slavery question. If Judge Douglas's policy upon this question succeeds,
and gets fairly settled down, until all opposition is crushed out, the
next thing will be a grab for the territory of poor Mexico, an invasion
of the rich lands of South America, then the adjoining islands will
follow, each one of which promises additional slave-fields. And this
question is to be left to the people of those countries for settlement.
When we get Mexico, I don't know whether the Judge will be in favor of
the Mexican people that we get with it settling that question for
themselves and all others; because we know the Judge has a great horror
for mongrels, and I understand that the people of Mexico are most
decidedly a race of mongrels. I understand that there is not more than
one person there out of eight who is pure white, and I suppose from the
Judge's previous declaration that when we get Mexico, or any considerable
portion of it, that he will be in favor of these mongrels settling the
question, which would bring him somewhat into collision with his horror
of an inferior race.

It is to be remembered, though, that this power of acquiring additional
territory is a power confided to the President and the Senate of the
United States. It is a power not under the control of the representatives
of the people any further than they, the President and the Senate, can be
considered the representatives of the people. Let me illustrate that by a
case we have in our history. When we acquired the territory from Mexico
in the Mexican War, the House of Representatives, composed of the
immediate representatives of the people, all the time insisted that the
territory thus to be acquired should be brought in upon condition that
slavery should be forever prohibited therein, upon the terms and in the
language that slavery had been prohibited from coming into this country.
That was insisted upon constantly and never failed to call forth an
assurance that any territory thus acquired should have that prohibition