The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-10-16

and Gil south slave. and sdmtssins Missouri
which was north. ~ slave state. was grats-
fully accepted. hut later the crisis. as Ill
ways. the threat ~ secession behind Il. became
acute. ana was once more tlded over by the
compromises OF 1880. liy these measures
slavery secured national recognition Of the
/ Institution ut the capital aud the enactment
OF the fugitive slave law, but the Union saved
was regarded by the vast majority a. wei
worth this sacrifice OF honor morality ana lib
crty.
The convention 81 1859 met TO nominate q
president Wcbsters famous speech had been
! OF incalculable service 10 tho south In carry
ing its measures through congress. but IL
/ had destroyed his availability with the
north. lie was defeated, and the great
I est statesman OF the century died Of
/ disappointment aud modification. The war
| with Mexico had added IN enormous
| area OF territory TO the national domain. The
north, absorbed IN diversified Industries aud
material development. paid little heed TO the
future, but the south. recognizing the growing
hostility to It's institutions. formed the plan d.
"A permanent balance OF power. This was TO
\ be accomplished by admitting no free state,
unless one which recognized slavery came in
ut the time. Then, with the senate
| equally divided hctwtcn free aud slave states,
slavery would be forever safe from hostile
/ legislation. TO accomplish this the Missouri
compromise must be repealed. The south
I
more sensitive. To the man who could bridge
this chasm aud fool the north. as II had been
so often successfully hoodw linked before, and
satisfy the alert and clear purposed south, the
presidency was certain. stephen A. Douglas
"A statesman OF Infinite resources. courage ana
! ambition. undertook the task. lie adroitly plt
the abolitionists Of the north and the ire
eaters OF the south IN the category Of disun-
ionists. and then bid for that conservative sup
port which always controls In great crises.
Let the people OF all sections 90 as they list
VITA their property, whether chattcls or slaves,
into the territories he said. and when
the period OF statehood arrives they can
| decide by ballot whether they will recognize
or exclude slavery that they may deter
mine the question IN the territorial legisla-
! lures.
'1hls remedy captivated the public mind
! but started race between the free ana slave
| state people to capture Kansas. Bold raiucrs
| from Missouri poured over the border carrying
, murder ana pillage among the free state set
Tiers Civil war with AL its horrors ragged os
the plains az kansas.
"The slave power intrcnchod in the White
House ana courts and repeatedly ana recently
! sustained In the elections. felt confident that
! extreme measures for securing Kansas could
be safely pushed. with the whole strength %
| the administration bchind the cDnspirators
the Lccompton constitution fastening slavery
/ On the new state was iraudulcntly adopted
! Douglas, aloac. OF the democratic
leaders. opposed this and demanded
I that the constitution should be submitted TO
the people 81 Kansas. Douglas hailed by
the northern wing OF the party us savior.
but the bred scott decision demolished this
beautiful fabric Of squatter sovereignty, and
| "a less resourccfrl or weaker man would hays
been buried in its ruins.
"Such were the political conditions when
Douglas entered the lists for reelection 70
I the senate from Illinois one man blocked the
4. 80
ability that hi effort consolidated the free
| sentiment OF the country. abolished slavery
ana saved the Union. That man was Abraham
Lincoln"
Mr.. Dcpew followed with concise
history of Lincoln's life and showed
how thoroughly he was in sympathy
with the movement To abolish slave
ry. He recounted at great length
the vigorous campaigns made by
the great leaders which eliminated
in the history-making debate at Gales
burg 80 years ago to-day; dwelt upon
the characteristics of the two dcbaters
ard showed with consummate skill the
points of each and their modes of at
tack. The famous passages at arms
by the two great men were rehearsed
and the well remembered words
chcered to the echo.
In closing DR.. Depew said:
Douglas was always fighter and deoates.
Lincoln consciously and Douglas unccnsciousiy
were preparing the people OF the free states
for the sacrifices OF civil VAR and the prcserya-
ton OF the national life. II Is to the eternal
honor and glory OF Douglas that when the war
broke out the partisan became patriot aud
gave TO his lifelong antagonist, President Lin
coin. his unqualified support
} "Thc famous controversy over, the house di-
} vided against itself nowhere discussed more
bitterly than here on this platform. ended At
. Appomattox. The house did not fall. but II
did become all free The new south. the peo-
} pied west. the enriched east and the prosperous
, north can calmly review the issues which so
) radically divided them Ia the past and rcver-
entity thank God that la the nnal conflict and
its settlement the leader ~ the forces Of union
and liberty the great-hcafted. broad-
soultd. wise-braincd man Of love and charity,
3 Abraham Lincoln
Hon. Robert T. Lincoln delivered .
, brief address which was followed by
5 the unwilling of the tablet by Presi-
t dent Finley's three-year-old daughter.
The tablet Is of bronze. with raised
letters, and Is about eighteen inches
c hy two feet in size. The inscription
b on the tablet commemorative of the
debate is as follows:
4 This memorial tablet is placed here 70 re-
call the Joint debate between Abraham LA
r coin and stephen A. Douglas. whose words
; these walls echoed October the 7th, 1903"
/ Equality among the different states Is a
I cardinal principle upon which all our institu-
. | tons rest - Douglas.
g "He is blowing out the moral lights around
G us who contends that whoever wants slaves
: has a right TO mold them. Lincoln.
The unwilling address was then de-
r livcred by Senator Palmer. After the
S exercises reception was held ut the
4 college until six o'clock. Ex-Gov.
!, Horace NJ. Boics, of Iowa. was expect
: ed be present at the exercises, but lac
g could not attend.