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the writings-3-第4部分
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his speech; which notices this first topic of which I shall
speak;that is; provided I can find it in the paper:
〃I have made up my mind to appeal to the people against the
combination that has been made against me; the Republican leaders
having formed an alliance; an unholy and unnatural alliance; with
a portion of unscrupulous Federal office…holders。 I intend to
fight that allied army wherever I meet them。 I know they deny
the alliance; but yet these men who are trying to divide the
Democratic party for the purpose of electing a Republican Senator
in my place are just as much the agents and tools of the
supporters of Mr。 Lincoln。 Hence I shall deal with this allied
army just as the Russians dealt with the Allies at Sebastopol;
that is; the Russians did not stop to inquire; when they fired a
broadside; whether it hit an Englishman; a Frenchman; or a Turk。
Nor will I stop to inquire; nor shall I hesitate; whether my
blows shall hit the Republican leaders or their allies; who are
holding the Federal offices; and yet acting in concert with
them。〃
Well; now; gentlemen; is not that very alarming? Just to think
of it! right at the outset of his canvass; I; a poor; kind;
amiable; intelligent gentleman;I am to be slain in this way!
Why; my friend the Judge is not only; as it turns out; not a dead
lion; nor even a living one;he is the rugged Russian Bear!
But if they will have itfor he says that we deny itthat there
is any such alliance; as he says there is;and I don't propose
hanging very much upon this question of veracity;but if he will
have it that there is such an alliance; that the Administration
men and we are allied; and we stand in the attitude of English;
French; and Turk; he occupying the position of the Russian; in
that case I beg that he will indulge us while we barely suggest
to him that these allies took Sebastopol。
Gentlemen; only a few more words as to this alliance。 For my
part; I have to say that whether there be such an alliance
depends; so far as I know; upon what may be a right definition of
the term alliance。 If for the Republican party to see the other
great party to which they are opposed divided among themselves;
and not try to stop the division; and rather be glad of it;if
that is an alliance; I confess I am in; but if it is meant to be
said that the Republicans had formed an alliance going beyond
that; by which there is contribution of money or sacrifice of
principle on the one side or the other; so far as the Republican
party is concerned;if there be any such thing; I protest that I
neither know anything of it; nor do I believe it。 I will;
however; say;as I think this branch of the argument is lugged
in;I would before I leave it state; for the benefit of those
concerned; that one of those same Buchanan men did once tell me
of an argument that he made for his opposition to Judge Douglas。
He said that a friend of our Senator Douglas had been talking to
him; and had; among other things; said to him:
〃。。。why; you don't want to beat Douglas?〃 〃Yes;〃 said he; 〃I do
want to beat him; and I will tell you why。 I believe his
original Nebraska Bill was right in the abstract; but it was
wrong in the time that it was brought forward。 It was wrong in
the application to a Territory in regard to which the question
had been settled; it was brought forward at a time when nobody
asked him; it was tendered to the South when the South had not
asked for it; but when they could not well refuse it; and for
this same reason he forced that question upon our party。 It has
sunk the best men all over the nation; everywhere; and now; when
our President; struggling with the difficulties of this man's
getting up; has reached the very hardest point to turn in the
case; he deserts him and I am for putting him where he will
trouble us no more。〃
Now; gentlemen; that is not my argument; that is not my argument
at all。 I have only been stating to you the argument of a
Buchanan man。 You will judge if there is any force in it。
Popular sovereignty! Everlasting popular sovereignty! Let us
for a moment inquire into this vast matter of popular
sovereignty。 What is popular sovereignty? We recollect that at
an early period in the history of this struggle there was another
name for the same thing;〃squatter sovereignty。〃 It was not
exactly popular sovereignty; but squatter sovereignty。 What do
those terms mean? What do those terms mean when used now? And
vast credit is taken by our friend the Judge in regard to his
support of it; when he declares the last years of his life have
been; and all the future years of his life shall be; devoted to
this matter of popular sovereignty。 What is it? Why; it is the
sovereignty of the people! What was squatter sovereignty? I
suppose; if it had any significance at all; it was the right of
the people to govern themselves; to be sovereign in their own
affairs while they were squatted down in a country not their own;
while they had squatted on a Territory that did not belong to
them; in the sense that a State belongs to the people who inhabit
it; when it belonged to the nation; such right to govern
themselves was called 〃squatter sovereignty。〃
Now; I wish you to mark: What has become of that squatter
sovereignty? what has become of it? Can you get anybody to tell
you now that the people of a Territory have any authority to
govern themselves; in regard to this mooted question of slavery;
before they form a State constitution? No such thing at all;
although there is a general running fire; and although there has
been a hurrah made in every speech on that side; assuming that
policy had given the people of a Territory the right to govern
themselves upon this question; yet the point is dodged。 To…day
it has been decidedno more than a year ago it was decidedby
the Supreme Court of the United States; and is insisted upon
to…day that the people of a Territory have no right to exclude
slavery from a Territory; that if any one man chooses to take
slaves into a Territory; all the rest of the people have no right
to keep them out。 This being so; and this decision being made
one of the points that the Judge approved; and one in the
approval of which he says he means to keep me down;put me down
I should not say; for I have never been up;he says he is in
favor of it; and sticks to it; and expects to win his battle on
that decision; which says that there is no such thing as squatter
sovereignty; but that any one man may take slaves into a
Territory; and all the other men in the Territory may be opposed
to it; and yet by reason of the Constitution they cannot prohibit
it。 When that is so; how much is left of this vast matter of
squatter sovereignty; I should like to know?
When we get back; we get to the point of the right of the people
to make a constitution。 Kansas was settled; for example; in
1854。 It was a Territory yet; without having forme
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