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 you--nothing 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,