the life of stephen a. douglas-第30章

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the　negro　is　not　my　equal　in　many　respectscertainly　not　in　colorperhaps　not　in　moral　or　intellectual　endowment。　　But　in　the　right　to　eat　the　bread；　without　the　leave　of　anybody　else；　which　his　own　hand　earns；　he　is　my　equal　and　the　equal　of　Judge　Douglas　and　the　equal　of　every　living　man。　　*　*　*

〃In　the　history　of　our　Government　this　institution　of　slavery　has　always　been　an　apple　of　discord　and　an　element　of　division　in　the　house。　　I　have　a　right　to　say　that　in　regard　to　this　question　the　Union　is　a　house　divided　against　itself。　　The　public　mind　did　formerly　rest　in　the　belief　that　slavery　was　in　the　course　of　ultimate　extinction。　　But　lately　Douglas　and　those　acting　with　him　have　placed　it　on　a　new　basis　which　looks　to　the　perpetuity　and　nationalization　of　slavery。　　*　*　*　*　I　believe　we　shall　not　have　peace　upon　the　question　until　the　opponents　of　slavery　arrest　the　further　spread　of　it　and　place　it　where　the　public　mind　shall　rest　in　the　belief　that　it　is　in　the　course　of　ultimate　extinction；　or；　on　the　other　hand；　that　its　advocates　will　push　it　forward　until　it　shall　become　alike　lawful　in　all　the　States；　old　as　well　as　new；　North　as　well　as　South。

〃Now；　I　believe　if　we　could　arrest　the　spread　and　place　it　where　Washington　and　Jefferson　and　Madison　paced　it；　it　would　be　in　the　course　of　ultimate　extinction　and　the　public　mind　would；　as　for　eighty　years　past；　believe　that　it　was　in　the　course　of　ultimate　extinction。　　The　crisis　would　be　passed　and　the　institution　might　be　let　alone　for　a　hundred　years；　if　it　should　live　so　long；　in　the　States　where　it　exists；　yet　it　would　be　going　out　of　existence　in　the　way　best　for　both　the　black　and　the　white　races。　　*　*　*　Popular　sovereignty　as　now　applied　to　the　question　of　slavery；　does　allow　the　people　of　a　Territory　to　have　slavery　if　they　want　it；　but　does　not　allow　them　not　to　have　it　if　they　do　not　want　it。　　*　*　*　As　I　understand　the　Dred　Scott　decision；　if　any　one　man　wants　slaves　all　the　rest　have　no　way　of　keeping　that　one　man　from　holding　them。　*　*　*

〃The　Nebraska　bill　contains　this　clause：　　'It　being　the　true　intent　and　meaning　of　this　bill　not　to　legislate　slavery　into　any　Territory　or　STATE。'　　I　have　always　been　puzzled　to　know　what　business　the　word　State　had　in　that　connection。　　Judge　Douglas　knows。　　He　put　it　there。　　*　*　*　What　was　it　placed　there　for？　　After　seeing　the　Dred　Scott　decision；　which　holds　that　the　people　cannot　exclude　slavery　from　a　Territory；　if　another　Dred　Scott　decision　shall　come　holding　that　they　cannot　exclude　it　from　a　State；　we　shall　discover　that　when　the　word　was　originally　put　there　it　was　in　view　of　something　that　was　to　come　in　due　time；　we　shall　see　that　it　was　the　other　half　of　something。

〃I　ask　the　attention　of　the　people　here　assembled　to　the　course　that　Judge　Douglas　is　pursuing　every　day　as　bearing　upon　this　question　of　making　slavery　national。　　In　the　first　place　what　is　necessary　to　make　slavery　national？　　Not　war。　　There　is　no　danger　that　the　people　of　Kentucky　will　shoulder　their　muskets；　and；　with　a　young　nigger　stuck　on　every　bayonet；　march　into　Illinois　and　force　them　upon　us。　　There　is　no　danger　of　our　going　over　there　and　making　war　upon　them。　　Then　what　is　necessary　for　the　nationalization　of　slavery？　　It　is　simply　the　next　Dred　Scott　decision。　　It　is　merely　for　the　Supreme　Court　to　decide　that　no　State　under　the　Constitution　can　exclude　it；　just　as　they　have　already　decided　that　Congress　nor　the　territorial　legislature　can　do　it。　　When　that　is　decided　and　acquiesced　in　the　whole　thing　is　done。　　*　*　*　Let　us　consider　what　Judge　Douglas　is　doing　every　day　to　that　end。　　What　influence　is　he　exerting　on　public　sentiment？　　With　public　sentiment　nothing　can　fail；　without　it　nothing　can　succeed。　　Consequently；　he　who　moulds　public　sentiment　goes　deeper　than　he　who　enacts　statutes　or　pronounces　decisions。　　He　makes　statutes　possible　or　impossible　to　be　executed。　　*　*　*

