Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1861-05-17
dNistella nrou9.
Senator Douglas Speech.
Before the Illinois Legislature. Apr a5. q
W asliinstotf

Before the Illinois Legislature, Apr ID, VI.
The two Houses met in joint session at
o'clock. The hall was densely crowded.
Judge Douglas was introduced by Speaker
Cullom and was received with rapturous
applause, II said;
=" For the fr~t time ,uee the adoption
of the Federal Constitution, widespread
conspiracy exists to overthrow the best
government the sda Of heaven ever >honc
upon. An invading army is marching up
On Washington Thc boast has gone forth
from the Secretary Of War Of the so-cal-
led Confederate Stat : that ~ the first Of
Nly the Federal army will be in possess
sion Of the National Capital, anl by the
first of July its head quarters will be IN
old Independence Hall.
The only question with u, is whether
we shall wait supiuely for the invaders,
or rush a. one maa TO the det,nce of that
which we hold most dear? (rremenloaN
chcurnsl Piratical fa@> are aHpat on
the oe.tn unter pretended letters OF
narIa' 0ur great river has been clo~e'I
10 the commerce OF the North West. Tex
as has been ieyiel upon Il, without our
bcin. consulted or represented IN the
premises. - long a. hope remained
tor peace plead and implarcd for COM
promise. Now that all else has failed,
thcre i, but one course left, and that Is 10
rally a. one man under the flag of Wash
inston, Jefferson, j Hamilton, Madison and
Franklin At what tine, since the Goy-
crnment was organized, have the constltu-
tional rights of the South been more Sc
cure than now? For the first time since
the Constitution was adopted, there Is no
legal restriction against the spread OF >la-
yery in the Territories When was the
fugitive slave law more faithfully eXeru-
ted? What single act has been done TO
Justify this mad attempt to overthrow the
Republic? We are told that because a
certain party has carried Presidential
election. therefore the south choose to con-
,ider their liberties insecure, | had sup
posed that it was a fundamental principle
of American institutions, that the will OF
the majority, cons,itutionally expressed,
should govern. (Applause) II defeat
at the balot-box is to justify rebcllion'
the future history OF the Cuitcd States
may be read in the past history of Mexico.
Are we to inausuratc the Mexican system
in the United States? suppose the dis
union candidate, had been elected by con-
stitutoual means, and the Republicans
had been found rebellins against the
richttu authorities, you would have found
me rendering to John e. Breckenridge my
best efforts 10 crush them to the earth.
The first duty of every citizen Is to
render obedience to the National Constl-
tuition aud laws,
Most of you know that am very
good fighter in times of partizan strife
/ hope to show you all that | am an
equally good patriot IN the time OF my
country's danger. Ii is now your imper-
atve duty to throw party and party plat
forms to the winds, forget that you ever
differed Give me country where my
children can live in peace, and then we can
have theatre if We desire for partlzann
controversies.
We are called upon to fold our arms
and see our Capital seized, our archives
carried away by those who glory IN tramp
ling the American flag in the dust. Ill
inois and my native state would say to-day
that if had committed an error IN my
political career, ii ha, consisted in leaning
too far towards the South have never
pandered to the prcjudices OF the North
against the minority section. While l
will never invade the Constitutional rights
of the South, nor sanction their INVASION
by others, want them distinctly to un-
derstand that they must not invade my
constitutional rights cloud Cheering
1t is a prodigious crime against the
freedom of the world, to attempt to blot
the United States out of the map OF Chris
tendon. What do We see' Washington
to be bonibarded, The President of the
United States and his Cabinet, elected and
appointed to their places by the same au-
tbority as George Washington and his
constitutional advisers, to be carried of as
hostages the very dOmon OF destruction
10 be let loose in the land How long 90
Won thipk it will be before the gulllotlne Is
N oneration Allow me to say to my
former political enemles' you Will ho' O0