Year: 1860

but gentlemen go further, ana say l must
hate the stakeholder That is not so Mr..
f. then charged that the northern Democra-
cy were the ones who really inhamed the
south against the north, and the men or pa
pcrs who asserted the Republican party
were warning against the south ought to
know better, or else they were guilty Of cal
umny.


Mr.. Douglas-Mr. President I shall not
follow the senator from Maine through his
speech but simply notice one or two points
that think demand of me some reply
He does not know why introduced my
resolution; he cannot conceive any good
motive for it he thinks there must be some
motive besides the one that has been avow-
ed. There are some men, know, who can
not conceive that a man can be governed by
patriotic or proper motive; but it is not
among that class Of men that | look for
those who are governed by motives Of pro-
priety. | have no impeachment to make of
his motives. | brought in this resolution
because thought the time had arrived when
we should have measure of practical leg
isation. had seen expressions of opinion
against the power from authorities so high,
that felt it my duty to bring it to the at
tention of the senate. had heard that the
senator from Virginia had intimated some
doubt on the question of power, as well as
of policy. Other senators discussed the
question here for weeks when was confin-
ed to my sick bed. Was there anything
unreasonable in my coming before the SEN
ate at this time, expressing my own opin-
ions, and confning myself to the practical
legislation indicated in the resolution? Nor,
b,,,- T IN I, ~
the legitimate argument pertaining to the
necessity for this legislation. first showed
that there had been great outrage; show
ed what believed to be the cause that had
produced the outrage, and that the Causes
which produced it were still in operation
and argued that, so long as the party to
which the gentleman belongs remains en-
bodied in full force, those causes will still
threaten the country. That was ALL


The senator from Maine thinks he will
vote for the bill that will be proposed to
carry out the objects referred to in my res
olution. Sir, whenever that senator and his
associates on the other side of the house
will record their votes for bill of the char
acter inscribed in my resolution and speech,
| shall congratulate the country upon the
progress they are making towards sound
principles. Whenever he and his associates
will make it ebony for two or more men
to nspire to run off fugitive slaves, and
punish the conspirators by Confinement in
the penitentiary, shall consider that won
derful changes have taken place in this gov
ernment. | tell the senator that it is the
general tone of sentiment in all those sec
tons of the country where the Republican
party prcdominate, so far as l know, not
only not to deem it crime to rescue a fu-
gitive slave, but to raise mobs to aid in the
rescue. He talks about Slandering the Re
publican party when we intimate that they
are making warfare upon the rights guar
anteed by the constituti, n. Sir, where, in
the towns and cities with Republican major
tiles can you execute the fugitive slave law?
! Is it in the town where the senator from
New York resides? Do you not remembc,
the Jerry rescuers? Is it at Oberlin, where
the mob was rl;sed that made the rescue
last year and produced the riot?


MIR. Fessenden-Said he would go as far
as any one to prevent a conspiracy in one
state to invade another He could not saw


what he would do in regard to running off


fugitive slaves. He would meet that ques-


ton when it arose.


H, would ask the senator whether it was
a part of his reply?


Mr.. Douglas-Thc senator will find it at


least four times repeated in my first speech


in this form: Why not make it a crime to


form conspiracies and combinations to run


off fugitive slaves, as well as to run of
horses or any other property? am talk
ing about conspiracies which are so COM


mon in all our northern states; to invade


and enter through their agents, the slave


states, and seduce away slaves and run them


off by the underground railroad, in order tc


send them to Canada. 1t is these conspir


acies to perpetrate crime with impunity


that keeps up the irritation. John Brown
could boast in a public lecture in Cleveland


that he and his band had been engaged all


the winter in stealing horses and running


them off from the shareholders in Missouri
and that their livery stables were then filled


with stolen horses, and yet the conspiracy


to do it could not be punished.


Sir, desire a law that will make it q


crime, punishable by imprisonment in the


penitcntiary, after conviction in the United


States Court, to make a conspiracy in one
state, against the people, property, govern
ment, or institutions of another. Then we
shall get at the root of the evil have nc
doubt that gentlemen on the other side will
vote for a law which pretends to comply
with the guarantees Of the constitution
without carrying any force CT efficiency ir


its provisions. have heard men abuse tn,


fugitive slave law, and express their willing


ness to vote for amendments; but when yol


came to the amendments which they desired
to adopt, you found they were such as would
never return fugitive to his master The,
, would 90 fer any fugitive slave law that hac
, hole big enough to let the negro drop thro
and escape but none that would compl,
with the Obligations of the constitution. S,
, we shall find that side of the house votins
for law that will, in terms, disapprove o
unlawful expeditions against neighborin,
, states, without being efficient in atfordins
J protection. ..
But the senator says it is part of tn
| policy of the northern Democracy to repre-
t sent the Republicans as being hostile t
southern institutions. Sir, it is part 0
t the policy of the northern Democracy, al
well as their duty, to speak the truth OF
that subject. l did not suppose that an,
t man would have the audacity to arraign


brother senator here for representing thu
: Republican party as dealing in denunciatioI
and insult OF the Institutions Of the south
Look to your Philadelphia platform, wher,
you assert the sovereign power of congress:
, over the territories for their government
and demand that it shall be exertcd agains
r those twin relics of barbarism-polygamy


and slavery.


. Mr.. Fessenden-said that the senator wa:
, changing the issue The Republicans wer,
, opposed to the extension of slavery ove1
, free territory, and called it arelic of barba
rism but denied that the Republican par
, ty, or the Republicans generally, have evel
exhibited desire or made movement to
: wards interfering with the rig hts of southern
men, the states, or any constitutional rights