Year: 1862

Speech Of Hon. w. A. Richardson, of ILLINOIS, in


the House of Representatives.. May "a, 1862.


The House having under consideration the bills
to cOnfscate the property and free from servitude
the slaves Of rebels, Mr.. Richardson said:


Mr. Speaker: l propose to reply to single
point which has arisen during the progress of this
debate.


Republican members have frequently quoted
Judge Douglas within the last few days, and
quoted him, too, for their own party purposes.
And now | desire to remind them and the cOun-
try that in all his speeches in reference this war
Judge Douglas took the broad and stat sman-
like position that this should be njucted
for the preservation of the Constitution and the
enforcement of the laws; for nothing more, moth
ing less. His position is so clearly defined that a
few brief extracts from his last speeches will at
vindicate the truth of history, and place him
in the proper light before his countrymen At
Springfield, Illinois, in a speech made before the
Legislature during the month of May, 1861, he
said:


"The first duty of an American citizen, or of
citizen of any constitutional Government, is ODE
dience to the Constitution and the laws of his
country. | have apprehension that any man
in Illinois or beyond the limits of own be-
loved State, will misconsrue or misunderstood
my motive. So far as any of the partisan ques-
tOns are concerned, / stand in equal, eternal and





secessiOnists"


And again in the same speech, he remarks:


"Hence, | repeat, that i am not prepared to
take up arms or to sanction policy of our Gov
eminent to take up arms to make any war upon
the rights of the Southern States, upon their in
stitutiOns, upon their rights of persons or prop
erty, but, on the contrary, would rush to their
defense and protect them from assault; but while
that is the case will never cease to urge nv
cOuntrymen to take up arms to fight to the death
in defense of our indeieasible rights. Long con-
tinued applause Hence, if war does come, it is
a war of selfdeiense on our part. 1t is war in
defense of our own just rights; in defense of the
Government which we have inherited as price
less legacy from patriotic fathers; in defense
of those great rights of freedom of trade, COM
meree. transit and intercourse from the center to
the circumference of our great continent. These
are rights we must struggle for and never surren-
der"


And in the last great effort of his life, his
speech at Chicago, made but few days prior to
his death, he said:


1--WE must not invade constitutional rights
The innocent must not suffer, nor women and
children be the victims Savages must not be
let loose"


Neither Republican members nor Republican
officials anywhere can find anything in the above
extracts, nor in any speech or letter of Judge
Douglas, which will justify them in the slightest
violation Of the Constitution. On the contrary,
every act of his pubic life and even his diving
injunction to his children, condemns unequivo-
cally all the unconstitutional legislation which
you propose, aid all the unconstitutional acts Of
which your party Officials have been guilty.


The Republican party, through its President
through this House. and through the Senate, had
given a construction to the Constitution showing
the absence Of power pass just such bills as you
are now advocating and intending to pass. In
ina Al o1d affo box fako al
emn oath to support the Constitution, Mr. Lin
coin said:


81 have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to
interfere with the institution of slavery in the
States where it exists. / believe have no law
ful right to do so, and have no inclination to do
So"


The House of Representatives of the Thirty
Sixth Congress, a majority of whose members
were Republicans, passed the following resolu-
ton unanimously:


THAT neither the Congress of the United
States nor the people or governments of the non
slaveholding States have the constitutional right
to legislate upon, or interfere with. slavery in
any of the slavehOldiDg States in the Union"


By the organization of the Territories of Ne
vada, Colorado, and Dakota, the Republican
party, by its own legislation. had recognized and
approved the doctrine of popular sovereignty,
which Judge Douglas regarded essential to
the removal from these Halls of the most dis
turbing question of the country


do not presume that when Judge Douglas
thus strongly asserted the necessity Of maintain
ing inviolate the Constitution of his country that
he for moment suspected that you would ever
attempt the violation of the pledges which your
Republican Congress had given the people, and
which your Republican President has reiterated
But the bills now under consideration propose 10
violate not only your pledges but at the same
time the Constitution. You forget your prom
lses; you advocate these bills, and urge their
passage through this House.


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