The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-05-25
From Washington.
Two DAYS SPEECH.

||OAA-
WASHINGTON. May Is.
| Correspondence Of Philadelphia Press.
A brilliant audience gathered in the Sem
ate to-day to hear Mr.. Douglas. All the
seats were occupied in both galleries, and
the ladies as usual stood up for woman s
rights, and were in force to hear the great
Illinoisan. The House of Representatives
legislated or attempted to legislate to empty
benches, until the peremptory "call" caused
the absentees to scamper from the floor of
the Senate.
Mr.. Douglas spoke over three hours, de-
voting that time principally to the exami,
nation of the records of the Southern States
on non.intervention. The record he made
wherein they pledged themselves to that
doctrine in l848, 1850, 1852, 1854, and
1856, was terrific and overwhelming. From
it there is no escape except by an ecknowl>
edgment of change of opinion. Then he
proffered them forgiveness if they would
frankly acknowledge that they were con-
WINGED they were wrong before, and had
changed, and enquired if it was too much to
ask of them that they should also excuse him
and his friends for having stood faithfully
by the principles which they had endorsed,
as fnalities and ultimatums, only five short
years ago. The sensation was overpower-
ing, and the galleries broke out in vocifer-
Gus applause. He will finish to morrow.
WASHINGTON, May 16.
The closing of the great speech of Sena-
tor Douglas in the Senate, to-day, surpassed
all expectation, and it is considered by far
the greatest effort of his life. He was high
ly eloquent, sarcastic, and porderous, scout
ing the seceders of the South and the Re-
publicans of the North as legitimate parties
to the irrepressble conflict, which, if con-
tinued, must inevitably result in the disso-
luton of the Union. His vindication of
the Democracy of himself and friends was
| perfect, and is conceded to be unanswerable.
His allusion to the attempts to prescribe
him as no Democrat, and his assertion that
he preferred the Senate at present to the
Presidency, and would not have allowed
the use of his name at Charleston but for
these imputations of his orthodoxy, were
made with feeling and fervor which for
babe doubt of their truth or of his patrio-
tism but he said he had been sustained at
Charleston and endorsed by a National
Democratic Convention-he had received a
majority of its votes as the Democratic can
didate. Formerly, when his rivals had re-
ceived such compliments, he had been the
first to forward his congratulations by
lightning, and request his friends to make
their nomination unanimous.
He had no complaints to make. Others
had followed their own convictions of duty !;
he Only asked the same charity of them.
His eloquent allusion to Clay and Critten-
den, who had been called Abolitionists by
Yancey, brought down the enthusiastic ap-
plause of the galleries, and the presiding
officer had to threaten to clear them in case
of a repetition OF the offence. He wished
to God the country was full of such Adolf.
tionists.
His whole speech was conceived in the
best spirit, and delivered with great good
taste and in the happiest manner. His
friends, tonight, are confident of bis Domi-
nation at Baltimore, and election by the
people in November. Ex-senator Clemens
says he can carry every Southern State
against the candidate of the Seceders.