Year: 1861

North to restrict for them what they could not re


strict for themselves. He would not restrc


them to avert civil war; maintain slavery. Com


veal or come woe, slavery shall never be extended b


the powers of the government fthe United States


de would not yield one inch to secession, but ther


were things which he would cOncede. Clay ha


said, and he said, that he would not yield word o


inch to secession. He would agree to make all tn


Territories States now, and let the people decid


the question ofsavery for themselves or do anythn,


so as not to protect slavery in the name of freedom


Did it not look little as though the South had go


up rebellion because they had lost all the Offices.


Here Mr.. Mas0n's chair broke down and left hin


on the floor, causing confusion and laughter. =


Mr.. BAkER.-The instance before is no


the only case in which a fall follows a disso


luton. Renewed laughter.l Referring tc


secession again, he said that they (the Repub


licans) did not intend to recognize the indepen


dence of South Carolina. He quoted Gen. Jack


SOD, when South Carolina revolted in 1892 and BIZ


mode of collecting the revenue. Mr.. B. concluded


his speech with glowing eulogy on the Union


quoting those words used by Mr.. Webster in 1850


in his great speech on secession, which ended with


''Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and in


separable. - Applause and Kisses. AT ~


?. NJ. Mr.. DOUGLAS commenced. Mr.. D. asked


for the reading of the report of the Committee OF
Thirteen. 1t was read Mr.. D. said no act of his
public life had given him more pain than the report
of the Committee of Thirteen, stating that they
could not agree on any plan for restoring peace


and harmony to the country. To discover the
source OF the TOuOieS now existing, IL WOulu De
found necessary look behind the scene and there
it would be found that the interference with slave
ry by Congress had ever produced dissension, and
non-interterence had been followed by peace.-
The rejection of the proposition of an equitable
right in the common Territories opened the flood
gates Of sectional agitation in lS4S and which was
only settled by the compromise measures of 1850.
Had the Missouri Compromise been carried out in
good faith this question would have been settled.
When this question of slavery in the Territories
was settled, all other points could be set
tied, and the public mind will be quieted The abo-


tion of slavery in the District of Columbia and the
fugitive slave law question could be easily settled.
Therefore, if this territorial question settled,
would find but little difficulty in settling the
others. In 1850, Henry Clay came from his retire
ment with the single idea of carrying out the Mis-
souri, compromise line for the settlement of this
question, as in 1920. He was an humble follower
of the lamented statesman in that work. They
found no difficulty with the Southern men, but the
North were against them, and there was, there
fore, minority on the question of extending the
Missouri line of 1920. This proposition was not
to carry it out. They came to the
conclusion that they must abandon it.
He said the Compromise of 1920 restored peace on
the basis of an equitable partition of the Terrific


ries. The Compromise of 1850 did the same on the
basis of leaving the question to the people under
the restrictions of the Constitution. This accom-
pished its purpose until organizations formed
to violate the provisions of that Compromise
w ueu tney CdLe 10 organize the 1errlt0rleS In
1854 the question arose how it was to be DONE They
thought the only way was to do 1t upon the prnci-
pies of the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas
and Nebraska bill was framed upon that basis. He
reviewed the terms of the bill of 1854 to show that
this was the The hue and cry that they
pealing the Compromise of 1920 came from men who
had opposed the extension of the Missouri line in 1850
he divided the history of slavery agitation in this
country into three periods. The first extended
from the foundation of the Government down to
hon tha MI anf into rit
slavery in the territories the rule hence the
result The second period was from 1920 to 1850,
when the rule of an equitable partition was estab-
lished and acted upon. The third period was from
1854 to 1860, when the old rule of non-interference
was adopted. The result Of the late Presidential
election had brought the people of the South to the
firm conviction that it the determination of the
dominant party at the North to invade their hearth


stones and destroy their institutions. AS a remedy


madly, as he thought, they were rushing into
revolution.-Mr. DOUGLAS then defend
ed the Northern Democracy from the
charges of Mr.. Wade, and said that Sen


ator, while not blaming Southern people for the
steps they were taking, threatening them with war
and coercion instead of holding out to them peace
and security. In his opinion it as important
to relieve the apprehensons of the Southern people
if unfounded as though they real, providing
those people intended to act upon these apprehen-
sions and take step which forever would divide
the Union. He asked the Senator from Ohio Mr..
Wade) the following questions: lst. Is it not the
policy of the Republican party to confine slavery
within the present limits by the action of the Fed


