The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1863-08-21
La., speech of stephen A. Douglas.

lphen A. Douglas, delivered at Chica
go, May 1st, 1861, short time pre-
vious To his death. Let every one
give it careful reading:
] will not conceal qualification a
the uncomfortable test this vast audi
cncc prcsents--that whatever politica
differences or party questions may
) have divided us, yet You all had a
conviction that when the country
D should be in danger, my loyalty coulC
be relied on. That the present dan
ger is imminent, no man can conceal
) lfwar must come--if the bayonc'
must be used to maintain the Consti
Itution-1 can say before God my con
science is clean. ! have struggled long
for peaceful solution of the diiilcul.
ity. ] have not only rendered those
States what was theirs of right, but
| have gone to the very extreme oI
magnaninity.
! The return we receive is war. arm
les marching upon ourCapitol obstruc-
ltions and dangers placed upon navi-
iigation, letters of marquc granted to
Ipirates to prey upon our commerce, q
concerted movement 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 he stricken down
Iby those who, when they can no lon
ger govern, threaten to destroy?
What cause, what excuse do dsm-
ionists give us for breaking up the
best Government on which the sun
of heaven ever shed his rays? They
are dissatisfied with The results of u
Presidential election. Did they new
cr get beaten before? Are we to re-
sort to the sword when we get defeat
ed ut the ballot boXy ! understand
it that the voice of the people, express
ed in the mode appointed by the Com
stitution, must command the ohcdi-
ence ofevery citizen. They assume
on the election of II particular candi-
date, that their rights are not safe
in the Union. What evidence do they
present of this? | defy any man to
show IN act on which it is based
| W hat has been omitted to he done?
! appeal to these assembled thous-
ands that so far as the constitutional
rights of the Southern States, j will
say the constitutional rights ofslave-
holders are concerned, nothing has
been done and nothing omitted of
which they can complain.
There has never been time, from
the day that Washington was inaugu-
rated first President OF the United
States, when the rights of the South
ern States stood frmer under thclaws
of the land, than they do now: there
never was u time when they had not
as rood cause for sunion as they
have to-day. What good cause have
/ they which has not existed under every
4 Administration?
i Ifthey say the territorial question
now for the first time, there is no ac
of Congress prohibiting Slavery any
where If il he the non-entorccmen
of the laws-thc only complaints tina
r ! have heard have been of the to'
vigorous and faithful fuliilmcnt of th'
:. Fugitive Slave Law. Then what rca
son have they!
The Slavery question Is mere eX-
cuse. The election of Lincoln Is
mere pretcNt. The present secession
, movement is the result of an cnormou
;. conspiracy formed more than yea
since - formed by leaders in tn
y Southern Confcdcracy more tina
" twelve months ago.
They use the Slavery question as
|. means to aid the accomplishment {
Il their ends. They desired the elcctio
\. of Northern candidate hy Il section
al vote in order to show that the tw
sections cannot live together. Whe
the history of the two years, frol
the Lecompton Charter down to til
late Presidential election shall he wrl
- ten, it will be shown that the schcn
was deliberately made to break II
this Union.
They desired n Northern Repuhl
can to be elected by n purely NortI
It's ern vote, and then assign this fact t
% reason why the sections may II
longer live together. If the Disuni'
candidate in the late Presidential co
m test had carried the united South, d
~, rc scheme was, Northern candidates su
air cesslul, to seize the Capital last Spril
~ and by a united South and divid
ne North. hold it. That scheme was d
feated in the defeat of the Dismi'
'' candidate in several of the Southe
~ States,
es' es' But this is no time for a detail
ing causes The conspiracy is III
=, known. Armies have been raisC
ice ice War is levied to accomplish it. The
lid are only two sides to it. Every IN
:. must be for the United States
- against it. There can be no neutr
in this war-ONLY PATRIOTS
TTisst Tst TRAITORS.
lty, Thank God, Illinois is not divid
"a Sn on this question. [Cheers. kn
JUS they expected to present unit
ms South against divided North. III
,ep sp hoped in the Northern States, pa
questions would bring civil war
tween Democrats and Rebulica
: when the South would step in W
:! her cohorts, aid one party to cong
,eo- the other, and then make an easyp
,Iae iIle of the victors Their scheme =