The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-22
SPEECH OF non. 5. 4. DOUGLAS.
tfrom the \, Q. True Delta, Of Les. 81


os great question day been or
viii be Published iom the position Of he reporters desk
the speakers hps:l
Mn, PRrslDESr AND CruzKNs on NEw onLE,Ss 1t WAS
with hesitation andlmost reluctantly yielded my
10 address you this occasion had Just passed through
fierce in my State and il was neither agree
able nor consistent with my strength
My visit to New Orleans private business, to
pass my time quietly and hayeno connection with poll
ties. When approached your city, as supposed,
heraded and unknown, amazed by the magnificent
reception extended to the evee of the Crescent
city To be welcomed by such vast concourse by the
constituted authorities, by citizens ia their individual
pacity by my political friends and 10y all parties
compliment that filled my heart with gratitude and
did not leave at liberty to decline the first request
made OF me by which | could make return, and
yielded ON this occasion TO make few remarks on the
political topics which aitae the public mind through
the length and breadth OF this glorious republic Que
consolation is yielded mel desire to know whether the
political principles that orthodox in the free States
pass current in the slave holding States We live under
common constitution, and any political creed that
not be promulgated in Louisiana eaessly and boldly
as In Illinois must be unsound and unsafe With the
view OF testing this matter, shall simply discuss these
exciting questions in the way have and always
will do before an Illinois audience
During the last fifteen years the tendency of events
has been to show that some rreconoilable difference
listed between the North and the SOUTH aud prevented
harmony between them For the last twenty five years
have been in public life, fifteen OF them spent In Con
arcss and during that time have been devoted to the
which North and South could unite terms of equal
ity and justice. Ii You viii take pains To examine the
history OF this sectional quarrel you will find that 1t has
out of attempts the part of the federal govern
ment to usurp the exercise OF power not clear
ly conferred il by the federal constitution. When
the government formed the oonederacy consisted of
thirteen States twelve of which savehoding and
one free State,
If the fatal heresy proclaimed by Mr. Lincoln in ILL
nois by Mr. Seward in New York, aud by other leaders
of the abolition party that all should become free States
that they must be thing the other what would
have been the consequence Do you think that one free
State would have controlled the twelve slave States
Would not the savcholding States thus have fastened
slavery rrevocbiy and Incidentally by the PROV son of
the constitution Why not that done Simply
because the great principles OF civil liberty deaer
to the trainers OF government than sectional power
advantage
The government formed on the principles of State.
rights and State sovereignty 1t is confcdercy of
crcgn and independent States with certain common
purpose, each having the right to manage its Affairs
and preserve its own liberty inside its own jurisdiction
1t is fatal heresy to proclaim the doctrine that there
ought to be be uniformity among the local and
domestic institutions of the different States of the Union
Uniformity is neither possible desirable Our fathers
knew when preparing form OF government that 1t must
necessarily be corresponding to tho variety OF interests
quiring laws and different institutions adapted to the
wants and necessary each locality They knew 1t
essential principle of confcdemtcd form Of
ment
You will find vast difference on this point between the
back-repubcan party side and the democratic par
t the other 1t is true that there may be individual
exceptions to that classification recently made
Sectionalism has recently prevailed principally at the
North, until no southern man would vote for northern
candidate and no southern would trust northern
can well understand how inscriptions northern
ers who prefer their own elevation to the glory and
perpetuty of the Union, being in the majority, ad
vocate this doctrine.
How long has this doctrine prevailed AS long the
southern States in the majority and in the mi.
norty so long the freedom of the minority just and
rpllf 10 tluor
the interference of the others.
Bnt when the free States increased until they began to
pepondeate they wanted to give laws to the southern
States and some northern leaders did hesitate
raise the whrwind that they might ride into power
Thus, from the first the republican party Il
toal organization in its principles and policy Every
argument they is addressed to northern inatcsm
and against southern people and southern institutions.
This baneful influence increased to such extent
to induce southern to organize southern party to
fight against this northern abolition party.
Thus the attempt made to introduce the test not
whether they fahul to the constitution TO their
own States and their domestic affairs but whether they
were true to the North faithful to the South. The
constitution recognises no such division The consu
ton recognises North South. but republic
der constitution, and hrty-two independent
States. Through my State allegiance to the fed
eral government, but to no other power earth.
Let those principles be observed an carried out and
there will be peace in the North and in the South and
between all the States of this glorious country When
addressing large crowd of aboonists, answered
that slavery great evil that their conscienCes will
not permit them to be quiet about it, after perform
ing their whole duty in their State
give you their argument They begin to read the
Declaration of Independence that all created
equal and endowed with inalienabe rights Of life ber
ty and the pursuit Of happiness land then stop and say
does not that declaration tell you that all equal
And are not negroes men! and are they not equal to
white men? And hence have they not divine right and
nalienable privileges and how you reduce them to
an inferior position by human laws This is specious
sophistry, by which the aboonists have brought weak
minded men and silly old to really believe that
negroes their brothers And must say, great por
ton of you souheners quail under that argument My
answer is this-when the trainers OF the declaration Of
independence declared that all were created
free and equal, they had reference to the
negro They spoke of white men, of European blood
and descent upon whom the negro belonging to in
feror race, dependent First bear in mind that at
the time that dec.iation drafted every colony
slave holding colony Second, that the representatives
in the colonial Congress represented slave holding
stituency 1t is clear, then that such the fact
the trainers of that immortal instrument would have
been hypocrites if the phrases alluded to admitted any
other construction Do you believe that these we're
such hypocritcs to say their negro slaves were their own
equals, then hold them slaves the balance Of their
lives. sH 1880 .'
spurn, as American citizen such an imputaton
on those glorious sagrs and statesmen H1ey We're speak
Ing of white Of European origin not of the negro
any other inferior This government made by
white for tic benefit of white men and their poster
ity, to be administered by white and others
lis true we had among rs otef Inferior RAGS inapspa
OF self government and dtpendent Oh us for protection
1t is the law of humanity, the law of civilization all
the world over, that whenever men, or a race of men,