The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1858-04-03
4 Synopsis Of Mr.. Douglass, Great speech
-Immensc Rusi. 10 Hear Him.


Immense Rush TO Hear Him.
Co rrcspondence Of N. Y Tribune
WAshINGTON, March ~.
On arriving at the Capitol this morning
shortly before ten o'clock, found it in pos
session OF a mob of 10th sexes, and OF all
ages swarming on the stairways in the Ro-
tunda, and in the ves.ibules Of the Senate
Chamber Apparently half the adult popu-
! lation of the city had poured up to the Cap
itol to hear Douglas. Making my way with
increasing difficulty towards the reporter S
gallery, was arrested at the foot of the
staircase leading to it, by dense mass OF hu-
manity, whose power OF resistance not even
cannon ball could have fully overcome. l
could not so much as get sight OF the en-
trance, much less reach it. Passing with dill
| ficulty into the room in front OF the main
door Of the Senate, ] found it filled with la
dies, sparsely intermixed with distracted Sen
! ators. each Of whom was vainly endcavoring
| to conv nee half score of his fair acquain-
| lance that nothing could be got into that
which was already full to overlooking, and
| that consequently it was useless to attempt
get them seats in the galleries. A few OF the
| more gallant Senators made an attempt to
get permission granted to introduce ladies to
| the floor for this special occasion; but oDJec'
| ton WIS made by some crusty old Lecompt-
onites. who were by no means pleased at SO
striking manifestation of the extent of Doug
las popularity, as was offered by this i'm
mcnSe gathering Of the peple.
After spending an hour or two in vain at
tempts to get within car-shot of the Senate,
1 abandoned the attempt on learning that an
arrangement had just been made by which
Mr. Douglas was to withhold his speech
till o'clock. Determined not to be exclud-
ed from the gallery second time, went at
> o'clock-two hours before the time. The
public galleries were already crowded, and
the reporters gallery was half full. During
the two hours that interviewed before the
opening cf the session, the pressure OF the
multitude for admittance was almost frightfu
About six O'Clock, it became apparently I'M
possible to crowd another person into the
galleries. That of the reporters overfowed
with extemporized members Of the press, who
were so numerous and so closely wedged to-
gether that the doorkeeper, after vain at
tempts to sift them out and separate the
wheat from the chaff, gave up the attempt
in dispair At this time Mrs. Douglas arriv-
ed at the Senate Chamber. 1t was imposs-
BILE to get her seat in the ladies' galleries,
and an order from the Vice President with
difficulty procured Ler admission to the re-
porters' gallery.
As the hours advanced, the ladies in the
gallery, growing thirsty, entered into negotia-
tons with the boys below, the pages of the
Senate, who displayed their agility, to the
amusement Of the crowd, by climbing the
iron pillars that support the gallery and hand
! ing oranges and glasses Of water to the fair
/ sufferers, whom relief could not reach in any
other way.
A little before o'clock Douglas entered,
and was greeted with loud applause by the
galleries AS soon as the Senate came to
OF der, motion was made and carried TO adj
nit the ladies' to the floor. The doors were
Immediately opened, and o great throng
poured in. Without any preliminary form,
except the reading of the bill for the admis-
sion of Kansas, Mr. Douglas rose. He look
ed pale and care worn, and his voice at first
was feeble ant. uncertain. As he went on it
acquired its customary ring and force, and he
spoke with all his wonted animation.
! He began with an allusion to his sickness
and to his absence from the Senate declaring
that he should take no notice of the criti-
cisms that had recently been made upon him.
He intended, he said, to state nature and
bearing of his own political conduct and ac-
tons upon the question of Slavery. He
gave detailed account of the condition of
the Slavery question on his entrance into pub
lie life; OF his action upon it in various cases,
among them that Of the annexation of Texas,
at which time he had proposed to extend the
Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, but
the House Of Representatives rejected the
proposition, and established the policy of
abandoning geographical lines of restriction
upon Slavery. The objection to the policy
Of restricting Slavery by geographical lines
was difficult to answer. If Slavery was
wrong on one side of q line, it was wrong on
the other. Still, such has been the policy oi
the fathers, and he advocated it at that time
in the hope of avoiding sectional strife. Its
defeat at the time of the annexation of Texas
had given additional scope to the slavery agi-
tation and to a sectional animosity, which
was greatly TO he deplored. Had the Mis-
souri, line then been extended to the Pacific,
there would have been an end Of this formld-
able agitation. Both sections would have
been satifed, especially the South, to which
the Missouri restriction was practically an
| lOl IL N3o iS"hy q ASStiiOIfOii VII
the North.
TIE policy of geographical restriction hav-
ny been abandoned, Mr. Dcuglss said he felt
bound to recur to the original principles Of
the Government, to localize and not nation.
alize slavery, by leaving it to the States and
taking it out of the arena of Congress. This
brought upon him great indignation, especial
ly al his own home in Illinois. But, on an.
peang to the people Of his State, and ex-
claiming his views and his course, he was full
" sustained by them. Continuing for some
time longer his explanation and defence of
his support of the Nebraska Act, Mr.. Doug
las arrived at the consideration of the lie
compton Constitution. The question about
that was, is it in accordance with the prlnci-
pies Of the Compromise measures of 1850
and of the Nebraska Act Is it the result
and has it the sanction OF popular sovereign
ty? evil any man. he asked, "within the
hearing Of my voice say that that Copstitu-
ton embodieS the will and has The sanction
of the majority of the people Of Kansas ?"
He recapitulated the well known facts of the
recent history Of Kansas and of the o. gin
of the Lecomnton Constitution. The eyi-
dence was conclusive thai the Constitution
had not the sanction OF the popular will. If
you Judge this Constitution by the technical
tiles and forms of law, you will find tina. it
was voted down. legally voted d,wn, by the
PEG lie Of Kansas, and was repudated, re-
jected instrument. If you look at it as states
men you will arrive at the same conclusion.
The Lecompton Constitution is not the work
nor the will of the people Of Kansas. Why
then foroa it upon them !? Ask the Cover
nor, ak any OF the st Governors of the
Territory, men who know the peo-
pie there, and they will tell you it IS mockerv.
nay, crime to uphold tuat Constitution as
the VII of the people of Kansas. II it even
becomes the orgaalc law of Kansas, it will
be the act of Congress and not the act of the
people that Will make it so.
To the argument that the Constitution
could be changed, Mr. Douglas replied, that
made DO difference whatever. The principle