Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1858-09-15
Judge Douglas and the Dred Scott Decision.
Extract from Judge Douglass Speech at Freeport,
August 27, 1883

Judge Douglas and the Dred Scott Decision.
August 81, 1883.
First: He [Lincoln] desires to know whether, if
the people OF Kansas shall form a constitution bv
means entirely proper and unobjectionable, and ask
for admission State before they have the requi-
site population for member of Congress, will vote
for the admission. Well, even regret exceedingly
that, when he put that interrogatory to me, he did
not first answer it himself instead of leaving us to
infer which side he was on Gentlemen, Mr. Trum-
bull during the last session of Congress- voted from
beginning to end, against the admission of Oregon
into the Union, although free State, because she
had not the requisite population. Mr.. Trumbull is
III the field fighting for Mr.. Lincoln would like
to have Mr.. Lincoln answer his own question, and
tell me whether he is fighting Trumbull on that is
sue or not, but will answer his questions. In my
opinion, whenever Kansas has people enough to con-
stitute slave State she has people enough for a
free State. | will not make any exception of Kan
sas to the other States of this Union. hold it to
be sound rule of universal application to require
Territories to contain the requisite population for
member of Congress before they come into the Union
l made that proposition in the Senate in 1856. I
renewed in the Senate during the last session. by
bill providing that Territory of the United
States should form constitution and apply to the
Union until it had the requisite population. Con-
gress did not adopt my general rule, requiring all
the Territories to have that amount of population
before they should come into the Union, but did
make an exception of Kansas and applied the rule to
Kansas alone. | will not stand by that exception.
[App!ause.] Either Kansas must come in as any
other State, with whatever population she may have,
or the rule must be applied to all the other States
alike. therefore answer at once, it having been
decided that Kansas has enough for slave State, l
hold that she has enough for free State. Zap
pause.] l hope Mr. Lincoln is satisfied on this
question. And now | would like to get his answer
to his own nterrogatory, whether he will vote to ad
nit Kansas before she has the requisite population.
I ,h1. b. Al.
sion of Oregon before she has the requisite popula
ton. Trumbnll won't. The same reason that COM
mts him against the admission Of Oregon commits
him against the admission of Kan sas and if there is
any sincerity truth in the argument Trumbull
made in the Senate against the admission of Oregon,
because she had not 90, ,420 people, although she
had more than Kansas it will apply as we'll to Kan
sas to Oregon. He stands by that argument,
pledged against Oregon and Kansas both coming
in until they have 90, ,420 inhabitants. would like
for Mr. Lincoln to take his own medicine. Laugh
ter | would ike him to answer his own question,
and then il he differs with Trumbull let him answer
Trumbulrs argument on the Oregon question: in
stead of poking his questions at me.
The next question Mr.. Lincoln propounded to me-
is "Can the people of Territory exclude slavery
from their limits by any fair means, before it comes
into the Union State" / answer emphatraly,
as Mr. Lincoln has heard me answer hundred times,
every stump in Illinois, that, in my opinion, the
people of Territory can by lawful means exclude
slavery before II comes IN as q state. lCneefS /
Mr. Lincoln knew that had given that answer over
and over again. He heard me argue the Nebraska
bill on that principle all over the State in 1S54-5
and 6, and he has now excuse to pretend to have
any doubt upon that subject. Whatever the Su-
preme Court may hereafter decide to the abstract
question of whether slavery may go in under the
constitution not the people of Territory have
the lawful means to admit it exclude it as they
please, for the that slavery cannot exist day
or an hour anywhere unless supported by local po.
lice regulations, furnishing remedies and means of
enforcing the right to hold slaves. Those local and
police regulations only be furnished by the local
legislature If the people OF the Territory are op-
posed to slavery they will elect members to the leg
slatnre who will adopt unfrendly legislation to it.
If they for it, they will adopt the legislative
what may be the decision of the Supreme Court on
that abstract question, still the right of the people to
make it slave Territory free Territory is per-
feet and complete under the Nebraska bill. hope
Mr.. Lincoln will deem my answer satisfactory on
this point.
In this connexion will notice the charge which
| he has renewed about the Chase amendment
| thought that had at Ottawa chased that amend
out of Mr.. Lincoln's brain, [laughter,] but it
seems that it still hauns his imagination, and he is
| not yet satisfied. had supposed that Mr. Lincoln
would be ashamed TO press that question further
! He is a lawyer; he has been member of Congress
! vet he has occupied your time and amused you BY
telling you about the rules Of parliamentary proceed
! ngs He ought to have known better than to have
tried to palm off that miserable humbug upon this
intelligent audience Now, the Nebraska bill pro
vided that the legislative power and authority o
the said territory should extend to all righfu sub
jects of legislation consistent with the organic Law
and the constitution of the United States. 1t dit
not make any exception of slavery but gave al! th'
power that it possible for Congress to give
without violating the constitution, to the terrtoria
legislature, with exception the subject OF slav
cry at ALL Hence that bill, in and by itself, gave t
the people of the territory the full power and tn
full authority the subject of slavery negativ
and affirmative, to introduce exclude, so Tar a
the constitution of the United States will permit
What more could Mr.. Chase give by bis amend
ment? Yet he offered his amendment for the ider
tical purpose that Mr.. Lincoln is using it for-to a
low demagogues in the country to try to deceive tn
peope His amendment was to this effect that tn
legislature should have the power to exclude slavery
: Gen. Cass suggested, "Why not give them the pow
er to introduce as well exclude slavery" Tn
answer was, they have already got the power in tn
bill to do both. Chase afraid his amendmer
would be adopted if he put in it the alternative
as to make it fair both ways, and he was not win
to have it adopted. He wanted it rejected He o
fered it simply to make capital out of it on tn
. stump, that the people mig ght be deceived IN puh'
meetings, at least that small politicians in the cou'
try might use it for this purpose, and Mr. Lincoln
t knows that that bill, without Chase's amendme1
gave all the power which the constitution of tt
United States would permit. Could you confer an
!. more? Could you 60 beyond the constitution
D the country? That bill made the full grant The
+ was no exception upon slavery one way or the ot
er. but we left that question, as we did all 9th
questions, to be decided by the people themselv
just as they please. will not occupy time on tn
n question have argued it before all over lllino
t have argued it in this beautiful city Of Freepor
have argued it at the North and at the South,
the East and in the West, avowing the same SEN
l. ments and the same position. l was not afraid
g avow nv sentiments up here for fear would
e trotted down into Egypt. Laughter.l