the life of stephen a. douglas-第26章

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y。　　In　Kentucky　they　deny　the　negro　all　political　and　civil　rights。　　Each　is　a　sovereign　State　and　has　a　right　to　do　as　it　pleases。　　Let　us　mind　our　own　business　and　not　interfere　with　them。　Lincoln　is　not　going　into　Kentucky；　but　will　plant　his　batteries　on　this　side　of　the　Ohio　and　throw　his　bomb　shellshis　Abolition　documentsover　the　River　and　will　carry　on　the　political　warfare　and　get　up　strife　between　the　North　and　South　until　he　elects　a　sectional　President；　reduces　the　South　to　the　condition　of　dependent　colonies；　raises　the　negro　to　an　equality　and　forces　the　South　to　submit　to　the　doctrine　that　a　house　divided　against　itself　cannot　stand；　that　the　Union　divided　into　half　slave　States　and　half　free　cannot　endure；　that　they　must　be　all　free　or　all　slave；　and　that；　as　we　in　the　North　are　in　the　majority；　we　will　not　permit　them　to　be　all　slave　and　therefore　they　in　the　South　must　consent　to　the　States　being　all　free。

〃These　are　my　views　and　these　are　the　principles　to　which　I　have　devoted　all　my　energies　since　1850；　when　I　acted　side　by　side　with　the　immortal　Clay　and　the　god…like　Webster　in　that　memorable　struggle　in　which　the　Whigs　and　the　Democrats　united　upon　a　common　platform　of　patriotism　and　the　Constitution。　　*　*　*　And　when　I　stood　beside　the　death…bed　of　Mr。　Clay　and　heard　him　refer　with　feelings　and　emotions　of　the　deepest　solicitude　to　the　welfare　of　the　country；　and　saw　that　he　looked　upon　the　principle　embodied　in　the　great　Compromise　of　1850；　the　principle　of　the　Nebraska　bill；　the　doctrine　of　leaving　each　State　and　Territory　free　to　decide　its　institutions　for　itself；　as　the　only　means　by　which　the　peace　of　the　country　could　be　preserved　and　the　Union　perpetuated。　　I　pledged　him　on　that　death…bed　of　his　that　so　long　as　I　lived　my　energy　should　be　devoted　to　the　vindication　of　that　principle　and　of　his　fame　as　connected　with　it。　　I　gave　the　same　pledge　to　the　great　expounder　of　the　Constitution；　he　who　has　been　called　the　god…like　Webster。　　I　looked　up　to　Clay　and　him　as　a　son　would　to　a　father；　and　I　call　upon　the　people　of　Illinois　and　the　people　of　the　whole　Union　to　bear　testimony　that　never　since　the　sod　has　been　laid　upon　the　graves　of　these　eminent　statesmen　have　I　failed　on　any　occasion　to　vindicate　the　principle　with　which　the　last　great　crowning　acts　of　their　lives　were　identified。　　*　*　*　And　now　my　life　and　energy　are　devoted　to　this　work　as　the　means　of　preserving　this　Union。　　*　*　*　It　can　be　maintained　by　preserving　the　sovereignty　of　the　States；　the　right　of　each　State　and　each　Territory　to　settle　its　domestic　concerns　for　itself　and　the　duty　of　each　to　refrain　from　interfering　with　the　other　in　any　of　its　local　or　domestic　institutions。　　Let　that　be　done；　and　the　Union　will　be　perpetuated。　Let　that　be　done；　and　this　Republic　which　began　with　thirteen　States　and　which　now　numbers　thirty…two；　which　when　it　began　only　extended　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　Mississippi；　but　now　reaches　to　the　Pacific；　may　yet　expand　north　and　south　until　it　covers　the　whole　continent　and　becomes　one　vast；　ocean…bound　Confederacy。　　*　*　*　*　Let　us　maintain　the　great　principles　of　popular　sovereignty；　of　State　rights　and　of　the　Federal　Union　as　the　Constitution　has　made　it；　and　this　Republic　will　endure　forever。〃

On　the　following　day　he　spoke　at　Springfield；　repeating　his　Bloomington　speech　with　slight　abridgment。

In　the　evening；　Lincoln；　who　had　attended　Douglas'　Bloomington　meeting　and　accompanied　him　to　Springfield；　spoke　to　a　large　audience。　　He　twitted　him　for　his　noisy；　spectacular　campaign；　〃the　thunderings　of　cannon；　the　marching　and　music；　the　fizzle…gigs　and　fireworks。　　*　*　*

