The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1858-08-11
Speech Of Hon VIM. e. Leffingwell.

DELIVERED AT DAVENPORT, FRIDAY JULY 2sd
The following are the main points of
of the speech of the Hon. VIM. E. LET
6ngwell. delivered at the Court House
in this city on Friday evening. The
want of space prevents the publication
of our, verbatim report, but the reader
will be enabled to get a tolerably clear
idea from the following abstract. The
publication of the speech of Mr.. Van
dever We are compelled to defer
until another day. -.
T. D. Eagal. Esq, came forward and
introduced the Hon. VIM. E. Letting.
well, stating that he needed no intro
duction, but would introduce himself
better than the speaker could do.
SPEECH OF Mr.. LEFFrSewELl.
M. President and Feuo,o Citizens:
In appearing before you as a candi-
date for your suffrages, l am free to
announce. as my friend has just stated,
that l stand upon the Cincinnati Plat
form-a platform, in the words ofa res
olution passed at the late State conven-
ton, broad enough and strong enough
to uphold and sustain every true patriot
in the nation
admire the ingenuity displayed by
my friend, in attempting to misrepre-
sent my position. I want it distinctly
understood that come on the Cincin-
natti platform, as the eulogist of no man,
and have no man to attack. Such
men as he has assailed need no other
defenders than themselves. must be
permitted to remark that the people are
tired and sick of the agitation of the
theory which my friend has failed to
settle down to anything practical. He
has also come to you appealing to SEN
timent which enlists the sympathies of
the human heart. He proposes to give
every man home. Now as far as that
is concerned, if Congress has the pow
er and will do it, am also in favor of
giving every man home, and will
60 further. and give you a milcE COW
| to boot.
have once been honored with your
sufrages for an Office in the State Leg
islature, and while occupying the posi-
ton to which I was elected, prepared
with my own hand the greater part of
the Homestead Bill. While that gen.
tleman talks of this theory he loses
sight of other matters of Importance
Have you no other interests to be fur
thed than this theory? The gentle
man accuses me of appealing to your
sel6shness. l pretend to say that you
are all men, and while you entertain
sympathy you are desirous of making
your charity practical. While my friend
displays his charity he forgets the per-
son to whom he wishes to apply it.
For what do You want Representa-
represent all your interests and advance
all your interests. Now this one idea.
this one impractical theory, has so taken
possession of my friend that he loses
sight of all others. The duties of
statesman are to devise the best means
for the interests of all parts of the coun-
try, at home and abroad. The question
Of the protection of our flag, and hun
dreds of others, he intimates by his 81
lence are of minor Importance. Iwould
like the gentleman to express his opin-
ion upon the right of a foreign power to
visit our ships and violate our flag.
Now l AIN ready to claim that the decks
of ship over which floats the Ameri-
can flag, are sacred as the temple of
American honor. (Great applause. }
These things he claims, have nothing to
do with this campaign.
Mr.. Lefingwell then proceeded with
a mastery argument upon the question
of the right Of Congress to regulate the
domestic institutions of territory,
planting himself firmly and squarely
upon the principle of the right of the
people 10 regulate their own institutions
in their own way. He claimed that
whatever power was not delegated to
Congress by the people still remained
with them; that the people had not part
ed with the power which his opponent
proposed to claim as a Congressman
that the power claimed, could not be
exercised with safety to the people; that
it was proven by the history Of the
mother country, that it had ever been
the policy of tyrants to encroaoh upon
the rights reserved by the people, and
that his opponent was in favor Of giving
to Congress power as absolute as that
possessed by the Gear of Russia. That
the people who compose a territory
have all lived under State Govern.
ment and carry with them into terri
tory the same rights which they pos
sessed as citizens of State, and that
the mere transition from one place to
another could not change the character
of man. That the right to regulate
the institutions Of . territory remained
with the people, and that the attempt of
any power to induce the people to make
a concession of this right was an attack
upon the liberties of the people. That
his opponent now admitted the right of
the territory when admitted as State to
regulate its own institutions; but where
did he stand upon that question in 1856?
That the Kansas-Nebraska act, which
contains nothing more than this same
principle, vas denounced by the Repub-
lican party and their press, and now Mr..
Vandever has the audacity to say that
Popular Sovereignty has always been
one Of the principles of the Republican
party. His friend had accused him of
stealing Republican thunder. He would
tell him that he did not want a spark of
Republican 6re; but that he (yandever
should not steal one democratic princi-
pie. at least without good big fight
over it.
That no man who denies the princi-