The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-03-22

Mr.. TRUMBuLL.-Mr President, | have
been struggling for some time to obtain the
floor, to inquire Of my colleague what he
meant by saying that he had been battling
for four years against negro equality at home
in the State of Illinois, and against the idea
that the Constitution of the United States IN
some respects confiictcd with the divine law
and was null and void, as if that was the
position of some party in the State of Illinois.
desire to inquire whether he meant to attrib-
ute any such views as those to the Republi-
can party in Illinois?
Mr.. DoUGLAs-So far as know, the Re-
publican party do hold that the negro and the
white man, by the Declaration of Independ-
ence, were secured in perfect equality, and [
have had to meet the negro argument not
only for four years, but for ten years. when
the Senator, my colleague, was Democra t.
l can excuse him for not understanding the
creed of his party, for he has not been in it
long enough to learn it; but if he will refer
to the leaders he will find out that | stated
it correctly. Laughter
Mr.. TRUMBULL-My colleague will perhaps
find that he is about as poor an exponent of
the Democracy as | am Laughter think
he is rather unsound upon that side of the
Chamber, and has found himself so in the
country, and If have departed from the
Democracy of former times, he seems to be
following very closely after me. Laughter
Now, sir, know that my colleague has
battled against negro equality in Illinois, and
he may have battled, for ought | know,
against the idea that the Constitution con
fiicted with the Divine law, and was therefore
void; but if he has so battled, he has bat.
tied Don Quixotte-llke against windmils
rather than realities. lie is very much in
the habit of setting up principle and then
~knocking it down, talking about negro equali-
ty as if somebody was for it, and then assail-
ing it.3 Now, sir, am glad to have my col
league face to face, where can put tito him
and tell him he never heard such declara.
ton of principles from the Republican party
of lllinois,nor the Republican party of the
Union. | tell him now in his face, and to
his teeth, that when he charges upon the
Republican party of Illinois, or ofthe country
that it has advocated negro equality, he
charges that which is wholly untrue, wholly
without foundation, so far as the Republican
party is concerned.
But, sir, he says that we believe in the
Declaration ofInaepcnience. of do. I dc
believe in the Declaration of Independence
and has my colleague yet to learn the dis
tinction between natural right and right
in organized society the distinction between
the gift cf God and the gift of man? | dc
believe in the Declaration of Independence
and so does the Republican party sbelieve in
it, that all men were endowed by their Crea
tor with certain inalenahle rights. do be
lieve that all men were born with the same
natural rights and that is what the Declara
ton of independence declares !; that is what
if he has listened to Republicans In Illinois
he has heard many time enunciated as thC
doctrine OF the Republican party, that al
men were created equal, not made equal by
human society, by human laws. We know
that the very idea of government creates al
inequality among men. To have government
you must have rules and regulations yor
must have magistrates, those who command
and those who obey and, of course, ther,
is an equality. But, sir, does that militat,
against the God-giving right that all wer
created equal How were they created i
not equal? Was there any human govern
Inent from God Destroy all human govern
ment wipe out all organized society tax,
man as he came from the hands of his Maker
and tell me, if you please, what superior au
thority one has over another II one ha