〃Does　Judge　Douglas；〃　he　asked；　〃when　he　says　that　several　of　the　past　years　of　his　life　have　been　devoted　to　the　question　of　popular　sovereignty　and　that　all　the　remainder　of　his　life　shall　be　devoted　to　it；　mean　to　say　that　he　has　been　devoting　his　life　to　securing　to　the　people　of　the　territories　the　right　to　exclude　slavery？　　*　*　*　He　and　every　one　knows　that　the　decision　of　the　Supreme　Court；　which　he　approves　and　makes　a　special　ground　of　attack　upon　me　for　disapproving；　forbids　the　people　of　a　Territory　to　exclude　slavery。　This　covers　the　whole　ground　from　the　settlement　of　a　Territory　till　it　reaches　the　degree　of　maturity　entitling　it　to　form　a　State　Constitution。　　So　far　as　all　that　ground　is　concerned；　the　Judge　is　not　sustaining　popular　sovereignty；　but　absolutely　opposing　it。　He　sustains　the　decision　which　declares　that　the　popular　will　of　the　Territory　has　no　constitutional　power　to　exclude　slavery　during　their　territorial　existence。　　This　being　so；　the　period　of　time　from　the　first　settlement　of　the　Territory　till　it　reaches　the　point　of　forming　a　State　Constitution　is　not　the　thing　that　the　Judge　is　fighting　for；　but；　on　the　contrary；　he　is　fighting　for　the　thing　that　annihilates　and　crushes　out　that　same　popular　sovereignty。　　*　*　*　He　is　contending　for　the　right　of　the　people；　when　they　come　to　make　a　State　Constitution；　to　make　it　for　themselves　and　precisely　as　best　suits　themselves。　　That　is　quixotic。　　Nobody　is　opposing　or　has　opposed　the　right　of　the　people　when　they　form　a　Constitution　to　form　it　for　themselves。　　This　being　so；　what　is　he　going　to　spend　his　life　for？　　Is　he　going　to　spend　it　in　maintaining　a　principle　that　nobody　on　earth　opposes？　　Does　he　expect　to　stand　up　in　majestic　dignity　and　go　through　this　apothesis　and　become　a　god　in　maintaining　a　principle　that　neither　man　nor　mouse　in　all　God's　creation　opposes？　　*　*　*　What　is　there　in　the　opposition　of　Judge　Douglas　to　the　Lecompton　Constitution　that　entitles　him　to　be　considered　the　only　opponent　to　it；　*　*　*　the　very　quintessence　of　that　opposition？　*　*　*

He　in　the　Senate　and　his　class　of　men　there　formed　the　number　of　about　twenty。　　It　took　one　hundred　and　twenty　to　defeat　the　measure。　There　were　six　Americans　and　ninety…four　Republicans。　　Why　is　it　that　twenty　should　be　entitled　to　all　the　credit　for　doing　that　work　and　the　hundred　to　none？　　Does　he　place　his　superior　claim　to　credit　on　the　ground　that　he　has　performed　a　good　act　that　was　never　expected　of　him？　　Perhaps　he　places　himself　somewhat　on　the　ground　of　the　parable　of　the　lost　sheep　which　went　astray　upon　the　mountains；　and　when　the　owner　of　the　hundred　sheep　found　the　one　that　was　lost；　there　was　more　rejoicing　over　the　one　sheep　that　was　lost　and　had　been　found　than　over　the　ninety…and…nine　in　the　fold。〃

In　opposing　the　Dred　Scott　decision；　he　said；　he　was　sustained　by　the　authority　of　Mr。　Jefferson；　who　denounced　the　doctrine　that　the　Judges　were　the　ultimate　arbiters　of　all　constitutional　questions　as　dangerous　and　tending　to　oligarchic　despotism　and　insisted　that；　while　they　were　as　honest　as　other　men；　they　were　not　more　so；　having　the　common　passion　for　party；　for　power　and　the　privilege　of　their　crops；　and　ought　not　to　be　trusted　with　the　dangerous　power　of　deciding　the　great　questions　of　State。　　The　Supreme　Court　once　decided　that　the　national　back　was　constitutional。　　The　Democratic　party　revolted　against　the　decision。　　Jackson　himself　asserted　that　he　would　not　hold　a　national　back　to　be　constitutional；　even　though　the　Court　had　decided　it　to　be　so。　　The　declaration　that　Congress　had　not　power　to　establish　a　bank　was　contained　in　every　Democratic　platform　since　that　time；　in　defiance　of　the　solemn　ruling　of　the　Court。　　In　fact；　they　had　reduced　the　decision　to　an　absolute　nullity。　　And　still　Douglas　boasted　in　the　very　speeches　in　which　he　denounced　others　for　opposing　the　Dred　Scott　decision　that　he　stood　on　the　Cincinnati　platform　which　repudiated　and　condemned　the　old　bank　decision。　　He　was　for　Supreme　Court　decisions　when　he　liked　them　and　against　them　when　he　did　not　like　them。　Would　he　not　graciously　allow　the　Republicans　to　do　with　the　Dred　Scott　decision　what　they　did　with　the　bank　decision？

Springfield　was　Lincoln's　home。　　He　knew　his　audience　and　met　it　with　confidence。　　He　now　felt　that　he　was　Douglas'　equal　in　the　field　in　which　he　had　hitherto　eclipsed　all　rivals。

But　it　was　evident　that　the　current　was　running　with　Douglas。　The　great　reception　at　Chicago　had　been　a　glorious　opening。　　His　journeys　through　the　State　were　triumphal　processions。　　Special