第 6 节
作者:
九十八度 更新:2021-10-16 18:40 字数:9320
and spirit; from beginning to end;
So much; then; as to my dispositionmy wish to have all the
State legislatures blotted out; and to have one consolidated
government; and a uniformity of domestic regulations in all the
States; by which I suppose it is meant; if we raise corn here; we
must make sugar…cane grow here too; and we must make those which
grow North grow in the South。 All this I suppose he understands
I am in favor of doing。 Now; so much for all this nonsense; for
I must call it so。 The Judge can have no issue with me on a
question of establishing uniformity in the domestic regulations
of the States。
A little now on the other point;the Dred Scott decision。
Another of the issues he says that is to be made with me is upon
his devotion to the Dred Scott decision; and my opposition to it。
I have expressed heretofore; and I now repeat; my opposition to
the Dred Scott decision; but I should be allowed to state the
nature of that opposition; and I ask your indulgence while I do
so。 What is fairly implied by the term Judge Douglas has used;
〃resistance to the decision〃? I do not resist it。 If I wanted
to take Dred Scott from his master; I would be interfering with
property; and that terrible difficulty that Judge Douglas speaks
of; of interfering with property; would arise。 But I am doing no
such thing as that; but all that I am doing is refusing to obey
it as a political rule。 If I were in Congress; and a vote should
come up on a question whether slavery should be prohibited in a
new Territory; in spite of the Dred Scott decision; I would vote
that it should。
That is what I should do。 Judge Douglas said last night that
before the decision he might advance his opinion; and it might be
contrary to the decision when it was made; but after it was made
he would abide by it until it was reversed。 Just so! We let
this property abide by the decision; but we will try to reverse
that decision。 We will try to put it where Judge Douglas would
not object; for he says he will obey it until it is reversed。
Somebody has to reverse that decision; since it is made; and we
mean to reverse it; and we mean to do it peaceably。
What are the uses of decisions of courts? They have two uses。
As rules of property they have two uses。 First; they decide upon
the question before the court。 They decide in this case that
Dred Scott is a slave。 Nobody resists that; not only that; but
they say to everybody else that persons standing just as Dred
Scott stands are as he is。 That is; they say that when a
question comes up upon another person; it will be so decided
again; unless the court decides in another way; unless the court
overrules its decision。 Well; we mean to do what we can to have
the court decide the other way。 That is one thing we mean to try
to do。
The sacredness that Judge Douglas throws around this decision is
a degree of sacredness that has never been before thrown around
any other decision。 I have never heard of such a thing。 Why;
decisions apparently contrary to that decision; or that good
lawyers thought were contrary to that decision; have been made by
that very court before。 It is the first of its kind; it is an
astonisher in legal history。 It is a new wonder of the world。
It is based upon falsehood in the main as to the facts;
allegations of facts upon which it stands are not facts at all in
many instances; and no decision made on any questionthe first
instance of a decision made under so many unfavorable
circumstancesthus placed; has ever been held by the profession
as law; and it has always needed confirmation before the lawyers
regarded it as settled law。 But Judge Douglas will have it that
all hands must take this extraordinary decision; made under these
extraordinary circumstances; and give their vote in Congress in
accordance with it; yield to it; and obey it in every possible
sense。 Circumstances alter cases。 Do not gentlemen here
remember the case of that same Supreme Court some twenty…five or
thirty years ago deciding that a National Bank was
constitutional? I ask; if somebody does not remember that a
National Bank was declared to be constitutional? Such is the
truth; whether it be remembered or not。 The Bank charter ran
out; and a recharter was granted by Congress。 That recharter was
laid before General Jackson。 It was urged upon him; when he
denied the constitutionality of the Bank; that the Supreme Court
had decided that it was constitutional; and General Jackson then
said that the Supreme Court had no right to lay down a rule to
govern a coordinate branch of the government; the members of
which had sworn to support the Constitution; that each member had
sworn to support that Constitution as he understood it。 I will
venture here to say that I have heard Judge Douglas say that he
approved of General Jackson for that act。 What has now become of
all his tirade about 〃resistance of the Supreme Court〃?
My fellow…citizens; getting back a little;for I pass from these
points;when Judge Douglas makes his threat of annihilation upon
the 〃alliance;〃 he is cautious to say that that warfare of his is
to fall upon the leaders of the Republican party。 Almost every
word he utters; and every distinction he makes; has its
significance。 He means for the Republicans who do not count
themselves as leaders; to be his friends; he makes no fuss over
them; it is the leaders that he is making war upon。 He wants it
understood that the mass of the Republican party are really his
friends。 It is only the leaders that are doing something that
are intolerant; and that require extermination at his hands。 As
this is dearly and unquestionably the light in which he presents
that matter; I want to ask your attention; addressing myself to
the Republicans here; that I may ask you some questions as to
where you; as the Republican party; would be placed if you
sustained Judge Douglas in his present position by a re…election?
I do not claim; gentlemen; to be unselfish; I do not pretend that
I would not like to go to the United States Senate;I make no
such hypocritical pretense; but I do say to you that in this
mighty issue it is nothing to younothing to the mass of the
people of the nation;whether or not Judge Douglas or myself
shall ever be heard of after this night; it may be a trifle to
either of us; but in connection with this mighty question; upon
which hang the destinies of the nation; perhaps; it is absolutely
nothing: but where will you be placed if you reindorse Judge
Douglas? Don't you know how apt he is; how exceedingly anxious
he is at all times; to seize upon anything and everything to
persuade you that something he has done you did yourselves? Why;
he tried to persuade you last night that our Illinois Legislature
instructed him to introduce the Nebraska Bill。 There was nobody
in that Legislature ever thought of such a thing; and when he
first introduced the bill; he never thought of it; but still he
fights furiously for the proposition; and that he did it because
there was a standing instruction to our Senators to be always
introducing Nebraska bills。 He tells you he is for the
Cincinnati platform; he tells you he is for the Dred Scott
decision。 He tells you; not in his speech last night; but
substantially in a former speech; that he cares not if slavery is
voted up or down; he tells you the struggle on Lecompton is past;
it may come up again or not; and if it does; he stands where he
stood when; in spite of him and his opposition; you built up the
Republican party。 If you indorse him; you tell him you do not
care whether slavery be voted up or down; and he will close or
try to close your mouths with his declaration; repeated by the
day; the week; the month; and the year。 Is that what you mean?
'Cries of 〃No;〃 one voice Yes。〃' Yes; I have no doubt you who
have always been for him; if you mean that。 No doubt of that;
soberly I have said; and I repeat it。 I think; in the position
in which Judge Douglas stood in opposing the Lecompton
Constitution; he was right; he does not know that it will return;
but if it does we may know where to find him; and if it does not;
we may know where to look for him; and that is on the Cincinnati
platform。 Now; I could ask the Republican party; after all the
hard names that Judge Douglas has called them by all his repeated
charges of their inclination to marry with and hug negroes; all
his declarations of Black Republicanism;by the way; we are
improving; the black has got rubbed off;but with all that; if
he be indorsed by Republican votes; where do you stand? Plainly;
you stand ready saddled; bridled; and harnessed; and waiting to
be driven over to the slavery extension camp of the nation;just
ready to be driven over; tied together in a lot; to be driven
over; every man with a rope around his neck; that halter being
held by Judge Douglas。