The Feliciana Democrat., 1858-12-18
JUDGE DOUGLAS SPEECH.

N Preeidem and Citizens Of .lev Orlqns.--It was
with much hesitation aud no small de gree Of reiuc.
hnce that wa> induced to give my consent 70 addrcs.
yon on this occasion. | had jpst passed through 4
irlce conflict IN my own STATE, VII ch reg red M tU
perform more speaking than was e,thr agreeable 10
my wishes. or consistent with my own strength.
When determined to visit New Orleans it was only
on private business Of an imperative character; aud
y was my desire 70 arrive and depart az quietly a.
possible. and wi 'thput. in any way. connecting my
sell with politics When approached your city n |
supposed. nnherad and unknown, | was amazed al
The lnagb ltent reception which was extended 10 me
% the levee Of yogr magnificent city. by 80 vast
concoutsr Of people, by the mnnicpa authorities. by
tie c.th'n- II ther individual capacity by my own
political friends and by Ol all political purtieS.
This was a compliment which fill my h art with
gratitude and did not laye AT liberty To- decline
the irsl request you might make Of M in rttlrn.
haze therefore, yield to the solicitations address,
ed 10 me, 10 make few remarks on the political top
ie. which now ae'tet" the public mind throughout
the lrugl" aud breadth OF our glorious Republic.
And. moreover, have one qualification in yielding
TO the request d sire 10 know whether the princ.
pies. which ARE admitted to be sound and orthodox
IN the free Slar can pas current IN the slave States
So long as We live under common Constitution.
binding on tie people u all tine States. any political
creed which can not be proclaimed in Louisiana a.
boldly rs in Illinois, must be un-Ound and unsafe.
with The view Of testing this question shall not at
tempt To enter upon any views PROFOUND any orig
inal IDEAS, but simply discuss these Neutrality-suspicious..
~ lhr same way ~ have always done before an lii
nos audience The tendency Of events during the
past ti'te n years has baen to force the organization
Of pot cal parties on geographical basis, to array
the North against the South. cmD.tippng the south
against the Nnrth. ulder the m',apprehrnslon that
there i some ilroconceahle antNLOni,m between the
Interests ol the one ana the other which prevents bar
mony between them. For the last twenty-five years
have been in pu lie life fifteen years Of wheA
have been spent IN the Congress Of The United States.
and lDc whole ol my life has been devoted 10 the r-
corcly and elucdation ol com non ground on when
Northern aad soniherl mn might stand Oh terms d
equality nJd gsic". If yon will take pains 70 exam
Inc the history Of this sectional strife, you will find
that the whole contest hasarsan from nh attempt IN
the part Of the Federal Gnyrrnm mt 10 assume or Us
rp. II ynu will the exercise Of powers not conferred
by the fed raj constitution When this GOyerlIR At
was formed the contdemcv consisted Of thirteen
states twelve Of whicl were ,laveholang state wDiIe
one was what i called free state. OF course hld
the doctrine then prevailed which was proclaimed by
my opponent. Mr. Lincoln In Illinois. and by Mr. Sew
ard ~ New York, and lg the leaders ofthe Abolition
or Black Republican party throughout the North
the doctrine lhat uniformity in The domestic instn-
tiOnS OF the several states is npcrsary that house
divided against it,elrcan not stands that his Govern
ment, divided between free ,tnt"Sand slave states can
not endure that it must become all free pr all sliye
that II must be all be one thing or the other: what
do you suppose bad sGch doctrine prevailed when
Inc CONSTITUTION was MADE. Womb nave nttO we re-
suit? Suppose that Mr. Seward himself had been
member al TIE Convention which framed the Const-
tuition. and when the m'mfprs came to atiy he'r sig
natures to the instrument this doctrine ofunlorm y
bad been proclaimed, this doctrine that lhe dom site
institutions Of the several states must he the same
what would have been the effect? Would the one
FREQ state have outvOcA thetwave slave states? On
the contrary wonld not the twelve slave states have
ontyotcd the one FIRE" state and thus slavery have
been established in all the states forever by an ire
yoeahe provision Of the Constitution?
Why then was this not done! Simply hecanse the
sagcS who formed orr government had more at heart
the real principles Of civil liberty than the desire of
sectional power sectional advantage because they
wished to establish the principle that each State
should possess HE sOvere gn power OF legislation
its own domestic instituOns-to form them and mod
ly them to suit themselves retaining slavery so long
they might desire 10 retain it, and nhOlishing il
whenever they chose. This government was formed
on the principle Of State Rights and State Sovereign.
ty Ii is confcderacy Of sovereign and Independent
states, having certain common purpose, each retain
ing the right to manageits own affairs. and maintain
ing its own liberties inside Of its own jurisdiction
II is n fatal heresy to proclaim the doctrine thai
there ought to be or can b. uniformity among the
states OF this Union, as 10 their local and domestic
institutions Uniformity is neither possible nor desi
rable. Our fathers knew, when they made this Gov
ernment for so many different communities, that there
must necessarily be corresponding variety requiring
different laws and domestic institutions adapted to
the wants and characteristics Of each separate local.