St. Mary's beacon., 1858-07-22

We pnblishch on Saturday brief telegraph
ic account of the arrival and enthusiastic re-
ccptiun of the Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, at
Chicago, on Friday last. On being conducted
10 the Fremont House. Mr.. D. made an ad-
dress to the crowd, which is thus telegraphed
to the New York Herald:
Mr.. Douglas, after returning his thanks
for the magnificent reception, reviewed the ac-
tion Of the last c, ,,ngreSs on the Kansas bill.
He extolled the Critenden bill as honest, and
rs the very best proposition for the practical
illustration Of popular soveignty. He claimed
that the struggle with Lccomptonism was for
the integrity of principle. That struggle was
triumphant and Lecomrtorism was virtually
abandoned by It's friends and had been defeat
ell forever. He had opposed the English bill.
although practically j. sent back the constitu-
ton to be accepted or rejected by the people,
because the manner as well as the form Of Shat
submission was at variance with every Just
principle of popular government. 1t was sub
mission of the constitution to people, with the
threat that if they did not accept a slave
constitution, its $4,000 inhabitants should not
come in rs a free State until it had $4,000.
He could never countcnance such d discrini-
nation between free and slave States. The
hest enereics Of his mind had been several
years devoted to the great principle Of the
rights of the people of the Territories to frame
their own fundamental laws and he intended
to devote all his future life to the sa,nc doc
trinc. He contcndcd that the compromise
measures Of 1850 were founded on that princi-
ciple, and were carried out in the Kansas
Nebraska BILL He affirmed the Cincinnati
platform and re-affinned President Buchan-
ans inaugural. He regretted to see, however
not to acquieSce in this line Of policy. The
Republican Convention recently assembled at
Springfield nominated Mr. Lincoln as his
(Douglas) successor to the Senate, to repudi-
ate the doctrine of popular sovereignty. He
(Lincoln) proclaimed that Congress, and not
the people of the Territories. had the right to
establish the domestic institutions Of the Ter
ritorics Lincoln endorsed not only this doc
trine, but proclaimed line of policy which
was Incompatible with the existence Of the
Union, for he declared that the Union, divided
into an equal number Of free and slave States,
cannot endure. Mr. Douglas showed the
dangerous tendency of this doctrine, and said
that it invited and proclaimed war OF exter-
mination-onc section against the other He
regarded it as subversive Of the fundamental
principles upon which our complex system Of
government rested He denied that g unifor-
nifty of local policy and Of domestic institutions
in the different States was either desirable or
even p,Nsible; on the contrary, he held that
our political system rested upon the theory and
the practice of a diSSimilarity Of local pnlicy
and Of domestic institutions in The different
States Our forefatIers clearly perceived that
the kind Of domestic institutions which would
suit New Hampshire would be totally unfit for
the rice plantations of Carolina. Hence they
adopted constitution which provides that
esch State should be sovereign and supreme
within its own limits, on the suptUsition that
they would be as diversified as States as they
are numerous. Thus it would seem, the d.
versity and dissimilaFity Of the domestic insti-
buttons Of the sovereign States are the cardinal
principles underlying the whole system Of cur
government It's strength, harmony and
adaptation 90 all the wants and interests OF
the people ell GeteRtied Upon the right Of each
State 10 form and regulate it. own internal
policy withou. reference 20 its similarity on
dissimilarity 20 other States. Repeated uni
fBrn1ity is neither desirable nor possible. II
possible how can it be obtained There is
bsss one process through which 10 can possibly
be accomplished, and that would be % abol.
ish tlse State Legislatures, convert the govern
ment into enc great consolidated empire, in-
yextiEg Congress with fallS power 90 adopt
police regulations, FegaEase internal policy, and
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