The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-15

their limits la regard to all that was local and IN,
ernal and domestic while the federal government should
have certain specified poers, which were goaeral ana
national IA Voice THAT You may never die. lhe
trainers OF the constitution well understood that each To-
caty having separate and distinct interests required
separate and distinct laws domestic institutions and pc
lice regulations each adapted to its own wants and own
conditions and they acted the presumption also THAT
these and institutions would be diversified and as
dissimar the States would be numerous, and that no
would be precisely alike because the interests OF no
two were precisely the Hence assert that the
great fundamental principle which underes complex
system of State and federal government contemplated
diversity and dssmlary in the local institutions OF
each and every State then in the Union hereafter 10 be
admitted into the confedeTacy. Applause.
Hence conceive that my friend, Mr.. Lincoln, has 90
tally misapprehended the great principle upon which our
government rests Uniformity in local and domestic a
fairs would be destructive OF State rights Of State sover
eighty, OF personal liberty and personal freedom. Uni
omy is the parent of despotism the world oyer, not
only in politics, but in religion Whenever that doc
trine is proclaimed that all States must be free or
all must be slave, that all labor must bo white all
must be black that all persons each State must have
the privileges, and be governed by the repn
tatons you have destroyed the great safeguard of the
citizen, thrown around him by the constitution. i
How is this uniformity to be accomplished, il it was
desirable and possible There is but Lode in which
it could be brought about and that mode would be
to abolish the State legislatures blot out State sovereign
ty and merge the rights and sovereignty of the States in
consolidated empire vestng Congress with plenary
FN''S'
and local laws throughout the limits of the
public. When you shall have done that you will have
uniformity then you will have all the States free all
slave then slaves will vote everywhere nowhere ;
then you will have Maine Liquor law in every State
in then you will have uniformity in all things
local and domestic by the authority of the federal gov
ernment ; but when you have uniformity you will have
constituted these thirty two States independent at pres
ent into consolidated empire, with uniformity of
despotism reignng paramount throughout the length
and breadth Of the land. Applause
Hence, my friends driven irresstiby to the
cusion that diversity dssmlarity and variety our
local and domestic institutions the great safeguards
of our liberties that the trainers of institutions
wise and sagacous and patriotic when they made this
government confederation of sovereign States with
legislature for each that legislature having the power
make all domestic institutions and laws to suit itself
and if expect to maintain liberties must pre-
serve the soyeregntes of the Stateswe must maintain
and carry out the great principle of self government in
cerpoated in the Compromise of 1885, endorsed by the
Illinois legislature in 1851 and imboded and carried out
in the Kansas b and vndicated this year by
the refusal to bring Kansas into the Union with const
tuition which she had voted down.
The other proposition advanced by Mr. Lincoln in his
speech consists in crusade against the Supreme Court of
the United States the ground of the Dred Scott de-
cson On this question also desire to say to you
oquivocally that take direct distinct issue with him
have warfare to make the Supreme Court of the
United States, applause, either account OF that or
any other decisions which they have pronounced from
that bench The constitution of the United States has
constitutions of the several States had the provis
nsshall be divided into three departments ex
eoutive legislative, and judiciary. The right and the
province of expounng the constitution the construc
ton of law is vested in the judiciary established by
the constitution As lawyer feel at liberty to APP
pear before court and controvet any principle of law
while the question is pending before the tribunal but
when decision is made, my private opinion, your
opinions, all opinions must yield the majesty Of
that authoritative adJutcItlo icries Of Good and
cheers land wish you to bear in mind that this in
|
liberties and property all depend What security
have you for your property for your repuations for
your personal rights unless the courts to be upheld
and their decisions respected when finally render
ed by the highest tribunal known to the constitution
do not choose, therefore, to go into argument with
Mr. ncdA in reviewing the various decisions that the
Supreme Court has made either upon the Dred Scott
any other and have idea of appealing from the
decision of the Supreme Court upon constitutional
question to decision of town meeting. [Cheers.l
am that eminent lawyer of this city now no
more said that the State of Illinois had the most
perfect judicial system in the world subject to one
ception which could be cured by slight amendment
That amendment that tho laws should be changed
to allow appeal from the decisions of the supreme
court of Illinois, all constitutional questions
justices Of tho peace [Chcers and augher My friend
Lincoln that that proposition when
judge of the supreme court. If that be true don t
think that that fact adds greater importance weight
to the suggestion. 1t matters not to who on
the bench, whether Mr.. Lincoln myself, q Lock-
wood Smith, or whether it Taney a
Marshall yet the decision of the highest tribunal of
a nation the constitution Of the country must be
final until it has been reversed by equally high
thority Hence opposed to this doctrine of
Mr.. Lncolns, by which he proposes to take ap-
peal from the decision of the Supreme Court of the
United States, upon these high constitutional ques-
tions to free soil republican caucus situated in
the country-yes to any other town meet
ing respect the decision of that august tribuna
shall bow in Difference to it, am law abiding man.
will sustain the constitution of my country fathers
have made it, and will yield obedience to the laws
whether like them not find them the statute
book will sustain the judicial tribunal and the con-
stued authorities in all matters within the pale of their
jurisdiction as defined by the constitution But am
equally free to say that the assigned by Mr. Lin
coin for resisting the decision of the court in the Ded
Scott does not commend itself to my approbation
He objects to it because that decision declares that
gro descended from African parents, who were brought
here and sold slaves not and cannot be citizen Of
the United States. He says il is wrong, because it de-
stitution which says that citizens of State shall
Joy all the privileges and immuntes of citizens of the
several States In other words he thinks it is wrong
because it deprves the negro of the privileges, immuni
ties and rights of citizenship, which pertain according
to the decision only to the white man. free to say
to you my fellow citizens that in my opinion this gov
ernmont of ours is founded white basis. II was
made by white for the benefit of white men, to be
| administered by white men in such they
should determine 1t is also true that negro or Indian
any other man of m inferior to the white man.
should be permitted to enjoy and humanity requires that
he should havea the rights and all the privileges and all
the immuncs which he is capable Of exercising consis
| tent with the safety Of society. 1 will give him