New-York daily tribune., 1859-09-28
SPEECH OF THE HON. A. LINCOLN OF
ILLINOIS.

We End in The Chicago Press and Tribune phono
xsphc report Of speech delivered by Mr.. Lincoln Of
nnErois, at Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, the 10th. We
make few extracts:
IRREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.
From the adoption Of the Constitution down to
1870 is the precise period of history when we mad
comparative peace upon this questIon-the precise
period Of time hen we came nearer to having peace
about than at any other time of that entire one hun
dred and sixty years in which Nr d. says oegen, OF
Of the eighty years Of our ohn Cons'tunon Inc. M
probabe reason Of our coming nearer 10 having peace
then than at any other time. Ihis WAS the precise
period of time in which fathers adopted and dunng
which they followed policy restrcnog the spread o'
SIaveyv Ard the whole Union was acquescing IN 1t.
The whole country looked forward 10 the ultimate
extinction of the institution IL was when policy had
bcen adopted and prevailing, which led all just
and righteous minded men to suppose that thls was
e1 1sdusIly coming to an end and that al rghtminded
men might be quiet about 1t, watching IL as II e1'
pired.
too and whether be did not, it Is worth the aten'
ton Of fair minded men, here and elsewhere to COR
sder whether that is not the truth Of the case. If he
had locked at these two facts, that this matter has
been an element Of dscord for tne hundred and sixty
years among this people, and that the only compare.
i've peace we have had about il when that policy
prevailed in this Government which he wars upon,
he might then perhaps have been brought TO more
inst appreciation OF what said fifteen months ago
that " house divided against itsef cannot stand.
believe thi, Government cannot endure permanently
half save and half free. do not expect the house TO
fall l do not expect the Union to dissolve; but do
e1pect il will cease to be divided. II will become all
one thing or all the other. Either the opponents OF
Slavery will arrest the further spread Of it, and place
where the public mind will rest in the belief thai 1t is
IN the course of ultmste extinction, or It's advocates
will push it forward until it shall become alike lawful
n ali the States, old as well as new, North as well as
SOuth."
That was my settirnent at that time. In connection
with it, / said: "We are now far into the fifth year
since policy was inauguraed with the avowed oh.
"ject and confident promise of putting an end to
"Slsvery agitation Under the operation Of this pol
"icy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has
constantly augmented l now say TO you here thst
ne are advanced still further into the sixth year since
that policy of Judge Dougas-that Popular Sovereign
" Of his, for quietng the Slavery questionwas made
The national policy. Fifteen months more have been
sdded since / uttered that sentiment, and call upon
YOU and all other right-m men, to say whether
that fifteen months has beied or corrobora:ed my
words.
DOUGLAS coRsERED.
Popular Sovereignty, by his own (D0ugsss words,
does not pertain to the few persons who wander upon
the public domain in violation Of law. We have his
words for that. When it does pertain to them is when
they are sufficient to be formed into an organized po.
btical community and he fixes the minimum for that
al TO- 0OO and the maximum at 20 600. Now, would
like to know what is 10 be done with the 9,OO0! Are
they all to be treated until they are large enough to be
organized into political community, as wanderers
upOn the public land in violation Of law And, 1t so
trested and driven out at what point Of time would
there ever be 10 000 Ifthey were not driven out but
remained there respassers upon the public land In
violation Of the law could they establish Slavery there
No. the Judge says Popular Sovereignty don't pertain
TO them then. Can they exclude it, then No; POpu-
lar Sovereignty don't pertain to them then. would
ike TO know in the case covered by the Essay, what
condition the people Of the Territory are 10 before they
reach the number Of l0 ,OC0
But the main point wish TO ask attention to is, that
lthe question to when they shall have reached sui.
Client number to be formed into regular organized
community, is to be decided "by Congress-" Judge
Douglas says 80. Well, gentlemen that is about all
We want That is all the Southerners want. That
bwhat all those who for Slavery want. They
DO not want Congress to prohibit Slavery from coming
into Lew Territories, and they do not want Popular
Sovereignty to hinder it; and as Congress is to say
when they ready to be organized all that the South
has to do is to get Congress to hold OIL Let Congress
hold off until they ready to be admitted as States
and the South has all il wants in taking Slavery into
and planting it in s the Territories that We now have,
hereafter may have. In word, the whole thing, at
sdash Of the pen is last Pu. IN .ne poSer ., SoH
until Congress organize them, AK If, st last II does
not come from Congress IT, at last, it AMOUNTS to
anything at ALL Congress gives 1t to them. submit
ts rather for your reflection than for comment After
all hst is said at last by dash Of the pen everything
that has gone before is undone and he puts the whoe
question under the control OF Congress After hghtng
through more than three hours, II you undertake 70
NJ.
control of that power which he had been contending
against and arrives at result directly contrary to
what he had been laboring to do. He at last leaves
The whole matter In the control of Congress.
THE DRED SCOTT DECISION.
What II that bred Scott decision 7 Judge Douglas
abors to show that it lie thing, while think 1t i
altogether different Itis long opinion, but it is all
embodied in this short s.a ement: " The Constitution
"of the United States forbids Congress to deprive
"man of his property without due process OF law the
"gh of property in slaves ls distinctly aud expressly
affirmed in that Constitution; therefore, If Congress
sba undertake to say tina, mans slave is no longer
"hs slave when he crosses certain line into Terri
@tory that is deprvpg him of his property without
due process of Law and is unconstitutional. There
nthe whole Dred Scott decision. They add that as
Congress- caunot do 80 tsef Congress cannot confer
any power TO do go, and hence any efOr by the Terri
tns Legislature to do either Of these things is ab,o
1isy decided against. 1t is forgone conclusion by
Il lat Court.
Now, as TO this indirect mode by "unfrendly legis
alton all lawyers here will readily understand that
Eeh a proposition cannct be tolerated for moment,
saase Legislature cannot Indirectly do that which
fannot accomplish directly. Tnen say any legsls-
3. to control this property as property for Its oenent
/ property, would be hailed by this Dret Scott
Spieme Court, and fully sustained; but any egisla
Too driving slave property out, or destroying 1t as
fopsr,y directly Indirectly, will most assufedy, by
| eE Court be held unconstitutional.