New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1862-10-10

A vindication Of Judge Douglas From Af6liation
with the Abolitisnists.

In the House of Representative, on the cath
of May, several speakers of the abolition
faith made speeches mis- II otiag JUDI 9 Doug las
to support their peculiar views on emanci-
patton and con6scation. Gov. Richardson
replied to them. briefly and to tho point.
He said !: '.
Mr.. SPEAKrR-.I propose to reply to sim
gle point which has arisen during this dsbate.
| Republican members have frequently quo
ted Judge Douglas within the last few days,
and quoted aim, too, for their own party
purposes. And now | desire to remind them
and the country that in MI his speeches in
reference to this war Judge Douglas took
the broad and statesman: position that this
war should be conducted for the preservation
Of the constitution and the enforcement of
the laws-for nothing more, nothing less
His position is so clearly defined that q few
extracts from his last speeches will at once
viudicate the truth of history, and place him
in the proper light before his counsrymcn.
At Springfield, ILL.,, in speech made before
the Legislature during the month Of May,
1861, he said:
"The first duty Of an America citizen or of
a citizen ofany constitu, onal government, is
obedience to the constitution and laws of his
country. have no apprehension that any
man IN Illinois or beyond tho limits of our
own beloved State. will misconstrue or mis-
understand my motive. So far as any Of the
partisan questions are concerned I stand in
equal, eternal and undying opposition to the
republicans and the secessionists."
And again in the same speech, he re-
marks: .......
'Hence repeat that am not prepared
to take Up arms or to sustain policy of our
government to take up arms to make any
war upon the rights Of the Southern States
upon their institutions; upon their rights Of
persons or property but on the contrary
would rush to their defence and protect them
from from assault but while that is the case
will never cease to urge my countrymcn to
take up arms tn fight to the death in defence
of our indefeasible rights. Long continued
applause.I Hence if q war docs come, it is a
war of s.lfdefense on our part. 1t is a war
in defence of our own just rights in defence
of the government which we have inherited as
legacy from our patriotic fathers; in defence
of those great rights of freedom of trade, com
merce, transit, and intercourse from the CEN
ter to the circumference of our great conti-
nent. These are rights we must struggle for
and never surrender" ...
And in the last great effort of his life, his
speech at Chicago, made but few days prior
to his death. he said:
eve must not invade constitutional rights
The innocent must not suffer, nor women amp
children be the victims. Savages mus. not
be let loose"
Neither republican members nor rcputli-
can officials anywhere can find anything in
the above extracts, nor in any speech or let
ter of Judge Douglas, which will justify them
IN the slightest violation of the constitution.
On the contrary, every act ofhis public life,
and even his dying injunction to his children:
condemns snequivocally all the unconstitution-
al legislation which you propose, and all the
unconstitutional acts of which your party
officials have been guilty
The Republican party, through its Presi-
dent, through this House, and through the
Senate, has given construction Of the con.
stitution showing the absence of power to
pass just such bills as you are now advocating
and intending to pass. In his inaugural ad-
dress, after having taken His solemn oath to
support the constitution, Mr.. Lincoln said
II have no purpose, directly or indirectly,
to interfere with the institutions of slavery
in the States where it now exists. l believe
have no lawful rights to do 50, and l have
no inclination to do So"
The. House Of Representatives Of the Thirty
sixth Congress, majority of whose members
were republicans, passed the following reso-
luton unanimously:
"That neither the Congress of the United
States nor the people or government of the
non-slaveholding States have the constitution
al right to legislatc upon, or interfere with
slavery in any Of the slayeholding States in
the Union"
By the organic act of the Territories Of
Nevada, Colorado, and Dakota, the republl-
can party, by its own legislation, had recog-
nized and approved the doctrine Of popular
sovereignty, which Judge Douglas regarded
as essential to the removal from these halls
ofthe most disturbing question of the country.
do not presume that, when Judge Doug
las thus strongly asserted the necessity of
maintaining inviolate the constitution of his
country, he for a moment suspected that you
would ever attempt the violation which your
republican Congress has given the people,
and which your republican President has
reiterated. But the bills now under con.
sideration proposes to violate not only your
pledges, but, at the same time, the consttu.
ton. You forgot your promises you advo-
cate these bills and urge their passage
through this House.