Year: 1860

Lecompton over at the Reading convention,
and we are not willing that their grave shall
be disturbed. Wisdom requires that we
should forget our past differences, and that
every one Of US should contribute his whole
influence to bring the whole force of the
party for the sake of the union of the states.
We must unite the party to repress "the ir,
repressible conflict. The Republicans
should feel grateful to the honorable gentle
man from Alabama for his effort to distract
and divide the party on an abandoned issue
OF the past. Can assure the gentleman that
he has been doing Mr.. Seward yeoman's
service by his efforts to ALLEVIATE the hearts
of one portion of the Democracy from the
other. Look around you to-day on the va
cant seats which that unfortunate question
has made in this hall. Where are the noble
and true men from the north, who two years
since came at every call of danger, and stood
like wall of Gre between the south and her
Republican enemies ? They have gone down
under the load of odium attached to the
miserable attempt to force constitution on
an unwilling people. These vacant seats
have moral as we'll as history. Let US
profit by the one and not forget the other.


Intelligent men all over the land are now
willing to admit the folly of that unfortun-
ate movement; and thousands of men, south
as we'll as north, agree with Senator Ham
mond, of South Carolina, in saying that the
"south herself should have kicked that con.
stitutiOn out of Congress; thrust upon it as
it was, all "reekiDg with blood and fraud"
The whole attempt was miserable failure,
an undOubted mistake. And now, when the
people of Kansas have repudiated that
constitution by a majority of nearly ten
thousand and after we have seen the DEM
ocratic party defeated throughout the whole
north, except in Illinois, on account of it !;
and when wise and conservative men in all
sections of the Union look back to that con-
trOversy with regret and shame, think it
was we'll that the honorable gentleman
should assure US that amidst this general
change of opinion he still stands firm for
old Lecompton. We might else have con-
sidered that the general feeling had penetra-
ted his breast, and that he too now wished
it had been "kicked from the halls of Con-
gress." The Lecompton constitution can
not now ever come back to this house to be
legislated upon. 1t is as foreign from all
present political issues as the United States
bank but the gentleman introduced it into
this discussion, because he thereby hoped to
arouse some of the old southern prejudice
Oh that question.


Is it not strikingly singular that in this
hall we hear almost every day denunciations
of Judge Douglas by the Republicans, be-
cause, as they say, he has always betrayed
the north for the benefit of the south. Yet
in this same hall we hear southern repre-.
sentatives denounce Judge Douglas, because
he has done too much for the north and not
enough for the south, Truth" in this, as
in most cases, " lies in the golden mean."
Judge Douglas, in his long and honorable
career in Congress, has betrayed neither
side; but has been true to all sections. Like
every great, intelligent patriot and states
man, be has legislated for the nation, and
not for particular sections. He loved Illi-
nois much; but he has loved America more.
Let Alabama read his history, and point to
the time when he ever betrayed her interest
or proved false to his Democratic principles.


There were traits of character developed
in Judge Douglas during that contest-now
that the controversy is forever ended which
give him new claims on the hearts and affec-
tions of the people, and which inspire his
friends with confidence in his honesty and
integrity greater than all the acts of the rest
of bis life beside. In 1857, when the Le-
compton controversy arose, the nomination
Of Judge Douglas, at the expiration of Mr..
Buchanan's term, was fact that seemed to
admit of no contest. The presidential man.
tie was ready to fall upon his shoulders.
When that question arose, he found arrayed
on one side of it the southern Democracy,
with whom he bad done battle in 30 many
years of the past he found an administra-
tion in the zenith of its power, with all its
patronage and influence ready to strike him
down if he dared to resist he saw the bright
prize of the presidency, which before seemed
so near, ready to be forever withdrawn from
him, unless he would sacrifice bis honor and
preve recreant to the high principles OF his
life, yet be never hesitated nor faltered for a
moment. He displayed no wavering nor
time-serving. He knew we'll the fearful
nature of the contest in which be was about
to engage; yet, on the very day on which the
President sent his message to the Senate,
and before the sounds of the clerks voice
had died away in the Senate chamber, he
arose and entered his manly, bold, and deci-
ded protest against it. Throw aside your
political prejudices; cease to remember your
Lecompton partnership, and behold and
admire the sublimity of moral heroism in
the man.


We had known and loved him before.
But then we saw indeed that he was one ol
natures noblemen "a "hero from the
hand of God" We knew that for seventeen
years he had originated the political issues
on which parties divided and presidents
made; we knew that in every contest he had
led our forces to battle, and won our proud
est victories; we had seen his frmness Of
soul when be was burned in efigy in Boston,