Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-10-30
Great Douglas Dem onssrasioa In Mock
Island.


ing ever held in this vicinity convened yes
terday afternoon in Rock Island 10 listen t,
the announced speech Of Senator Douglas
The crowd numbered, we should Judge
from three thousand to thirty five hundred
persons. about one thousand of whom com
posed the delegation from Davenport Tn.
stage from which the address was delivered
and various other portions of the Cour,
House yard were decorated with banner:
and transparencies.
Among the inscriptions We noticed Pop
ular Sovereignty. state Rights and the
| Union forever "Grani Democratic fizzle
over the left 'the Union and the Constitu-
ton" "the Edgington boys o. X. for Doug.
las and the Union" etc, ETC. At half past
two o'clock Mr.. Douglas being introduced
by Mr.. Eggleston, President of the Douglas
Democratic Club of Rock Island, came for
ward and was received with three enthu-
siastics cheers. The Senator is evidently
much fatigued by the severe labor which he
has performed in the canvass.
The sprinking Of grey in his hair has be-
come much more noticeable he has lost
considerable flesh and appeared, in addition,
to be laboriDg under severe cold.
He commenced his address by announc-
ing that Mr.. Payne would speak in the
evening at the Court House and then pro
ceeded TO state that he disliked TO make
apologies for indisposition but that on this
occasion he might be obli ged to stop before
he had concluded what he wished TO saw, in
which case the meeting would be address
sed by Mr.. Payne and others. peculiar
fatality, he said, seemed to extend his visits
to Rock Island Some two years since he
remembered OF having addressed the citiz.
ems oi this place in pouring storm Of rain
and on the present occasion the day was by
no means pleasant.
After speaking in regard to the excite
ment, which existed upon political subjects,
he proceeded to say that lie had not the
vanity to suppose that it was all centred in
one person. 1t was, he believed, the prin-
ciples involved, and not the men.
Opposing political parties were, he be-
lieved, necessary to the well being republic
In the days of the old Wings and Democrats
each party was national in its principles
A Wing could proclaim his opinions as we'll
in the State of Tennessee as in any northern
State. His principles were national and be
trusted that those of the Democratic party
would always be so. 1t was not so with
the republicans They were a sectional
party and if, as they hope, they should elect
a President in lo60, they could not expect
to get one single electoral vote from any OF
the slave states. They have only one man
from the slave states in Congress, and that
was Frank Blair, of Missouri. who was
elected as Buchanan Democrat and after
his election turned about and voted for
Freu ont. Voice in the crowd, "no no, that
amt So
Mr. Douglas: ''One man says "no." Iii.
much better for a man when he does not
know what he is talking about. to keep his
mouth shut" Mr.. Blair was elected as a
Democrat, and ten days before the Presi-
Dental election came out for Fremont.
These republi cans pretended to fear
much from the growing power of the Slave
States, and to believe that there was danger
of their swallowing up the entire free
States. Was it true that slave States were
increasing in such fearful ratio When |
the Union was formed twelve out of thir- |
teen ofthe States were slave holding Stats.
since that time the free States had gradu. |
ally gone on increasing, until they now
have majority of the States, majority in |
Congress, and power to elect a President,
and ye. they talk of the fearful increase of
slave power.
After some further remarks, he proceed |
ed to attack the declaration of Lincoln at |
Springfield, that the Union could not exist |
in Its present condition-that all the States |
must be free or all slave, and that a house
divided against itself could never stand
This nation composed partly of free and
partly of slave Sta es, had progressed with
q rapidity unparalleled in the history of the
world, until it now occupied the proudest
position among civilized nations, and yet he
was told that it was house divided against
itself, and could not stand. What would |
have been the consequence if Lincoln had |
been present at the formation Of the Consti-
ton, and had succeed in convincing the
sages then assembled, of the truth of his
Suppose the South. which |
was then in tie majority, had then taken
ground against free territory, and declared
that no more free State should be admitted
into Union. What would the north have to
say to such piece of arrogance?
He the proceeded to expose Lincoln's
plan for the abolition OF slavery by hem
ming in the slave State by Gordon of free
States, and thus confining the slaves until
as the slaves increased in numbers and the |
land decreased in producsiveness, they
would all die of starvation. Lincoln was
opposed to slavery on grounds Of humanity,
and yet was in favor of destroying the in
stitution Of slavery by starving the slaves.
He then briefly defended the Dred Scott |
decision, saying that it simply decided that
a negro was not citizen, which had been |
done balsre by the people of Illinois, and |
by almost every State in the Union in the |
formation Of its Constitution.
After'some remarks in regard to the Will |
mot Proviso and the uniting opposition to
Henry Clay, which had been manifested by
Mr.. Lincoln, he proceeded to attack the
President. the Lecompton Bill and the