eral Government? I'd. Is it not the policy of the
party to exclude slavery from the Territories we
now possess or NAV hereafter acquire? Sd.
Whether or not the party is in favor Of returning
fugitive slaves; and in short, whether or not it is
the policy of that party to exert all the power Of
the Federal Government, under the Constitution ac-
cording to their Interpretation, to restrain and
cripple the institution of ofslavery, with view to its
ultimate extinction in States old as we'll as new,
North and H. Mr.. WADE said that an
speech, Mr., DoGGLAS said he did l not expect ,t
an equivocal answer. He could not get answer
from the Senator, and would refer to the sentiments
of their President elect He then read from the
speech of Mr.. Lincoln made in accepting the nomi-
nation for Senator in 1858, remarking that though
now were told that the object of the Republican
party is to prevent the further extension of slavery
the sentiments of their successful candidate
that slavery should be put in the course of
ultimate extinction. But he thought that
when Mr.. Lincoln came forth from the re-
tirement of country village, to assume the
responsible duties of President he would bury the
partisan in the patriot and even repudate the ex-
treme sentiments of his party. He entertained
hopes of this, for he had not despaired of the Re-
public. There deep-seated and widespread
apprehension of the Republicans in the South. If
the Republicans did not intend to do what the
South feared they would do, why object to so
amending the Constitution to put it out of their
power to do so? No man would go farther than
himself to suppress insurrection and repe INVASION
and put down rebellion, and execute the laws by
all the means in his possession. He denied the
right of South Carolina to secede, but she had
done it. He denied her right to expel the Federal
officers from her borders, but she had done it.
He would go as far as any man to enforce the Con-
stitution and the laws; but how would we enforce
the laws in a country of which had not posses
sion? And wera we prepared for war .?
Not prepared with soldiers, and munitions,
and navies and provisions to engage in a war; but
were prepared in our hearts for a war with our
brethren? He would use every lawful means to en-
force the laws. He would not mediate war, nor
tolerate the least idea of it until every effort that
could justly be entertained had been tried and fail
ed, and all hope of the U nion had gone; then, and
not till then, would he deliberate upon and deter
mine what course his duty required him to pursue.
He was for peace in order to save the Union. Var
is disunon, certain, neritabIe ireuersible; and it
cannot be construed otherwise. The people of the
West acknowledg ge no such doctrine. Their rights,
their interest their safety and their existence for
bids it. The Northwestern country was ceded with
the understanding that they should have property
in the Union, nCr would they give it up. They
had settled on their lands with that under
standing, and they would not submit to be sur
rounded as with a Chinese wall, and shut out
from right of way to the in their tied region


Mr.. Douglas referred to Florida, Texas and Louis


lana, the territory of which was purchased at the
expense of millions by the United States, and vet
after this had been expended for them they pro-
p0Seu TO Withdraw. w e cOulQ purchase CUBA, pay
thirty millions for her and admit her as a State,
and yet according 10 the argument of the right of
secession, she could withdraw and 90 back to
Spain and get the money from u.s. Spain could
then sell her again. Laughter We obtained
Texas at an expense of millions, and she proposed
to withdraw.--Mr. HEMPHILL said we acquired
California by the war with which obtained
Texas, and deduction should be allowed. d.--Mr


DOUGLAS said we did not buy the gold of Cali
fornia. The citizens of California dug and sold
- aI olla Al
suggested should be made. Government he
proceeded to say, meant coercion. Gov


ernment compelled a man to perform a duty
which he failed to execute without it. But the
Government must coerce within the laws and Con-
stitution. Nor does this apply to State in which
no one recognizes the United States, and where a
Government exists de facto-Mr. DOUGLAS
then proceeded at some length in an earnest man.
ner to advocate first the restoration of the Mis-
souri, line to the Pacific, and making it part OF


the Cons titution; and the several propositions
tanned in his resolutions and and those of Mr. Crit
tenden. These he believed ought to settle the
questions agitating the country, and should be ac-
ceptable to the Republicans. If not, what did
amend the Constitution of the United States,
so as to make it unlawful for them to inter-
fere with slavery in the States. But they had
done nothing regarding it in the dOck-yards, ar
senals and Territories-the issues for the South.
The Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Dixon) had
made a patriotic speech, but no one else on the
other side had shown any willingness to do am
thing. The Senator from Oregon (Mr. Bakery had
made proposition evading the ISSUE The issue


he would say, could no longer be evaded 1t wa:
compromise. He did not think it humbing
himself to say that he preferred compromise tC


war. 1t seemed party policy of the Republican!


to do nothing this question; but let them accep


his the proposition of Mr.. Crittenden, and We


would have peace, and he had no doubt but tha


the people would ratify it-even the people o


Massachusetts, and vet thew. by doing So wOulC