Year: 1861

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Speech Of Judge Douglas, De.


islature, ION Thursday evening.


April Is, 1851


The joint session the Legislature hav
ing assembled in the Hall of the House O
Representatives, Senator Douglas, accom-
panied by several friends, entered at &
quarter to eight. Mr.. Speaker Cullou
then introduced him to the Legislature
His appearance was greeted with univer
sal applause. The following is materia
portion of his speech: ~


Iappeal TO you, nv countrymen-mer
ofall parties-not to allow your passions te
get the better of your judgements. Do
not allow your vengeance upon the authon
of this great iniquity to lead you into rash
and cruel, and desperate acts upon those
who may differ with you in opinion. LIE,
the spirit of moderation and Of justice pre-.
vail. You cannot expect within 50 few
weeks after an excited political canvass that
every man can rise to the level of forget.
ting his partisan produces and sacrifice eve
ry thing upon the altar of his country, but
allow me to say to you whom have oppo.
sed and warned against with an energy you
will respect, allow me to say to you, you
will not be true to your country if you ever
attempt to manufacture partisan capital out
of the lniseries of your country. Much
applause. When calling Democrats to
the tender field, leaving wife, child, father,
and mother behind them, to rush to the
rescue of the President that you elected,
do not make war upon them and try to
manufacture partisan capital out of a strug-
gle in which they are engaged from the
holiost and purest of motives. Renewed
applause.


Then appeal you my own Democrat
ic friends-those men who have never fail
ed to rally under the glorious banner of the
country, whenever an enemy at home or
abroad has dared to assail ito you,
whom believe 10 be the purest patriots
ever lived-do not allow the modification,
growing out of defeat in partisan strug-
gle, and the elevation of party to power
that we firmly believed to be dangerous to
the country-do not let that convert you
from patriots into traitors to your native
land. Long continued applause When
ever ourGovernmentis is assailed-when hos
tile armies are marching under new and
odious banners against the Government Of
our country, the shortest way TO peace is
the most stupendous and unanimous prep
aration for war. Tremendoue applause.
Tbegreater unanimity the less blood will be
shed. [ Much applause. The more prompt
and energetic the movement, and the more
important it is in numbers, the shorter will
be the struggle.


Every friend of freedom; every champi-
on and advocate of Constitutional liberty
throughout the land, must feel that this
cause is his own.


What is the attempt now being madel
Seven States of this Union choose to Ge-
clare that they will no longer obey the be-
hests of the United States; that they will
withdraw from the government established,
that they will dissolve without our consent
bonds thathaye united US together. But not
content with that, they proceed to invade
and obstruct our dea. est aud most inalien-
able rights, secured by the Constitution.
One of their first acts is to establish bat
terry of cannon upon the banks of the
banks of the Mississippi and Tennessee,
and require every steamer that passes down
the river TO come under gun, to receive a
custom house officer on board. to prescribe
where the boat may land, and upon what
terms it may put out barrel of flour or
cask of bacon-upon the river aud upon
the borderslaf those States, to cut off our
fire. dom of trade.


We are called upon to sanction this poll
cy. Before consenting to their right to
commit such acts, Implore you to con-
slider that the same principle which will al
low the Cotton States to exclude us from
the ports of the Gulf, would authorize the
New England States and New York Penn
sylvania to exclude US from the Atlantic
and Pacific States to exclude US from the
ports of that ocean. Whenever you sane
ton this doctrine of secession, you author
ize the States bordering upon the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans to Withdraw from us,
form alliances among themselves, and ex-
clude us from the markets of the world and
from the communication of all the rest of
Chrisendom. Not only this but there fol-
lows tariff on imports, levying of taxes
upon every pound Of tea and coffee and su-
gar, and every yard of cloth that we may
import for consumption; the levying, too,
of an export duty upon every bushel of
corn and every pound Of meat We may
choose to send to the markets of the world
TO pay our imports. -s.aai a1 7i


Bear in mind that these very Cotton
States, who in former times have been so
boisterous in their demands for free trade,
have among their first acts an established
an export duty on cotton for the first time
in American history.


1t is historical fact we'll known to eve
ry man who has read the debates Of the
Convention which framed the Constitu-
ton that the Southern States refused to
become parties to the Constitution, unless
there was an express provision in the Con-
stitution prohibiting Congress to levy an
export duty on any product of the earth.
No sooner havethese Cotton States sece-
ded than an export duty is levied; and if
they will levy it on their cotton, do you not
think they will levy it on our pork, and
our beef, and our corn, and our manufac-
,tued articles, and all we have to sella
Then what is the propositioni It is to


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