The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-05-11
"NO NEUTRALS IN THIS WAR !"
SPEECH OF
HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS,
AT CHICAGO, MAY 1861.

Mr.. CHAlRMAN: thank you for the kind
terms in which you have been pleased to
welcome me. l thank the committee and
citizens of Chicago for this grand and i'm
posing reception. beg you to believe that
will not do you nor myself the injustice to
believe this magnificent ovation is personal
homage to myself. | rejoice to know that
it expresses your devotion to the Consttu-
ton, the Union and the Flag of our country.
(Cheers.]
will not conceal my qualification at the
uucontrovertble test this vast audience
pre.cnts-that what political differences or
party questions may have divided us, yet you
all had n conviction that when the country
should be in danger, my loyalty could be
relied on. That the present danger is immi-
nent, no man can conceal Ii war must
come-if the bay must be used to main
tain the constitutional can say before God,
my conscience is clean. l have struggled
long for peaceful solution of the difficulty.
| have not only rendered those States what
was theirs of right, but have gone to the
very extreme Of magnanimity.
The return VIC receive is War, armies
marched upon our Capital, Instructions and
! dangers to our navigation, letters of mayoue
to invite pirates to prey upon our commerce,
concerted III cvemcns to blot out the United
States of America from the map Of the globe.
The question is, Are we to maintain the
country OF our fathers, or allow it to be
stricken down by those who, when they can
no longer govern, threaten to DESTROY.
! What cause, what excuae do Disunionists
! give US for breaking up the best Government
on which the sun Of heaven ever shed its
raysf They are dissatisfied with the result
OF Presidential election. Did they never
get beaten before? Are we to resort to the
sword when We get defeated at the ballot
box. l understand it that the voice Of the
people expressed in the mode appointed by
the Constitution must command the obedi-
ence OF every citizen. They assume on the
election Of particular candidate that their
rights are not safe in the Union. What
evidence do they present of this. l defy
any man to show any act on which it is basei.
What act has been omitted to be doue2 ri
appeal to these assembled thousand, that an
Tar as the Constitutional rights of the
Southern ) ates, will say the Constitutional
rights OF Shareholders are concerned. moth
ing has been done and nothing omitted Of
which they can complain.
lhere has never been time from the day
that Washington was inaugurated fr.,
PRESIDENT OF these United States, when the
rights OF the Southern States stood firmer
under The laws Of land, than thev do nov
there never vas . time when thev had moi
a. good cause for Di.union a. they have
so-uay. What good cause have they now
.na. mas not existed under every Admins.
Ii they say the Territorial oues,;on-nov
'or 'ne nrst time there is no act Of Congress-
prohibiting Slavery anywhere. Ii it be the
nom enforcement Of the laws, the only com
plants that | have heard have been Of the
700 vigorous and faithful fuifiImens Of the
tugiiive Slave Law. Then what reason
have they?
The slavery question is q mere excuse.
~ Ine election OF Lincoln is mere pre,ext.
ihe present secession movement 10 III.
result OF an enormous conspiracy formed
more than year .ince-formed By leader. |
70 'hs Southern Confsderscy more than
twelve months sgo.
1ney use the Slavery Question q means