〃Judge　Douglas　is　a　man　of　vast　influence。　　Consider　the　attitude　he　occupies　at　the　head　of　a　large　party。　　This　man　sticks　to　a　decision　which　forbids　the　people　of　a　Territory　from　excluding　slavery；　and　he　does　so　not　because　it　is　right　in　itself；　but　because　it　has　been　decided　by　the　Court；　and；　being　decided　by　the　Court；　he　is；　and　you　are；　bound　to　take　it　in　your　political　action　as　law。　　*　*　*　You　will　bear　in　mind　that　thus　committing　himself　unreservedly　to　this　decision　commits　him　to　the　next　one　just　as　firmly　as　to　this。　　The　next　decision；　as　much　as　this；　will　be　a　'Thus　saith　the　Lord。'　　It　is　nothing　that　I　point　out　to　him　that　his　great　prototype；　General　Jackson；　did　not　believe　in　the　binding　force　of　decisions。　　It　is　nothing　to　him　that　Jefferson　did　not　so　believe。　　He　claims　now　to　stand　on　the　Cincinnati　platform　which　affirms　that　Congress　cannot　charter　a　national　bank；　in　the　teeth　of　that　old　standing　decision　that　Congress　can　charter　a　bank。　　And　I　remind　him　of　another　piece　of　history　on　the　question　of　respect　for　judicial　decisions　belonging　to　a　time　when　the　large　party　to　which　Judge　Douglas　belongs　were　displeased　with　a　decision　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　Illinois；　because　they　had　decided　that　a　Governor　could　not　remove　a　Secretary　of　State。　　I　know　that　he　will　not　deny　that　he　was　then　in　favor　of　overslaughing　that　decision　by　the　mode　of　adding　five　new　Judges；　so　as　to　vote　down　the　four　older　ones。　　Not　only　so；　but　it　ended　in　the　Judge's　sitting　down　on　that　very　bench　as　one　of　the　five　new　Judges　to　break　down　the　four　old　ones。

〃Now；　when　the　Judge　tells　me　that　men　appointed　conditionally　to　sit　as　members　of　a　Court　will　have　to　catechized　beforehand　upon　some　subject；　I　say；　'You　know；　Judge；　you　have　tried　it。'　　When　he　says　a　Court　of　this　kind　will　lose　the　confidence　of　all　men；　will　be　prostituted　and　disgraced　by　such　a　proceeding；　I　say；　'You　know　best；　Judge；　you　have　been　through　the　mill。'　　But　I　cannot　shake　Judge　Douglas'　teeth　loose　from　the　Dred　Scott　decision。　　Like　some　obstinate　animal　that　will　hang　on；　when　he　has　once　got　his　teeth　fixed；　you　may　cut　off　a　leg；　or　you　may　tear　away　an　arm；　still　he　will　not　relax　his　hold。　　He　hangs　to　the　last　to　the　Dred　Scott　decision。　　These　things　show　there　is　a　purpose　strong　as　death　and　eternity　for　which　he　adheres　to　this　decision　and　for　which　he　will　adhere　to　all　other　decisions　of　the　same　Court。　　*　*　*　When　he　invites　any　people　willing　to　have　slavery　to　establish　it；　he　is　blowing　out　the　moral　lights　around　us。　　When　he　says　he　cares　not　whether　slavery　is　voted　down　or　voted　upthat　is　the　sacred　right　of　self…governmenthe　is；　in　my　judgement；　penetrating　the　human　soul　and　eradicating　the　light　of　reason　and　the　love　of　liberty。　　*　*　*

〃And　now　I　will　only　say　that　when；　by　all　these　means　and　appliances；　he　shall　succeed　in　bringing　public　sentiment　to　an　exact　accordance　with　his　own；　when　these　vast　assemblages　shall　echo　back　all　these　sentiments；　when　they　shall　come　to　repeat　his　views　and　to　avow　his　principles　and　to　say　all　that　he　says　on　these　mighty　questions；　then　it　needs　only　the　formality　of　a　second　Dred　Scott　decision；　which　he　endorses　in　advance；　to　make　slavery　alike　lawful　in　all　the　States；　old　as　well　as　new；　North　as　well　as　South。〃

Douglas；　in　his　brief　reply；　reminded　the　audience　that　Lincoln　had　not　frankly　answered　the　question　put　in　his　opening　speech；　whether　he　approved　of　each　article　of　the　Republican　resolutions　adopted　in　Springfield　in　October；　1854。　　Lincoln's　only　answer　had　been　that　he　was　not　present　and　had　nothing　to　do　with　drafting　the　resolutions。　　〃But　this　denial　is　a　miserable　quibble　to　avoid　the　main　issue；　which　is　that　this　Republican　platform　declares　in　favor　of　the　unconditional　repeal　of　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law。　　His　reply　to　all　these　questions　is　'I　was　not　on　the　Committee　at　the　time；　I　was　up　in　Tazewell　County　trying　a　case。'　　I　put　to　him　the　question　whether；　if　the　people　of　the　Territory；　when　they　had　sufficient　population　to　make　a　State；　should　form　their　Constitution　recognizing　slavery；　he　would　vote　for　or　against　its　admission？　He　is　a　candidate　for　the　United　States　Senate　and　it　is　possible　that；　if　he　should　be　elected；　he　would　have　to　vote　d