Year: 1862

DOUGLAS LAST SPEECH.


Mr.. Chairman: | thank you for the
kind terms in which you have been
pleased to welcome me. / thank the
committee and citizens of Chicago for
this grand and imposing reception. I
beg you to believe that 1 will not do
you nor myself the injustice to believe
this magnificent ovation is personal
homage to myself. rejoice to know
that it expresses your devotion to the
Constitution, the Union and the flag of
cur country. [Cheers.


will not conceal qualification at the
uncontroyertible test this vast audience
presents--that what political differences
or party Questions may have divided MS,
ret you all had conviction that when
country should be ii danger my
loyalty codId be relied on. That the
present danger is imminent, no man can
conceal. IF war must come-if the bay
onet must be used to maintain the Con-
stitution-I can say before God my
conscience is clean. / have struggled
long for peaceful solution of the diff :
Guilty. I have not only rendered those
States what was theirs of right, but l
have gone to the very extreme Of mag
nanimity.


The return we receive is war, armies
marching upon our Capital, obstruct-
ions and dangers to our navigation, let
ters of marque to invite pirates to prey
upon our commerce, concerted move
ment to blot out the United States of
America from the map of the globe
The question is: Are we to maintain the
country of our fathers, OF allow it to be
stricken down by those who, when they
can no longer govern, threaten to de-
stroy.


What cause, what excuse do Disun-
ionists give us for breaking up the best
Government on which the sun Of Heaven
ever shed its rays? They are dissatisfied
with the result of Presidential election.
Did they never get beaten before2 Are
we to resort to the sword when we get
defeated at the ballot box. l under
stand it that the voice of the people ex-
pressed in the mode appointed by the
Constitution must command the obe-
dienee Of every citizen. They assume,
on the election of particular candidate,
that their rights are not safe in the
Union. What evidence do they present
of this. I defy any man to show any
act on which it is based. What act has
been omitted t6 be done2 I appeal to
these assembled thousands, that so far
as the Constitutional rights of the
Southern States, will say the Consti-
tutional Fights Of shareholders are con.
cerned, nothing has been ddne and moth
| ing omitted spf which they can complain
phere has never been a time, from the
day that Washington was inaugurated
| first rssident of these United States
when "a lstsaef the soathern States
stood firnaer under the laws of the land
than they DO now; there never was q
time v hen they had nut as goud eaase
for disunionas they have TO- day. What
| good cause have they now that has not
existed under every Administrations
If they say the Territorialquestion-
now for the first time there is no act u1
Congress prohibiting slavery anywhere
IF it be the non-enforcement of the laws
! the only complaints that [ have heard
have been of the too vigorous and faith
full fulfllment of the Fugitive Slave
| Law. Then what reason have they?


The slavery question is mere ex
cuse. The election of Iineoln is mere
pretext. The present secession move.
ment is the result of an enormous con
spiracy formed more than year since
formed by leaders in the Southern Con,
federacy more than twelve months ago


They use the slavery question as s
means to aid the accomplishment o.
their ends. They desired the election o.
a Northern candidate By sectional vote
in order to show that the two sections
cannot live together. When the his
tory of the two years from the Lecomp
ton Charter down to the late Presiden
tial election, shall be written, it will b
shown that the scheme was deliberately
made to break up this Union.


They desired Northern Republican


to be elected by purely Northern vote
and then assign this fact as reason Wh!!


the sections may not longer live to


gether. IF the disunion candidate il


the late Presidential contest had carried


the united South, their scheme was, tn,
Northern candidate successful, to seiz,


the Capitol last spring, and by an unitet
tSouth and divided North hold it. Tha
scheme was defeated in the defeat of tn


disunion candidate in several Of tH
iSouthera States.


! But this is no time for detail o
Z lcauses. The conspiracy is now known


Armies have been raised. War is levies


to accomplish it. There are only tw,


sides to the question. Every man mus


be for the United States or against it,
There can be no neutrals in this wal


only patriots or traitors.


4 Thank God, Illinois is not divided o1


this question. [Cheers.] l know the.


expected to present a united Soutl
against divided North. They hopet
in the Northern States, party question
would bring civil war between Demo


Gratis and Republicans, when the Soutl


would step in with her cohorts, aid on
party to conquer the other, and the


make easy prey of the victors. Thei


scheme was carnage and civil war in tn
| North.


There is but one way to defeat this


In Illinois it is being SO defeated b


closing up the ranks. War will thu


be prevented on our own soil. Will


there was hope of peace l was read
, for any reasonable sacrifice or compro
mise to maintain it. But when tn
, question comes Of war in the cotton
; fields of the South or the corn fields @
) Illinois, / say the farther off the better
? We cannot close our eyes to the sa
; and solemn fact that war does exist


The Government must be maintained