Year: 1861

Mr.. Douglas, Of Illinois, Dcm.,) asked
that the report Of the Committee of Thirteen
be taken up. Mr.. Douglas proceeded to
address the Senate. He said no act of his
public life ever gave him so much pain as to
vote for the resolution. The Committee
could not agree. In order to see the real
cause Of the troubles, we must 20 back to
the late election. He should assume that
whenever Congress undertook to act on the
question Of slavery, discord and agitation
was sure to follow. When Congress let the
question alone there was peace. He refer
red to the excitement at the time the Mis-
sotiri Compromise was enacted. The fear.
full agitation of 1920 was settled by the es-
Enlistment Of the Compromise line. So


long as that adjustment was carried out,
there was peace and quiet. Texas was ad-
mittcd quietly under this rule, thotgh there
WAS great contrariety Of opinion. But
no one objected, because it extended that
line. Again, California and New Mexico
were acquired. and the extension of the
line to the Pacific Ocean was dcmanded.-


The records show that he reported, as Chair.
man OF the Committee on Territories, res
olution to extend the line to the Pacific
This was adopted in the Senate, but when
It was to sent to the House it was rejected
by Northern votes. That opened the food
gates Of the agitation Of 1S48, which only
was settled by the Compromise of 1885,


When we settle this question in the terri
tories, then we settle it entirely. The Alb
oltionists could not have brought the Union
to the verge of dissolution, but for the
question in the territories. 1t was a reicc
ton of the extension Of that line in 1e48
that reopened the agitation. The arguments
of 1919 and 1920 were repeated. The po.
sitlons of the North and the South were
the same. The purest patriots in the land
were alarmed, and Mr.. Clay came back TO
the Senate to see If he could not bring back
peace. He found no trouble with the
Southern members, bnt he could find no
support of this line from the North. The
Missouri line was abandoned, because it's
friends said they could not carry it out in
good faith then they turned to see what was
next best. There was desire to take the
question out Of Congress, and secure the
peace and harmony Of the country. At
last it was decided to leave the question to
the people of the Tcrrit 'ries themselves
Tho records show that he supported both
compromises, and for th- same reasons -
Peace followed all over the country. But
in 1853 4 it became necessary to organize
the Territory of Kansas and Nebraska


The committee, in forming the bill, deter
mined to carry out the compromise meas
ures of 1850, though they had been in favor
OF the Missouri compromise as long as it
could be carried on. A hue-and-cry was
Immediately raised that the committee were
violating sacred compromise. But the
bill did not mention the Missouri compro-
mise, hut did give the people the power Of
settling the question for themselves. The
history of the government might be divided
into three parts. Before 1920 the govern
ment admitted many Territories, hut all was
peace. After the agitation in 1920 was
settled, all was peace again till 1850. Since
then VIC have had continual controversy,
and the result of the late election has con.
vinced the South that it is the fixed policy
Of the dominant party Of the North to in
wade their constitutional rights. We come
now to the consideration Of that party which
has plunged the country into this state of
disorder. 1t is folly for any man not to sec
facts which do exist. The result of the re-
cent election, in connection with all the cir
cumstances with which it is surrounded,
have led the people Of the South to form
the conviction into fixed policy Of the
dominant party of the North to invade and
destroy their constitutional rights and they
are ready to rush, rashly | think, into all
the horrors of revolution and diSunion. rath.
er than to submit to what they think the
impending blow that hangs over them -
The Senator from Ohio, (Mr. Wade,) ac-
knowledged the existence of this conviction
in the minds Of the Southern people, and
said he did not so much blame them as he
did the Northern Democracy, who had mis-
represented and f'lsified the purposes and
policy of the Republican party; yet he ad-
vocatcs policy which will not relieve these
apprehcnsions, but threatens them with war
and coercion, rather than give them securi.
ty. 1t matters not whcth'r the dangers
were real or imaginary, il the Southern peo.
pie are prepared to take position which
will plunge us into disunion and discord
forever. regret that any one on this floor
should have introduced party politics, and
endeavored to make party capital out of any
question affecting the peace and safety of
this country. But, since the Senator has
attempted to make Northern Democracy
responsible for this revolution, am forced
to inquire whether this charge be true
There is no man living who would be bet
ter pleased to learn that he had misrepre-
sentcd or misunderstood the policy of that
party. would like to know whether that
Senator will not say it is not the policy of
that party to contine slavery within its pres
ent limits, by the action of the Federal
Government? Whether it is not the policy
of that party to exclude slavery from the
territories we now possess, or any we may
hereafter acquire? Whether or not that
party arc in favor Of returning fugtives of
their masters from whom they escape? In
short, will give him the opportunity to
saying now, whether it is not the policy of
that party to exert all the powers of the Fed
eral Government, under the Constitution,
according to their Interpretation of tina: in
strument, TO restrain and cripple the insti-
tuition OF slavery, with view to its ult-
mate extinction in the States, old as well as
new, North as well as South!


Mr.. Wade, Of Ohio. (Rep. ALI those
questions are most pertinently answered in
the speech to which he is now protesting to
make an answer. | have nothing to add to
it.


Mr.. Douslas--I did not expect an une-
quivocal answer. know too well that
Senator will not deny that each of these
interrogatories does express his individual
policy, and the policy Of the Republican
party, as he understands it. The harshcst
thing have said Of the Republican party
was that they intended to use the power Of
the government with view to tho ultimate
extinction Of slavery, not only in the terri
tories, but in the States Of the Union.
have said, and have believed it, and would
rejoice now to be corrected; that it is the
policy OF this party to prohibit slavery in
all the territories OF the United States now
owned or hereafter acquired, with view of
surrounding the slave States with Gordon
Of Abolition States, and thus keep slavery
confined till the number increases beyond