Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-07-27

". ~ ,Is Union An a -!avsholding State. H.t If against
il. ,hey should then proceed 70 frame Ia Constitution IN
accordance with their views and desires. a voice
THAT was right"
il right, but il WAS carrying out the principles OF The
Kansas Nebraska bill. OF course | voted for it,
[laughterl and 20 did every Republican Senator and
Representative in Congress | have found some
Democrats so perfectly straight in their principles
that they blame me for voting for the kansas'Ne
brsska bill, because l found the Republicans al! vol
ing the samo way. Laughter Many OF them say
that douglas voted with Republicans Yes, NOT
only that, but with the "a Black Republicans Well
there ia a different msthod of telling that proposition,
The New York Tribune says that "Douglaa dld
not vote with the Republicans, but that the kepuoi,
oans went over and voted with him. wen, my
friends, have never yet abandoned a p.lno,pte oe
cause Of the support l found peop!e yielding it,
shall never abandon my Democratic principles
ICheers For what do We travel all over The coun
try, and make speeches in every political campaign
If il is not TO %enlighten these Republicans, and remove
the scales from their eyes, to iInpart the light OF De
mocrario principles. so that they may carry out the
Constitution rs their fathers intended Such being
our object and aim. ara Wa to turn traitors 10 our
principles, merely because the Republicans give them
their support All L hope is that the Republican pa.
~ will stand firm to the vote they gave on the Crit
tenden. NJ Montgomery bill. l hope we shall hear OF no
more declaration " that not another slave state shal
be admitted into this Union.' but in lieu OF tnat'
that the people of every Territory snsli oome ID WIN
OF WITHOUT u 20 thCy P'So9f
ference on the part of any one. But, my friends.
while | was at Washington, engaged in this great bat.
tie for sound constitutional principles, l fluid by the
papers tina; the Republican party in this State Assem-.
BLEED in Convention at THE capital, and Rot only nom
mated, as it WAS wise and proper for them to do, a
successor to fill my place, but laid down their plat
form, in which it ia declared that the decision OF the
Supreme Court was mads for political purposes
Thsir nominse made a speech which they accepted
MS AL exposition of their principles. | have no com
msnts TO make on that part OF Mr.. Lincolns speech
where he represents me rs forming a league with the
present Chief Magistrate and the judges OF the Su'
preme Court, by which the extension OF slavery IL
sought-a scheme of political tricksters composed OF
Chief Justice fancy, Two Presidents Of the United
States eight Judges of the Supreme Court, and one
Senator from Illinois. Laughter.l IT Mr. Lincoln
deems me q coDspirstor, all | have to say 10 that DO
not think 60 badly of the President OF inc oni'sd
States, of IN. Supreme Court-the highest Judicial
Court on earth. | do not believe them 80 base 90 to
enter into 80 base an intrigue. | shall, therefore, only
notice those parts of Mr.. Linooln's speech in which
he lays down his policy. A gentleman on the plat
form, Speak fully about thsti be careful about that
Judge Douglas. Sir1
IThs sans eentlemau-"Be particular TO speak
very ,llly on that -,
Juds- D.-M Ny venerable friend here says he would
bs gralifed if | will be particular in speaking about
that. In order that | may be sure, | will read the
language of Mr.. l., az reported and published TO the
country in the Chicago papers, which report 10 said
TO have been revised by himself. Laughter.
shall refer only to those parts of Mr.. Lincoln's
speech in which he lays down his platform Of politi.
cal principles. Mr.. Lincoln lays down his main prop.
o~sition in these word.: (resds) "A house divided
against ITSELF cannot stand. | believe that this Gov.
ernmsnt cannot endure permanently half slave and
half free. | don't expect the Union will fall, but It
will cease to be divided. 1t will become all one thing
or the ~other-slave or free"
IA voice-"He's a liar Mr.. Lincoln does not
believe that this Union cen exist having half slaves
and half free States-that they must all be slave or
sll free States.
dou't doubt that this is Mr.. Lincoln's conscientious
conviction. He thinks that it ia the highest duty to
preserve this glorious Union. Now, to accomplish
this, what measures are necessary Well, he tells you
that the only method OF preserving II ID 10 make this
Union all free or all slave States. That being essan-
tisl to its preservation, how is he going to accomplish
i'll He says he wants TO 90 TO the Senate. in order
that he may carry out the patriotic policy OF making
all the States free, 30 that the "house shall no longer
be divided against itself" Laughter. When he
gets to the Senate, how is he going TO abolish slavery
in Kentucky, tor instancef Laughter Is he going
TO abolish il by act OF Congress VIII he contend
that Congress has no power to interfere with it direct
" or indirectly OF course not. Then what is to
be his mode. Mr.. Lincoln certainly does not speak
at random. He is a lawyer-an eminent one-and
his profession is to know a remedy for every wrong,
and what is his remedy for this matter! Why, the
Constitution declares that 1t may be amend ID bye vote
of two thirds on the part of Congress, and subnitten
to the States for ratification by a three fourths vote; in
other words, he is not going to allow one portion OF
the Union to be slave and the other free-he is not
going 10 permit the house to be divided against Itself
he is going TO remedy it by lawful aud constitution.
