Year: 1860

his Popular sovereignty Is based upon


the assumption that one class of men has


the power-has the rlght-to strip an


other class of their natural rights, and to


hold them as slaves.


For arguments sake, let US follow him
in his course of reasoning, and suppose


the white population of the Territories


had the right to hold portion of the in
habitants as property. So, we have to
lower the standard Of Popular Sovereign
ty one degree Listen to the language
of the Kansas and Nebraska bill


'' 1t is the true intent and meaning of this
act not to legislate Slavery intoany State or Ter
rtory, nor to exclude it therefrom, but to leave
the people thereof perfectly free to form and
regulate their institutions in their own way,
subject only to the Constitution of the United
States E"


AT first, one would suppose this bill
gave the peaple of the Territories the
sovereign right to introduce Slavery,
provided, always that Slavery could not
go there unless introduced by positive
act of Territorial legislation. Is that
what Douglass principle of Popular
Sovereignty contemplated ? By no
means For, according to him, slave
holder may introduce his slave property,
and thereby introduce and establish Sla-
very in a Territory without that positive
act of Territorial legislation.


We have, therefore, to lower the stan.
dard of Popular Sovereignty another de-
gree One would suppose that Slavery
SO being admitted at first, the people of
the Territory would have at least the
sovereign right to remove and exclude it
by positive act of Territorial legislation


Is that what Judge Douglass principle
of Popular Sovereignty contemplated |?
By no means He told you at first that
this was question 10 be decided by the
Supreme Court, then he told you that
the sovereignty of a Territory remains
in abeyance, suspended in the United
States in trust for the people until they
shall be admitted into the Union as a
State and, at last, after the Illinois cam
paign, he dropped the expression, Eek
cluding Slavery" altogether. 1t is sig
nitcant that the attempts of the people
of Nebraska and Kansas to exclude Sla-
very by law were promptly put down by
the vetoes of the Governors of those Ter
rltories yetoes exercised by virtue of
the power conferred on the Territorial
Governments by Douglass own Nebras-
ka bill.


Thus we have descended two great
steps from the true idea of Popular Sow
ereignty, without having reached Judge
Douglass great principle and you will
perceive that the true Popular Sovereign
ty has already disappeared long ago.
But let us lower the standard of PoDu-
lar Sovereignty still another degree, and
we may hope that the deeper we sink the
closer We may approach Judge Doug
lass position. Aud at last we find him
not with a principle but with an assump-
ton. 1t matters not, said he in his Free
port speech in August, 1855:


1t matters not what way the Supreme
Court may hereafter decide as 10 the abstract
question, whether Slavery may 60 or may not go
into Territory under the Constitution the
people have the lawful means to introduce it, or
exclude 1t as they please for the reason that
Slavery cannot exist day or an hour anywhere
unless it is supported by local police regula-
tons. Those police regulations can only be
established by the local legislature. and if the
people are opposed to Slavery they will elect
to that body who will, by un-
friendly legislation prevent the introduction of
ii into their midst"


This then is the great principle of Pop
ular Sovereignty. lt contemplales, not
the general exercise aud enjoyment of
equal rights not that Slavery cannot 90
into Territory unless the people intro
duce it by law not that the people have
the sovereign right to exclude it by
direct act OF Territorial legislation but
that they may annoy aud embarrass the
in the enjoyment of slave
property, So as 10 tease Slavery out ofthe
Territory if they can. If, ten years ago,
a man had undertaken to call this Popu-
lar Sovereignty, the people would have
suspected him OF serious mental derange
lnent. Is not really this kind of Popu
lar Sovereignty, according to Mr. Lin
coins striking illustration, "as thin as
The homeopathic soup that was made by
boiling the shadow OF pigeon that had
been starved 10 death ?" Ii would seem
impossible 10 make il any thinner, and
yet Mr.. Douglas undertakes this incred
lble task After having tried TO deludo
The voters OF Illinois into the belief that
consistently with his position, the people
ot the Territory may, in such a round
about way, remove Slavery. this "true
champion of Freedom" goes South aud
proves there that Slavery has legal ex
stauce in the Territories We find him
At New Orleans. and The same man who
At Freeport had told the people of Illinois
hat il mattered not What the Supreme
Court might decide, IS TO the abstract
question, whether Slavery may or may
not go into Territory same man
speaks to the people ot Louisiana as fol.
ows:


81, in common with the Democracy OF Iii.
lois, accept the decision Of the Supreme Court
If the u. ). in the ease Of Dred Scott as nm
sath,r,tatve Interpretation OF the Con s,ituti n
IN aecOrdance with that decision, We holl that
dawes are property and hence on an equal
ootlng with other property, aud the owaer Of
he slave has the same right 20 move into Ter
itory. and carry his slave property with him
IS the owner of any other property has 10 20
here aud errry bis property.


Ii thoro could DO any misunderstood