San Andreas independent., 1858-08-21
Speech of Senator Douglas
AT CHICAGO, JULY 9th.

extracts from the great speech of Senator
Douglas, delivered at Chicago, July 9th, in
presence of 10000 of his fellow citizens
We make room for these, not through the i'm
pulses of partizan zeal, but for the reason that
we deem the points set forth by the illustri-
Gus Senator in this argument, precisely such
an enlargement upon the principle of Popu-
lar Sovereignty as great body of the in
telligence of this country have been anxiously
expecting from him. 1t is not new princi-
pie in our Government; but an old one, which
for want of frightening, was rapidly becom-
ing obsolete, under Federal infuences-a
principle, too, we may add, which Mr.. Doug
las has done more to vitalize and elaborate
than any Statesman of the present century.
After thanking the vast audience most elo-
quently for their enthusiastic congratulations,
Mr.. Douglas said:
What has brought you together with a
unanimity and cordialty never before excelled
if equalled on any occasion? | have not the
vanity to believe that it is any personal COM
pliment to me. 1t is an expression of your
devotion to that great principle of self-gov-
been, and in the whole of the future will be,
devoted. If there is any one principle dearer
and more sacred than all others in free gov
ernments, it is that which asserts the right of
every people to form and adopt their own fun
damental laws, and to manage and regulate
their own internal affairs and domestic insti-
| tutions.
" When found an effort being made, du-
/ ring the recent session of Congress, to force a
Constitution upon the people of Kansas against
their will, and to force that State into the
Union with a Constitution which the people
had rejected by ten thousand minority, | felt
bound, as man of honor-as a representa-
tive of Illinois-bound, by every considera-
ton of duty, fidelity and of patriotism, to re-
sist to the utmost of my power, the consum-
nation of that fraud. We did resist it. and
resisted it successfully, until the attempt was
abandoned. 1t is true that the mode of ref
erence and the form of submission were not
| such as could sanction with my vote, for the
reason that it Disseminated betaceen Free States
and SlaUe Stotes-providng that if they came
in with the Lecompton Constitution they could
be received with $4,000; but if they chose to
demand another Constitution more consistent
with their sentiments and their feelings, they
should not be received into til e Union until
they had SO, APO inhabitants.
| 81 did not consider that mode of submis-
sion fair for the reason that any election is a
mockery which is not free, any election is a
| fraud upon the rights of the people which
holds out inducements for affirmative votes,
and penalties for negative votes do not be-
ieve that either the penalties on the one hand,
or the inducements on the other, are going to
force the people to accept Constitution to
which they are irreconcilably opposed. All
can say is, that if their votes can be controll-
ed by such considerations, all the sympathy
that has been expended upon them has been
misplaced, and all the efforts made in defence
of their rights of self-government were made
in an unworthy cause, if they are to be inau-
enced in the result by these considerations.
| But the credit of this
great moral victory is to be divided among a
large number of men of various and different
political creeds. | rejoiced when found in
this great contest, the Republican party COM
ing up manfully and sustaining the principle
that each Territory when coming into the
Union had right to decide for themselves
whether slaves should or should not exist
within their limits.
az made my speech against the Lecompton
monstrosty, solely upon the ground that it
was violation of the fundamental principle
4 vi Tree OOfcIuIutut Oh Tile RTOuuu tiltI IL Wds
not the act and deed of the people of Kansas,
and did not embody their will. They were
adverse to it. Hence, denied the right of
Congress to force it upon them either as free
State or as slave. deny the right of the
Congress of the United States to force free
State upon an unwilling people. deny the
right OF Congress to force slaveholding
State upon an unwilling people. The great
principle, the right of every community to
judge and decide for itself whether a thing is
right or wrong,-whether it is good for them
to have it or evil for them to adopt 1.-THE
right of free action and the right of free tho't
| the right of free judgment upon the ques-
tion is dearer to every true American than any
other right under free Government. Hence
my objection to Lecompton was that it under
| took to force Constitution upon that people
against their will.
al have observed from the public prints,
that but few days ago the Republican party
of the State of Illinois assembled in conven-
ton at Springfield, laid down platform and
nominated a candidate as my successor. That
gentleman made a speech before that Repub-
lican Convention which had unanimously
nominated him for the Senate, which speech
was evidently carefully written and well pre-
pared. 1t constitutes the basis upon which
he proposes to carry on the campaign during
the summer. That speech lays down two dis
tinct propositions, which | shall now notice,
and upon which shall take a direct and bold
issue with him.
. He Asserts as a fundamental principle of
this Government, that there must be uniform
ity in the laws-local laws and domestic in
stitutions of each and all the States of this
Union. He therefore invites all the nom
saveholding States to band together, organize
as one body, and make war upon slavery In
Kentucky, upon slavery in Virginia, upon sla-
very in the Carolinas, upon slavery in all the
slaveholdng States in the Union, and to per-
severe in that war until it shall be extermina-
ted. He then inv IS all the slaveholdlng
States to band together as unit, and make
aggressive war upon the free States OF tins
Union, with view to establish slavery IN IL
linois, New York and New England-in every
free State of the Union-and keep up that
warfare until it shall be firmly established IN
their limits. He advocates, boldly and clearly
war of sections-a war of the North against
the South-of the free States against the slave
States-a war of determination, to De contin-
ued relentlessly until the one or the other snaii
be universal, and all the States shall eitner De-
come free or become slave.
snow, my friends, must say to you frank
IL, that | take bold and unquali6ed.issue with