Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1858-08-05
sPEECH OF EnAT0R DOUGLAS
On Ae Occasion, his Public Reception,
At Chicago. J,hsth, 1853.


at Chicago. J,tsth, 1853.
MI. DoUcLAs d:
Mr.. Chairman ID fellow-citisens: l can
end no lsnguagshich can adequately
express my proknd gratitude for the
magnificent welcse whicA you have ex
tended to me on Is occasion. This vas,
SEA Of human facGndicates how deep On
interest is felt bys.r people in the great
questions which slate The public mind
and which underlshe foundations of ou,
free institutions. reception Like this, &C
great in numbers TT no human voice car
be heard to its coatless thousapds-
enthusiasdc that n1ne lhdividosi can BE-
the object Of sucfenthusiasm clearly
shows that there isons great principle
which sinks deep iShe Heart Of the mass
o., and involves III pghk and the liberties
Of . whole people s'at has brought you
together with a ui'iuity and cordiality
never before excfd, i, indeed, equalled
on any occasion. Chsers.) l nave no,
the vanity to beliS thatit is any person
81 compliment to g.
Voices, at is You have deserved
it;"and great aPasss.
It is an expreson Of your devotion 10
that great prilx'le Of self government
lcries Of aeaS "bear,") to which my
lite for many ysrs past has been, AID 10
the whole futuevill be, devoted. I'm.
nense cheering II there is any one
principle deareAnd more sacred than all
others in free 3ernments, it is tha. which
asserts the exc)sive right of free people
to form and adpt their own Fundamental
law, and to maege and regulate their own
internal afai7ani domestic institutions.
(Applause.)
When fovE ~ effort being made du.
ring the recefsession Of Congress to force
. ConstitutioSapon the people Of Kansas
against theiIvill, and to force that State
into the Unln With Constitution which
her people h4 rejected by more than TO-.
900, felt bend, H. man of honor and
. representa- 10 Of Illinois, bound by every
consideratios Of duty. of fidelity, and of
patriotism, Y resist to the utmost of my
power the cs,snmmstion of that fraud
(Cheers.) Riih others 1 did resist it, and
resisted it successfully until the attempt
was abandessd. (Great applause.) We
forced thenSe refer that Constitution back
TO the peopA Of Kansas, to be accepted or
rejected n thcy shall decide at an elec.
tion, which is fixed for the first Monday of
August next 1t is true that the mode of
reference, and the form of the submiss ion
wss not such as I could sanction with nv
vote, for the reason that it Disseminated
between free States and slave States; pro
viding that if Kansas consented to come
in under the I.ecompton Constitution it
should BE received with population of
IS, 900 but that if she demanded another
Constitution, more consistent with the sen.
timenn Of her people and their feelings,
that it should not be received into the
Union until she had 93,42O inhabitants.
(Cries Of "heaf, hear, y and cheers /
did not consider that mode of submission
fair, for the reason that any election is
mockery which is not free that any elec.
lion is . fraud upon the rights Of the peo.
pie which holds out inducements for affir.
native votes, and threatens penalties for
negative votea Hear, hear.) But whilst
was not satisfied with the mode Of SUBJ
Whit ! resisted it to the last,
demanding q fair, just, free mode of
'ubmission, aill, when the law passed
placing it within the power of the people
'f Kansas at that election to reject the
Lccompton Constitution and then make
another in harmony with their principles
md their opinions, bravo, and applause
a ID not believe that either the penalties
m. he one bad, or the inducements on
he other, would force that people to &C.
:ept . Consolation to which they are ir-
opposed. ["Cries Of "glo.
'ious," u rs,ewed applause.l All | can
'ay is, thar If heir votes can be controlled
~ such considerations. all the sympathy
vhich has ben expended upon them has
been misplaced, and all the efforts that
rave been made in defence Of their right
% selfgovernnent, have been made in an
unworthy ca,se. (Cheers.)
Hence, m, friends, l regard the LIE
compton battle - having been fought and
The victory nm, because the arrogant de.
mand for tlx admission Of Kansas under
the Lecomptn Constitution uncondition.
ally, wheth@ her people wanted or pot,
has been aandoned, and the principle
which recogises the right Of the people
70 decide foRhsmselves has been substi-
tuted in its pee. Immense applause.)
Fellow citsns: While l devoted my best
ensrgiss-allmy energies, mental and
Physical-tohe vindication Of that great
principle, = whilst the result has been
such - win nable the people Of Kansas
10 como inttthe Union with such Con.
stitution q hey desire, yet the credit Of
this great nral victory is to be divided
among > lasi number Of men Of various
and difisrsptolitical creeds. prolonged
aPplause.) iaxas rcjoiced when ! found
in this grealontest the Republican party
coming up sanfully and sustaining the
principle thAhe people Of each territory,
when conk into the Union, have the
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