Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-09-05
The Standard.
SIP E ECH
HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS.

HON, STEPHEN A, DOUGLAS,
Delivered in Raleigh, dug. 80, 1860.
DIR. Fox, the President of the Convention, on in
Producing JUDGE DOUGLAS, said:
Low-CrrrzENs OF RTu-CARoLINA: l have
the Measure and the honor of introducing to you
the great embodiment of Democratic principles the
nominee of the Democratic National Convention OF
Baltimore for President of the United States OF
America, the friend of the South the Constitution
and the Union, Hon. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS, of H.
linois. Three cheers for Douglas)
Mn DOUGLAS said: Mr.. President, am conscious
that YOU have, in the enthusiasm produced by the
circumstances with which you are surrounded to-
day, done me more than justice in your presenta-
ton to this audience. l thank you, sir, sincerely,
for the kind terms in which you have been pleased
to speak of me- 1t is a matter of pride and pleas
ure to be presented to the people of the old North
State BY representative from Mecklenburg
(Cheers.) History will always preserve the fact,
that in North Carolina the first declaration OF moe
nendence was proclaimed to the world, and that
Mecklenburg has the honor of being the county
where that glorious deed was done. Caroilnlans
have right to be proud of that great event IN her
history; but while you pride yourselves upon IT,
Won must remember that the sacred obligation rests
upon YOU and your children to maintain nviolate
the PRINCIPLES which that declaration was intended
to perpetuate What was the grievance OF which
North Carolina complained when she proclaimed to
the world her separation from the British crown?
What was the grievance of which all the Colonies
complained, and what were the objects they intend
ed to accomplish by that declaration? lndepend-
ence was not their motive They did not desire
separation from England. On the contrary, the
first Continental Congress that assembled, and each
successive until the declaration was put forth,
adopted an address to the crown and 10 the people,
and to the Parliament of England, affirming their
devotion to the British people, their devotion to the
British Constitution and their loyalty to the crown
of England They did not desire separation from
the mother country. They demanded a redress of
grievances under the British Constitution; and
while they remained part of the British empire
what were those grievances? You will find them
in the bill of rights put forth by the first Continental
Congress which assembled in l774. In that bill of
rights the colonies proclaimed to the world their de-
sire to remain part of the British empire, they &C
knowledged the right of Great Britain in Parlia-
ment to make all laws which affected the general
welfare of the empire, without interfering with the
local and internal of the colonies, they ac
knowledged the right of the British government to
regulate foreign affairs to make war and peace, to
regulate commerce, and do those things which af-
fected the general welfare of the empire of Britain;
but they declared in that bill of rights that the colo
MES possessed the sole and exclusive power of legs
laton in their colonial Legislatures over their do
nestle polity. That was the point upon which they
were prepared to sacrifice life if necessary-the
right Of selfgovernment in each colony far it
affected their local and domestic concerns. Great
Britain refused to recognise that right; and before
our fathers would surrender it they determined that
they would resort to force and carry force to
the point of separation FROM and entire independ
ence Of Great Britain. 1t is important to bear this
fact in mind, in order to determine precisely the
principles upon which our system of government is
founded. The British Parliament denied the right
of the American colonies to regulate their internal
affairs because they said that those colonies pos
sessed no other rights than those which the King of
England had granted to them in their charters
Washington, and Jefferson. and Hancock, ard the
heroes of that day, told the King that they did not
get their rights from the crown and they denied the
power of the King or Parliament to take those
rights away. The colonists claimed that the right
of local seEgovernment was inherent in the people,
derived from the Ruler of the Universe, the only
power and jurisdiction of Kings and Parliaments.
Upon this point the revolution turned. This right
of local selfgovernment, as being inherent in the
people, was affirmed by the American revolution.
The Constitution under which we live was made for
the purpose of confirming and perpetuating the lib
critics achieved by the American revolution. The
question now arises whether we will maintain, at
this day, those principles for which our fathers
fought and which were secured to US by the sacri-
fees of the revolution.
The Abolition party Of the North, some years
ago. attempted to violate this great principle of self
government in the territories of the United States
by the application Of the Wilmot Proviso They
n laU for fbo &c
prohibiting slavery everywhere in the territories of
the United States, whether the people wanted it or
not The whole South. with large. portion of the
Northern Democracy, resisted the Wmot Provso
as violation of the right Of sefgovernment, at the
same time that it was an usurpatiOn of power by
the federal government. In the discussion which
took place, We who opposed the Wilmot Proviso ap-
peaied to the revolutionary struggle, as furnishing
the grounds upon which We ought to resist the in
reference ty Congress with the domestic affairs of
the people Of the territories We reminded the
people then, that the first serious point of conro-
versy which ever arose between the American colo
MES and the British government, was upon the
slavery question For more than seventy wears
previous to the Declaration Of Independence the
colony Of Virginia asserted her right to control the
question of slavery through her colonial Legsla
ture. During the early portion of that period the
Virg'nians passed laws to encourage the introduc-
ioh OF slaves and to protect slavery in the colony
but after awhile they found the number of slaves
Increasing in greater ratio than the white people
and being surrounded by large bands of hostile In
dams they became alarmed lest the savage Africans
Just introduced, should unite with the savage In
dams surrounding the settlements, and extermnate
the whites In order to prevent calamity so fear
fui, the colony of Virginia passed laws adverse to
the further introduction Of slaves into that COLONY
Inc british merchants then engaged in the African
slave trade appealed to the King to annul the less-
iat'on Of these few adventures in the COLONY of
virginia They set forth that they had right, as
British subjects, to move from England, and carry
WIN them Their slaves, as we'll as all their other
property, and hold them in the colonies. without
reference to the legislation of the colonial Legisa-
lures. The King, in council, sustained that Claim.
annulled the local legislation of Virginia and in.
structed its Governor not to allow any more laws to
be passed in the colony adverse to the slave trade
but as late as l77 only four years before the Deca
ration Of Independence the Legislature of Virginia
ADOPTED memorial to his majesty, telling him that
unieSS he granted tn tho colonv of