al means. How can you abolish slavery in those
Statesl 1t would be to abolish the State Legislatures
for a body of men living in free States to aboish
slavery in slave States. Invest Congress with full
and plenary power over the police regulations IN The
States, and there would be uniformity 10 their domes-
tic conoerns-,hen the house would be no longer d-
vided against itself; then all the States would be free,
or they would be slaves; then you would have uni
forIni;y prevailing in this whole land-in local lnstitu.
tons; but it would be the uniformity, not of liberty,
but of despotism, that would triumph throughout the
land. tApplause.l
| submit TO you, my fellow .citizene. whether this ia
not the logical conclusion drawn from Mr.. Lincoln's
speech. | have called upon him TO Explain what he
did mean, if he did not mean. that. He has made an
explanation in Chicago, and what is i'll | will give
him the benefit of his own language, precisely as re-
ported by the Republican papers OF that city, which Is
understood TO have undergone his revision. Reads.
Il have said, l believe that there is no right, and
ought 10 be no inclination, to interfere with the slave
question in the slave States" He believes there is
of slavery. Hence he does not propose to 20 into
Kentucky and stir up serVile and civil wsr-he pro-
poses to incits the free people Of Illinois and eyery
other State divided by a geographical line from the
slaveholding States TO make war upon the institution
of slavery in those States. He is going to carry it
out, by means Of q political organisation, which
would have it's existence only in the free States be
does not pretend that it can govern a eingle
vote in any slave State in thu Union. He is
going to elect a President, and administer the Govern
ment, and form a Cabinet, upon sectional grounds
being the power Of the North over that of the South.
In other words, he invites a war on the part Of the
free States against the Save States. lie asks all the
men in the free States TO combine to
slavery in the slave States, go ss to make them all
free. Then he invites the South, unless they submit
to our efforts. to plant slavery in The North. They
must BIZ either all free or all slave. On this point i
take iseus with him direct. | assert that we have a
right to decide the question for ourselves. We have
done it, and think wiseley. Whether 80 or net, no
other State has any right TO interfere with US. directly
or indirectly. While We claim this right for ourselves,
let US not deny the right to others. MIR. Lincoln will
not enter into Kentucky, bu: will fight slavery from
the Illinois eide. He will not 90 over there. | don't
think he would-he is a prudent man. Laughter.
He would do it from this side of the river. Laughter.
Now permit me 10 enquire whether the wrong, the
outrage OF the interference of one State upon ano-
Their, is any worse when you carry it on in another
State than when you carry it on in your own.
Suppose the British Government should plant a
battery on the Canada side, opposite Buffalo, and
blow up the town. We call the British Government
to account. The British Government would say in
the language of Mr.. Lincoln, We do not enter into the
United States to interfere with you've plant the bat.
terry on our own soil, and We had a right to shoot from
our own soil, and if these shells and balls fell over in
Buffalo, it is your own look out and not oure.-
daughter Thus Mr.. Lincoln ia going to plant hs
batteries ali along the banks OF the Ohio river, and
fire into Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri, and thus
blow up the system of slavery. MIR. Lincoln says |
do not propose to interfere with her-I only propose
to take care of my own head by keeping out OF harms
way. Laughter and spplause.l But yet be says he
ia going 10 p~ersevere in this system of sectional war
fare, and | have no doubt be is sincere in it. The e1-
istencr Of .he Union depends upon bis success in firing
into these slave States, He says that unless he shall
work these batteries successfully the Union will be dis.
solved, aud he says the dissolution of the Union will
be u terrible calamity. Ofcourse it will. We all be-
level do-that our rights. our liberties, our hopes of
the future depend upon the preservation and %perpetua.
ton of this glorious Union. / believe that the hopes Of
the friends of liberty throughout the world depend
upon the perpetuity Of the American Union. But
while l believe that, my mode of preserving the
Union ia very different from that of Mr. Lincoln
| believe that the Union can only be preserved by
maintaining inviola,e the Constitution as our fathers
aada =. Ihat laus.;,n.;aa anasantisa 10 the nannls