Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-08-15
speech Of senator Douglas at
Troy. July 25, 1860.

Mn MAYOR AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF TROY
AND OLD RENssELAER-This magnificent re-
ception from you, on my arrival in the native
city of my father, and of my grand fathers,
fills my heart with Joy and creates feelings
which / cannot adequately express to you in
words In this country, for more than one
hundred years, my ancestors dwelt and have
perhaps a larger number OF relatives within
lis limits than in those OF any other county in
the world. Therefore greet you as friends,
who, without distinction of party, have come
out to give me welcome. / am glad to meet
this vast audience-vast in numbers and Wig
orous in its enthusifs n. And | am glad to
learn. as | do from the remarks of your Mayor,
that you have come here TO endorse those
principles which it has been the labor of my
political life to defend The tones of his
speech are highly gratifying to me. For there
can be no reward to public man so grateful,
after the approval of his own conscience, as
the appreciation of his fellow citizens, whom
it is his effort to serve. 1t was true, as was
said by your Mayor in the course Of his re-
marks, that my first speech in the council halls
of this nation, was made in vindication Of the
old hero of New Orleans, forthe performance
of that noble act by which he saved his coun-
try from the approach of the invader. | felt
il my duty, as well as my pleasure, to defend
that old hero from the assaults which had been
heaped upon him in consequences OF that act
and to do what | could to procure him relief
from the pena ties of Il sentence pronounced
on account of its performance. And | will
say now, that no act of my life has given me
more pleasure, or left behind it sncerer graf
| ificat0n My only regret now is, in these
DAYS of turmoil and danger, when the elements
| of ruin threaten the happiness OF our own be-
loved country tnere Is h1t uI,otner olu I'm,
ory to put dowh! hot only ao9i'tlohisin az .,ie
North but huiliiicitlon ana uisunloh ,! az ths
South,-to repress lhe eiethets Vi uiseoiu o,iu .
evll wherever lhey eAls', anu slVe Pe"oe W yuI
loved countryIto pour on upon tie troup'eu
waters, ana Did the roarlhBl swuy'rg WIVES
| peace, be sun for' my lrlenus Is caih
| and criminal 10 atteIhp, 10 coiceai the 'not'
| that the lnsututiohs anu 'he happiiiess oi unis
country are now IN greater DANGER IN more an
solute peru thah they nave nay Deeh at any other
period IN lts history. whenever ou! iis'itu'
tlons nave Deeh put IN uahger rom clNi com CON
motions IN the past, IL mas uIways. peei ,ronl
the same dlsturolng causei IL mas Always peel'
because the federal government sought 10 ar,
| rogate TO ltseii some powers ti'at were no,
delegated to It by the constitution. we shoulu
ever pear IN mlnd' my rrlehusi uhuer our com
| pick system Oh government our ieuera' au
ministration was entrusted win no power Du'
such as were purely iederal ana aPperta,h 70
the control OF national interests, ana no'
those when are eonhhed IN thelr operations to
peculiar localities 10 ehect the domestc IN
stitution OF me people III lsolated conmuni
ties Inc federal government mas no power
but such as are Delegated 10 ~ uhaer the con
stitution and IS especially ~, inhibited ron
exercising any but these mus Whatever
questions are domestic IN thelr character, ano
do not have national !apphcanoh-ior IN
stance, such as appertain TO the relations
OF husband WIFE, parent ana enid, or master
and servant, do not belong 70 the federal gov
ernmenti but are py the terms OF the grea
Fundamental instrument removed from 1t, anc
left for regulation and settlement to the peo
pile in their sovereign capacity All the tur
mol, d!ssenslon ana confusion which nov
prevail in this country--all the dangers tina
threaten the very fabric OF our union-aros'
from the attempt OF the federal governmen
to Ignore these great principiesi to arrogat'
to itself powers that were not vested IN At BY
the constitution 10 assume control over t,'