Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1858-08-05

of State Rights, Of State Sovereignty,
of Personal Liberty and Personal Free.
dom. Uniformity is the parent of Des-
potism the world over, not only in politics,
but in religion. Wherever the doctrine OF
Uniformity is proclaimed, that all the
States must be free or all slave, that all
labor must be white or all black, that all
the citizens of the different States must
have the same privileges or be covered
by the same regulations, you have destroy
ed the greatest safeguard which our inst
tutions have thrown around the rights Of
the citizen. 'Bravo, and great applause. I
How could this uniformity be accom-.
plisbed if it was desirable and possible ?
There is but one mode in which it could
be obtained, and that must be BY abolish
ing the State Legislatures, blo,ting out
State sovereignty, merging the rights and
sovereignty Of the States in one consolida-
ted empire, and vesting Congress with the
plenary power to make all the police reg
ulations, domestic and local laws, uniform
throughout the limits Of the Republic
When you shall have done this you will
have uniformity. Then the States will all
be slave or all be free; then the negroes
will vote everywhere or nowhere then you
will have Maine liquor law in every State
or none; then you will have uniformity in
all things local and domestic by the au-
thority of the federal government. But
when you attain that uniformity you will
have converted these thirty two sovereign,
independent States into one consolidated
empire, with the uniformity Of disposition
reigning triumphant throughout the length
and breadth of the land. [Hear,' hear
bravo, and great applause.
From this view Of the case, nv friends.
am driven irresistibly to the conclusion
that diversity, diusimilarity, variety in all
our local and domestic institutions, is the
great safeguard of our liberties; and that
the trainers of our institutions were wise.
sagacious, and patriotic when they made
this government confederation Of sove.
reign States with Legislature for each,
and conferred upon each Legislature the
power to make all local and domestic in
s,itutions TO suit the people it represented,
, without interference from any other State
or free from the general Congress Of the
Union. If we expect to maintain our lib
critics we must preserve the rights and
sovereignty Of the States, we must main
| tain our liberties, we must maintain and
carry out that great principl~ of selEgov,
| ernment incorporated in the compromise
measures Of 1850; endorsed by the ILL.,
Dos Legislature in 1851; emphatically
embodied and carried out in the Kansas
Nebraska bill, and INDICATED this year by
the refusal TO bring Kansas into the Union
With Constitution distasteful to her peo-
pie. Cheers.
The other proposition discussed by Mr..
Lincoln in his speech consists in crusade
against the Supreme Court of the United
States on account of the Dred Scott deci>
sion. On this question. also, desire to
say to you unequivoeally, that take di-
rect and distinct issue with him. have
no warfare to make on the Supreme Court
of the United States, tbrayo1 either on
that account or any other decision which
they have pronounced from that bench
l"Good, good, and enthusiastic applause
The Constitution of the United States has
provided that the powers of government
land the Constitution of each State has
the same provision shall be divided into
three departments, executive, legislative
and judicial. The right and the province
of expounding the Constitution, and con-
structing the law, is vested in the judiciary
established by the Constitution. AS
lawyer, l feel at liberty to appear before
the court and controyert any principle Of
law while the question is pending before
the tribunal but when the decision is
made, my private opinion. yonr opinion,
and all other opinions must yield to the
majesty of that authoritative adjudication.
(Cries of at is right, good, good and
cheers.) l wish you to bear in mind tha,
this involves a great principle, upon which
our rights, and our liberty, and our proper.
ty al! depend. What security have you
for your property, for your reputation, and
for your personal rights, if the courts are
no, upheld, and their decisions respected
when once irml rendered BY the highest
tribunal known 10 the Constitution p
tCheers.) | do not choose, therefore, to
go into any argument with Mr.. Lincola in
reviewing the various decisions which the
Supreme Court has made, either upon the
bred Scott case, or any other. have no
idea OF appealing from the decision of the
Supreme Court upon constitutional ques.
ton to the decision OF tumultuous town
meeting. lCheers.) am aware that
once an eminent lawyer Of this city, now
no more, said that the State Of Illinois
had tho most perfect judicial system in
the world, subject to but one exception,
which could be cured by slight amend
ment, and that amendment was TO 30
change the law as to allow an appeal from
the decisions Of the Supreme Court Of Hi.
nois, on all constitutional questions, to two
Justices Of the Peace. (Great laughter
and applause.) My friend, Mr.. Lincoln,
who sits behind me, reminds me that that
was made when was Judge