton Constitution that my
it. agree that in opposing the Lecompton
right. ("Good," ''good.'] do not deny
that at all; and gentlemen, you will readily
see why could not deny it, even it want
cd to. But do not wish to; for all the
Republicans in the nation opposed it, and
they would have opposed it just as much
without Judge Douglas aid, as with it.
They had all taken ground against it long
before hsd did. Why, the reason that he
urges against that Constitution, | urged
against him year before. have the print
cd speech in my hand. The argument that
he makes, why that Constitution should not
be adopted, that the people were not fairly
represented nor allowed to vote. l pointed
out in speech year ago, which l hold in
nv hand now, that no fair chance was to be
given to the people. [''Read it," ''read
til / shall not waste your time by trying
to read it. [.'Read it," ''read it."l Gem
tlemcn, reading from speeches is a very te-
dous business, particular v for an old man
that has to put on spectacles, and the more
SO if the man be SO tall that he has to bend
over to the light. Laughter.
A little more, now, As to tho matter OF
popular sovereignty aud the Lecompton
Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution,
The defeat of it was a good thing or it was
not. He thinks the defeat of it Was good
thing and so do l, and We agree in that
Who defeated it?
A yOiee-Judsc Douglas.
Mr., Lincoln-Yes, he furnished himself,
and if you suppose he controlled the other
Democrats that went with him, he furnished
three votes, while the Republicans furnished
treniy. Applause.
That is what he did to defeat it. In the
House of Representatives he and his friends
furnished some twenty votes and the Re
publicans furnished ninety odd. Loud
anplause.1 Now who was it that did the
work?
A voice-Douglas.
Mr.. Lincoln-lyhy yes, Douglas did it !
10 be sure he did.
Let us, however, put the proposition an
other way. The Republicans could not
have done it without Judge Douglas. Could
he have uOnC IL WltuOuS thohi' l-APP''".S' J
Which could have come the nearest to doing
It without the other? [Renewed applause.
ssThat's it, "that's it," ''good," "good."
A voicc-Nho killed the bill ...-
Another -voice-Douglas. .
Mr.. Lncoln-Ground was taken against
it by the Republicans long before Douglas
did it. The proportion of opposition to
that measure is about FIVE to one.
A voicc-"Why didn't they come out on
t?'' --.s
Mr.. Lincolu-You don't know what you
are talking about, my friend. | am quite
willing to answer any gentleman in the crowd
who asks an intelligent question. lGreat
Row, who in all this country has ever
found any of our friends of Judge Douglas
way of thinking, and who have acted n1pon.
til S main question, that has ever thought OF
utterins word in behalf of Judge Trum-
bull? A yoice-sswe have" l defy you
to show a printed resolution passed in !, q
Democratic mccting-I take it upon myself
TO DEFY any man to show printed rcsolu-
ton of Democratic meeting, large or small,
in favor of Judge Trumbull, or any OF the
Eve to one Republicans, who beat that bill.