The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-07-22
SPEECH OF
SEN A TOR DOU q l. A 5
ON THE occAsios on MS
PUBLIC RECEPTION AT CHICAGO.
FRIDAY EVENING July o. Iss
ON THE occAsios or MS



Gcent welcome which you have extended TO
me on this occasion. This vast sea OF hu-
man faces indicates how deep our interest IS
ielt by our people IN the great questions which
agtate the public mind and which underlie
the foundations a our free institutions.
A reception like this, 50 great IN numbers
that no human voice can be heard u its
countless tbousaDds-so enthusiastic that
no one individual can be the object Of
such enthusiasm clearly shows that there ia
some q cat principle which sinks deep in the
heart OF the masses, and involves the rights
and the liberties Of u whole people, that has
brought you together with an unanimity
and cordalty never before excellcd, il, in
deed, equalled on any occasion Cheers
have not the vanity TO believe tina, il is
any personal compliment 10 me.
Voices, IL isl You have dcscrycdit IT,
and great Applause.
II Ia an expression OF your devotion to
that great principle Of a;lfgovernment, ferries
Of hear, -" hear 10 which my life for many
years past has BEEN and in the whole future
will be- devoted. Immense cheers II there
is any one principle dearer and more sacred
than all Others IN free government, il IL that
which asserts the exclusive right OF a free
people 10 form and adopt their own fnnda
mental laws. and To manage ADD regulate
their own internal affairs and domestic insti.
tutions. Applause
When found an effort being made during
the recent session Of Congress 10 force
Constitution upon the people Of kanas
against their will, and to force that State
into the Union with Constitution which
her people had rejected by more than 10000,
| felt bound az "a man Of honor and repre-
sentative Of Illinois, bound by every consid
Grafton Of duty. OF fidelity and Of patriotism,
to resist to the utmost Of my power the
contamination Of that fraud. Cheers
With Others did resist il, and resisted II
successfully until the attempt was aban-
doncd (Great applaasc) We forced them
! 10 WIZ saGt Cons, tat;n. Sack 10 the poo
pie Of Kansas, to be accepted or rejected as
they shall decide at an election, which is
6red for the first Monday of August next.
II ~ true that the mode Of reference and
the form Of submission was not such a.
could sanction with my vote for the reason
that II Disseminated between Free States
and Slave States providing that II X ansas
consented 10 come in under the lecOmptoD
Consultation, IL should he received with "a
population Of $4,000 but that IL she de-
mandcd another Constitution, more consis
tent with tie sentiments Of her people and
their ieelipgs. that it should not be- received
into the Union until she hal 93,i2O inhabi.
tants. Cries Of hear, hear, aud cheers
| did not consider That mode of submission
n. L.. Il. =.
mockcry which is not irce---that any election
is u fraud upon tho rights Of the people.
which holds out inducements for Affirmative
votes. and threatens penalties for negative
votes. Hear, hear But whilst ! was
not satisfied with the mode OF submission,
whilst | resisted Il to the last demanding IA
hir. just, free mode Of submission, still,
when the law passed. placing il within the
power Of the peoplc OF Kansas at that cleo,
ton. 10 reject the Ircomp,on Constitution,
and then make another in harmony with
their principles and their opinions, bravo,
and appla,se,) did not believe that either
the penalties ou the one hand, or the induce.
ments on the other, would force that people
TO accept Constitution to which they arr
irrcconcilably opposed (Crics OF glori-
GUS, AMI renewed applause,l All | eau
say il, that II their votes can be controlled
by such considerations. all the sympathy
which has been expended upon them, has
been misplaced, AMI all the efforts that have
been made in defense Of their right to self,
government, have been made in an unworthy
CAUSE. Cheers
Hence. my friends. ! regard the lccomp-
ton battle as having been fought and the
victory won. because the arrogant demand
for the admission Of Kansas under the Ia
compton Constitution Internationally. whc.
Their her people wanted II or not. has BEEN
abandoned, and the principle which rccog'
nizcs the right OF the people to decide for
themselves. has BEEN substituted in It's
place. Immense applause
Fellow citizens While | devoted my
best energies--all my energies, mental and
physical TO the vindication OF that great
principle, aud whilst the r,sult has been such
rs will enable the people Of Kansas to come
into the Union with such q Constitution us
they desire, yet the credit Of this great NOR
al victory "a Ia he divided among large
number Of men Of various aud different pc.
hticai cro,is. Prolonged applausc,) | was
'Ny~ses" ""h louiNI VI ktNot Nuuttot,
the Republican party coming up maniully
and sustaining the principle that the people
OF each territory, when coming into the
Union, have the right to decide for them
selves (cheersl whether slavery shall or shall
not exis, within thci, limits "A voice.
Hope they will stick TO H. and great
cheringl | have sen the time when that
principle was controverted, have ccn
the time When all parties did not rcugnirc
The right OF people TO have slavery or
freedom, to tolerate or prohibit slavery as
they deemei b,s, but claimed that power
for the Congress of the United States, re.
gardless Of the wishes OF the people to Ia
affected by IT, and when | found upon thu
Crittendcn Montgomery bill, the Republi.
cars and Americans OF the North. and
may say, too, some glorious Americans and