The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-06-04
Last Speech of senator Douglas.
DELIVERED AT CHICAGO, MAY /, 1861.

Mr.. Chairman-I thank you for the
kind terms in which you have been pleas
| ed to welcome me. THANK the committee
and citizens of Chicago for this grand and
imposing reception. | beg YOU to believe
that will not do you nor myself the in
| justice to believe this magnificent ovation
is personal homage to myself. I rejoice
| to know that it expresses your devotion to
the Constitution, the Union, and the flag
of our country.
| will not conceal qualification at the
incontrovertible test this vast audience
presents-that what political differences
or party questions might have divided US,
| yet you all had conviction that when the
country should be In danger my loyalty
could be relied on. That the present
danger is imminent no man can conceal.
If war must come-if the bayonet must
be used to maintain the Constitution-I
can say before God my conscience is clean
L havs. struggled long for peaceful solu-
tion u the difficulty. [ have not only
| rendered those States what was theirs of
| right, but L have gone to the very ex-
treme of magnanimity.
The return we receive is war, armies
marched upon our Capital, o5structions
and dangers to our navigation, letters Of
| marqae to invite pirates to prey upon our
commerce, 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 be stricken down by
those who, when they can no longer gov
ern, threaten to destroy
What cause, what excuse do disunion.
lists give us for breaking up the best gov
ernmsnt on which the sun of heaven ever
shed its rays? !? 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 de-
feated at the ballot-box l understand
that the voice of the people expressed in
the mode appointed by the Constitution
must command the obedience 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 based
hat act has been omitted to be done?
l appeal to these assembled thousands,
the Southern States, l will say the con-
stitutional rights of shareholders, are con-
cerned, nothing has been done and nothing
omitted of which they can complain.
There has not been a time, from the
Cay Washington was inaugurated first
President of these United States, when
the rights of the Southern States stood
firmer under the laws Of the land than
they do now; there never was a time
when they had not as goud cause for
disunion as they have to day.
If they try the territorial question
now, for the first time, there is no act of
Congress prohibiting slavery anywhere
If it be the non enforcement of the laws,
the only complaints that have heard
have been of the too vigorous aud faithful
fulfilmeht of the Fugitive Slave law
Then what reason have they?
The slavery question is a mere excuse
The election of Lincoln is a mere pretext.
The present secession movement is the
result of an enormous conspiracy, formed
more than year simce-formed by the
leaders of the Southern Confederacy more
than twelve months ago.
They use the slavery question as means
to aid the accomplishment of their ends
They desired the election Of Northern
candidate By sectional vote, in order to
show that the two sections cannot live
together. When the history of the two
years from the Lecompton Charter down
to the late Presidential election shall have
been written, it will be shown that the
scheme was deliberately made to break up
the Union.
They desired a Northern Republican to
be elected by purely Northern vote, and
then assign this fact as reason why the
sections may not longer live together If
the Disunion candidate in the late Presi-
dental contest had carried the united
South, their scheme was, the Northern
candidate successful, to seize the Capital
last spring, and, by united South and q
divided North, hold it. That scheme was
defeated in the defeat of the Southern
States.
But this is no time for detail of causes.
The conspiracy. is now known. Armies
have been raised. War is levied to ac-
complish it. There are only two sides to
the question. Every man must be for the
United States or against 1t. There can
be no neutrals IN this war-only patriots
or traitors.
Thank God, illinois is not divided on
this question. I know they expected to