The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-07-29

"We hold these truths to be self-evl-
dent, that all men are created equal
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are 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 Sover-
eighty. Loud applause. Who, then,
shall come in at this day and claim that
he invented it? Laughter and ap-
plause.
The Lecompton Constitution con-
meets itself with this question, for it is
in this matter of the Lecompton Con-
stitution that our friend, Judge Doug
las claims such vast credit, I-aeree
that in opposing the Lecompton Con-
stitution, so far as l can perceive, he
was right. [Good, good. do not
deny that at all; and, gentlemen, you will
readily see why I could not deny it,
even if wanted to. But do not wish
to; for all the Republicans in the ma
ton 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 he
did. Why, the reasoa that he urges
against that Constitution, 1 urged
against him a year before. have the
printed speech in my hand. The argu-
ment that he makes, why that Consti-
tuition should not be adopted, that the
people were not fairly represented nor
allowed to vote, / pointed out in a
speech year ago, which | hold in my
hand now, that no fair chance was to
DC given rne people. snail not waste
your time by trying to read it. Read
it, read it. Gentlemen reading from
speeches is very tedious business,
particularly for an old man who 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 this matter
of popular sovereignty and the Lecomp-
ton Constitution. The Lecompton
Constitution, as the Judge tells us, was
defeated. The defeat of it was a good
thing or it was not. He thinks the de-
feat of it was good thing, and so do
1, and we agree in that. Who defeated
it?
A voice--Judge Douglas.
MIR. Lincoln-Yes, he furnished him
self, and if you suppose he controlled
the other Democrats that went with
him. he furnished three votes in the
/ Senate, while the Republicans furnished
t,ce,aty. Applause.
That is what he did to defeat it. In
the House of Representatives he and
his friends furnished some twenty votes
and the Republicans furnished ninety
odd. Loud applause. Now who was
it that did the work?
A voice-Douglas.
Mr.. Lincoln-Why yes, Douglas did
it! To be sure he did.
Let us, however, put that proposition
onother way. The Republicans could
not have done it without Judge Doug
las. Could he have done it without
them? [Applause.] Which could
have come the nearest to doing it with
out the other? [Renewed applause.
"That's it." "that's it," "good, y
"good."
A voice-Who killed the bill?
Another voice-Douglas.
Mr.. Lincoln = Ground was taken
against it by the Republicans long be-
fore Douglas did it. The proportion Of
opposition to that measure is about five
to one.
A voice" Why didn't they come
out on it?'
Mr.. Lincoln-You don't know what
you are talking about, my friend.
am quite willing to answer any gentle
man in the crowd who asks an intelli
gent question. Great applause.
Now, who in all this country has evel
found any of our friends of Judge
Douglas way of thinking, and who
have acted on this main question, tha
has ever thought of uttering a word il
behalf of Judge Trumbull?
A voice-"We have"
f 1 defy you to show printed resolu
ton passed in a Democratic meeting
: take it upon myself to defy any mar
, to show printed resolution of Dem
J ocratic meeting, large or small, in favo
; of Judge Trumbull, or any of the fiv'
, to one Republicans who beat that bill
r Everything must be for the Democrats
t They did every thing, and the five t.
: one that really did the thing, they snul
f over, and do not seem to remembe
) that they have an existence upon tn,
face of the earth. Applause.
: Gentlemen, / fear that / shall be
! come tedious. "Go on, go on,"]
[ leave this branch of the subject to tax,
| hold of another. l take up that par
, of Judge Douglas speech in which h
respectfully attended to me. Laugh
| ter.
! Judge Douglas makes two point
upon my recent speech at Springfield
9 He says they are to be the issues O
t this campaign. The first one of thes
$ points he bases upon the language in
speech which / delivered at Spring
field, which / believe / can quote cor
: rectly from memory. ] said there tha
l Eve are now into the fifth year since
/ policy was instituted for the avowe,
e object and with the confident promis
f of putting an end to the slavery agita
e ton; under the operation of that poll
D cy, that agitation had only not ceased
: but has constantly augmented" r.
TUyr - -