The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-07-31
SPEECH OF HON. S. A. DOUGLAS
AT BLOOMINGTON.

| We give below so much of the grss
| speech Of Senator Douglas at Bloomingto
on the 10th inst, as embraces his reply {
Lincoln's Chicago "reply." We {
opinion that we shall need to publish n
more Of Senator Douglas "replies" to Lin
coin, for after this there can be little left t
! reply to.
| AID this brings me to the considers:::o
! OF the two points at issue between Mr.. Lin
cola and myself The Republican Cnnven
ton, when it assembled at Springfield, di
| me and the country the honor Of indicating
who was to be their standard bearer, an
the embodiment of their principles in TIN
State. | owe them my gratitude for thu
making up direct issue between Mr.. Lin
coin and myself I have known him wei
for quarter Of century. | have know
him, as you all know him, knd-hearted
amable gentleman, right good fellow,
worthy citizen, cf eminent ability as a law
yer, and, | have no doubt, sufficient abilit,
to make good Senator. The question, then
for you to decide is whether his principle.
are more IN accordance with the genius o
our free institutions, the peace and harmony
of .hs republic than those advocate c'No
No." Stephen \. Douglas, forever.' IL,
tolls you, in his speech made At Springfield
before the Convention which gave him hi.
unanimous nomination, that:
A house divided against Itself cannot
stand"
IL believe this Government cannot en-
durs, permanently, half slave and half free -
II DO not expect the Union to be dis
solved do not expect the house to fall
but | do expect It will Cease to be divided. -
at will becoan. al one thing or a.. the
other"
That is the Fundamental principle upon
which he sets out in the cam aign. e. " t
don't believe one word Of it, no, never. -
VI ell, do not suppose that you viii believe
one word Of it when You come to examine il
cal elully and see It's consequences. 8lthy'
the Republic has existed from 1889 to this
day divided into frse States and slave States,
yet We are told thaI in the future It cannot
endure unless they shall become all !Iee or
al slave can free" For that reason be
says, as the gentleman in the crowd SAYS,
that they must be all free. C'No, no.
He wishes 90 90 TO the Senate Of tie United
States in order TO carry out that line OF pub
lie policy which viii compel all the States
lag to do it> Ilaughter.) Has Congress
any power over tho subject Of slavery III
Kentucky, or Virginia, or anY other z.e Of
the Union: How. then, is Mr. Lincoln go:
.ng to carry oct that principle which ne SAYS
- essential to the ~ N;ence OF the Onion.
to wit: that slavery must be abolished IN
all Of the States OF the Union, OF mus: be
tao.ished in them all. YUu convince the
South that taey must either establish siave-
~ IN illinois, and n every other free State
0r submit TO = abu jtign in every Southern
State, and you invite them 10 make a war
fare upon :he NortAern States in order TO
establish slavery for the sake or perpgtua;ire
1t al home. Thus Mr. Lincoln invites bv
his proposition war o9 sections, a war be
tween the free States and the Save States 2
war b-tTcca the N-.:- 2.l ,Al South, r..
the purpose Of either eXtcTm.natin- slavery
Ia every Southern State or planting it in
every Northern State. II; tc'.s y9a that
the saIety Of this republic, and the * sicnce
of this Union depends upon that warfare
being carried Oh unit. one section or the
other >hai! be entirely suhdued. The States
must be all free or saye, Tor a house divided
against Itself canno; stand. That Is Mr.
Lincolns argument upon that question
Ny friends, j. It possible to preserve peace
between tGc North and the South If such a
doctrine shall pryv4i! in either section Of
the Union: VIII you ever submit TO a war
fare waged by the Salth to establish slavery
in Illinois, C'No.'D What man in luoi,
would not lose the last drop Of his heart
blood be ore hc would submit to the iuStitu-
ton Of slavery being forced upon Is Ly the
other States against our Will. AID If that
be true Of US, what Southern man would not
shed the "a drop Of his hearts blood to
prevent Illinois, or any other Northern
State, interfering 10 abolish slavery in his
State: Each of these S;atey IS sovereign
under the Constitution and If We wish to
preserve our liberties, the reserved rights
and sovereignty Of each and every State
must be maintained. | have said on for
mer occas on, and here repeat, that it is
neither desirable nor possible TO establish
uniformity in the local and domestic instilu-
tions OF all the States Of this confedcracy.-
And why? Because the Constitution uf the
United States rests upon the right Of every
State TO decide all its local and domestic in.
situ,ious for Itself 4 IS not possible. there
fore TO make them conform to each other
unless we subvert the ConS,itut on Of the
United States. {" That can't he done" y
No, sir that CanaCt bc done God forbid
that any man should make the attempt
LIT that Constitution aver be trodien unde-
foot and destroyed and there will not be
wisdom and patriotism enough left I, make
another that Viii work half so well. Ono.
never, and ehcers) Oar safety, our liberty
depends upon preserving the Con>.itut on
OF the United States as our fathers made IL,
invioiate, at the sans time minimizing the
reserved rights and the sovereignty OF each
State over its local and domestic institutions
against federal authority or any outside in
terforence.
The difference between Mr. Lincoln and
myself upon this point is that he goes for q
combination Of the Northern States, or The
or aanizaton of a sectional political party ir
the free States to make war on the domestic
institutions OF the Southern Stttes, and L
prosecute that war until they Shall all b;
subdued and made to conform 10 such rules
as the North shall dictate to them. e.
can't be done.'0 am aware that Mr.. Lin
coin on Saturday night las, made a speech
at Chicago, fo- the purpose, as he said, q
explaining his position on this question.
have read that speech with great care, ant
| will do him the justice to say that it ii
marked by eminent ability an! great success:
in concealng what he did mean TO say in hi.
Springfield speech {" That's So" Laughter
and app'ause) His answer to this poin
which have been arguing is, that he neve
did mean, and that ought to know that h,
never intended to convey the idea that Ia
wished the people Of thc free States to en-
/ ter intO the Southern States and interfer
with slavery" Well, l never did suppos
| that be ever dreamed OF entering into Ken
| tucky IN make war unou her institutions
Uaughter,) nor vii! any other Aboltionis
ever enter into Kentucky to wage such war
| daughter and cheers) Their mode Of ma
king war is not TO enter into those State
where slavery exists, and there inlerier
and render themselves responsible for tn
consequences. Oh no! They stand on TIN
side of the Ohio river and shoot across
daughter, and voice " they're set
To-