The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-09-25
Speech of Senator Douglas,
At JONESBORO. rH2
Wednesday, September, 18th, 1858.

UedneSddy, OepteW0eT l0M, 1905.
LADIES AND GENrLExES:-I appear lbefor,
you to-day in pursuance ofa previous no
tice, and have made arrangements with Mr.
Lincoln to divide time and discuss with hiu
the leading political topics that now agitats
the country. vae -se 4.7
Prior to 1854 this county was divided
into two great political parties known q,
Wing and Democratic. These parties diff.
fired from each other on certain questions
which were then deemed to be important to
the best interest of the republic. Wings
and democrats differed about bank, the
tariff distribution, the specie circular and
the sub-treasury. On those issues We went
before the country and discussed the prin-
ciples, objects and measures of the two
great parties Each Of the parties could
proclaim its principles in Louisiana a. we'll
as in Massachusetts,, in Kentucky as well as
in Illinois. Since that perioda great revo-
ttion has taken place in the formation of
parties. by which they now seem to be d.
vided by geogra2 2hical line, . large party
in the north being arrayed under the aboli-
tion or Republican banner, in hostility to
the southern states, southern people and
southern institutions. II becomes impor-
tant for US to inquire how this transforma.
tion Of parties has occurred, made from
those Of national principles to geographical
factions. You remember that in 1850, this
country was ag;ta,ed from it's centre to its
circumference about this slavery question,
1t became necessary for the leaders Of the
great whig party and the leaders of the
great Democratic party to postpone. for the
time being, their particular disputes and
unite first to save the Union, before they
should quarrel as to the mode in which it
was 20 be governed. During the congress
of ls49, so, Henry Clay was the leader OF
the Union men, supported by Cass and
Webster and the leaders Of the democracy
and the leaders of the Wings, in opposition
TO northern abolitonists or southern disun-
ionists The great contest Of 1850 resulted
in the establishment OF the establishment
Of the compromise measure of that year,
which measures rested on the great princi-
pie that the people Of each state and each
territory Of this Union ought to be permit
ted to regulate their own domestic institu-
tions in their own way subject to no other
than that which the Federal Con-
stitu,ion imposes.
now wish to ask you whether tina. prin-
ciple was right or wrong which guaranteed
to every state and every community the
right to form and regulate their domestic
to suit themselves. These meas
urcs were adopted, as have previously said.
by the joint action Of the Union Democrats
and union wings. in opposition to northern
and southern disunionists In
1855, when the whis party assembled at
Baltimore, in national convention for the
last time. they adopted the principle of the
compromise measures Of 1850 as their rule
oil party action in the failure. One month
theF CATER, the democrats assembled at the
same place to nominate a candidate for Pres
idency, and declared the same great prin-
cipls as the rule OF action by which the de-
mocracy would be governed. The presiden-
tial election of 1852 was fought or that ba-
sis. Ii is true, the wings claimed special
merit for the adoption Of those measures,
because they asserted that their great Cley
originated them, their Godlik Webster de-
feuded them, and their Fillmore signed the
bill making them them the law Of the land;
but on the other hand the democrats claimed
special credit for the demsc~cy, upon the
ground that we gave twice as many votes in
both Houses of Congress for the passage of
these measures as the whig party.
Thus you see that in the Presidential cleo
tion of 1852, the wings were pledged BY
their platform and their candidate to the
principle of compromise measures Of 1850,
and the democracy were likewise pledged
by our principles, our platform, and our can
didate to the same line Of policy to preserve
peace and quiet between the different sec
tons Of our Union. Since that period the
whig party has been transformed into Sec
tional. under the name Of a Republican par
ty, whilst the democratic party continues
the same nation al party it was at that day.
All sectional men, all men Of abolition SEN
timents and principles. no meter whether
they were old abolitionists or had been
wings or democrats. rally under the section
al republican hammer, and consequently all
national men, al! union loving men, wheth-
er wings, democrats, or by whatever name
they may have been known, ought to rally
under the stars and stripes in defence Of the
constitution, as our fathers made it, and Of
the Unior as it has existed under the con-
stitution. .-
How has thi: departure from the faith Of
the democracy and the faith Of the whig
party been accomplished? In 1854, certain
restless, ambitious, and disappointed poll
ticians throughout the land took advantage
of the temporary excitement created by the
Nebraska bill to try and dissolve the old
whig party and the old democratic party, to
bound hand and foot, csptives into the abo-
Etion camp. In the state OF New-York =
convention was held by some of these men
and platform adopted, every plank ofwhich
was as black as night, each one relating to
the negro, and not one referring to the in
terests CT the white man. That example
was followed throughout the northern states
the effect being made to combine all the
Free States in hostile array against the slave
states. The men who thus thought that
the could build up a great sectional party,
and through its organization control the po-
li,ical des,inies of this country, bassed all
their hopes on the single fact that the north
Was the stronger division of the nation. and
hence, il the north could be combined
against the south, q sure victory awaited
their efforts. arm doing no more than JUS
tice to the truth Of history when say that
in this State Abraham Lincoln, on behalf Of
the wings, and Lyman Trumbul, on behalf
Of the democrats, were the leaders who an
dertook to perform this grand scheme of
aboli,ionizing the two parties to viii ich they
belonged. They had private arrangement
rs to what should be the political destiny
of each Of the cOntrancting pa, ties before
they went into the operation. The arrange
ment was that Mr.. Lincoln was to take the
old line wings with him, claiming that he
was still as good whig as ever, over to the
abolitionists, and Mr.. Trumbull was to run
for congress in the Belleville district, and
claiming to be good democrat, coax the
old democrats into the abolition camp, and
when, by the joint efforts Of the q bolition.
lied wings, the abolitionized democFats, and
the old line abolition and free soil party OF
this state, they should secure . majority IN
the Legislature. Lincoln was then to be
made United States senator in Shields place,
Trumbull remaining in congress until |
should be accommodating enough to die, or
resign, and glue him . chance to follow Lin
coin. daughter, applause, and cries Of
.'don't die.') This was very nice little
bargain SO far as Lincoln and Itrumbull
were concerned, ifit had been carried out