Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-10-26
DOUGLAS AND THE LECOMPTON
CONSTITUTION.
An Atrocious Charge Repealed
HISTORY VENTILATED.
ICONCLUDED. !


Soon after | made my speech against
the Lecompton Constitution, 10 Deem
Der of that year, General Calhoun and
a large number of the members of the
Lecompton Coovention-all of his par
tcular and confidential friends-visited
Washington. Now if i, be tue, as they
charge on me, that had advised Cal
houu to pursue this course, how does 1t
happen that these gentlemen, while in
Washington, did not charge me with
that tact. A voice, "That's the point"
They We're present in the galleries OF
the Senate day after day, week after
week, and month after month, hearing
me denounce the Lecompton Constitu-
ton and the scheme Of submission as a
fraud, and not a man Of them whispered
that had even been satisfied With it =
Cries of "Never, they could not do it .
My enemies wait until the controversy
has passed away, until John Calhoun Is
dead, and until We arrive upon the eve
of Presidential election, and then they
trump up this miserable, base charge,
which they never before dared to insln-
nate, that had sanctioned a scheme
from which now even they shrink with
horror. A voice, CHATS Just like
them. lfyou will read over these PIE
tended letters, for | do not know wheth.
er they are genuine or forged, You will
find in them the evidence that this
charge is bascly false And now let me
call your attention to them. My enc
mics found the charge upon the hypoth-
esis that Mr. Calhoun was under my in
huence and did st what l directed ,and
because Mr.. Calhoun was under my in
huence, and did just what l directed land
because Mr.. Calhoun finally submitted
to this form of submission OF the Consti-
tuition, they infer that must have agreed
to it. Ii you will read all of these let,
ters, You will find that every man who
speaks on the subject testifies that Cal
houn was, from tue beginning to the
end, in favor Of submitting the whole
Constitution to the people. rejoice
that this fact has been brought before
the country, for it will relieve Mr.. Cal
houn's name of much of the censure tina,
has been cast upon him, under the sup
position that he was opposed to the sub
mission OF the whole constitution. They
al bear witness that he stood by the
proposition to submit the whole consti
tuition until he was defeated, and, when
he failed to carry it, they say he called
caucus at his Office, at which he coun
c led with the friends Of submission a,
to what they should then do. Tha,
caucus, according to their statement, sa,
three nights, and during the first night
Calhoun absolutely refused to yield OF
be satisfied with anything less tnan :
submission of the whole constitution
The second night they say he demanded
the same thing; but the third night,
finding he could not secure the submlss
ion of the entire constitution, he agreed
to a partial submission.
Now il it be true, AS my enemies aver
that Calhoun was acting under my ad
vice, that tact proves that | was for sub
hitting the whole constitution, for Cal
houn insisted upon that up to the las,
hour. Cheers. SO these men have
not been sufficiently guarded in getting
up this testimony, for, while they show
the design to assail me, they furnish fact,
which acquit me entirely. Cheers +
Read the testimony of Mr.. Don phan, il
which he says he was present at each
one Of these night caucuses that he
never heard my name mentioned, or an,
pretcnce of a letter having been recelv
ed from me, or any advice whatever, and
that he is certain that, if my name hac
been connected with it, that fact woulo
have been stated. No such thing occur
red when he was present. He is theil
own witness, and they have published
his statement to the world.
But | am not going into defence
against these charges, got up loosely up
on the recollection Of men, three years
after the events have transpred, and
when they are SO much interested in
throwing the responsibility of their own
dlsreputable conduct upon others. l ap.
peal to my record-the record | have
made before the world in a three years
Highland | defy any honest man on
earth to say | have wavered a ha,r'.
breadth. (Cheers) l do not believe
there is an honest man on earth who
doubts my fidelity to principle. l vii
here state another fact. During the LIE.
compton struggle, when the war in Con.
gress was raging turiously, | had one in.
terview with Gen. Calhoun, and but one
1t took place in the presence of a gen
ileman whose name will give without
consulting him. MIR. Calhoun being
dead, | can only refer to this one witness
aud al hougt he is not present, and !
have not enqured of him as to his recol.
lection OF the interview, | will under
take to state to you substantially what
occurred on this point. MIR. Weir, then
United States District Attorney in Kan
sas. holding All office under James Blu.
chanan, came to my house one nigh,
with Gen. Calhoun, the President of The
Lecompton Convention. l received Mr..
Calhoun courteously and kindly, as we
had been old friends be expressed his
regrets at the difference which had grown
up between US on this question; he as
sured me upon his honor that he had
done everything in his power to pro.
cure the submission to the whole Con
stltution, because he knew that it was
my desire, and also the wish of ali OF
his friends, and because he thought it
"a far nj e., 4