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Allens Speech at Jacksonville July 7th 1860
1st The slavery question is now paramount to all others. The issue is “intervention” on the part of the Republican party and “non intervention” on the part of the democratic party
2nd The Republicans say that they stand where the “fathers and founders” of this government stood: and what argument do they offer? They say that Congress legislated upon this subject in the territories of the United States in the passage of the ordinances of 1787, (which Congress had unlimited authority to legislate as they pleased, having no constitution to restrain them.)---And again after the adoption of the constitution this ordinance was reaffirmed. I say that this is not the fact, for the reason that the only features or provisions of that---ordinance as reaffirmed by Congress after the Constitution was formed were simply such as to change the communications of the Governers and officers of the territories (in their official correspondence) from the Congress to the President of the United Sates.
3rd Up to 1819 & 1820, there was no such thing
-2- [July 7, 1860]
as agitation over the slavery question, nor was there any such thing as congressional intervention---and in 1820 Jefferson & Madison were each offered to this unjust doctrine, and when Jefferson heard of the passage of the compromise of 1820 (find it in 7 vol of Jefferson’s works) he said it was to him like the ringing of the fire bell at midnight, that it would be the means of [stiring?] up sectional warfare & strife &c
4th Clay & Webster were quoted or rather misquoted by the Republicans, but I say that Clay & Webster joined with the democrats in 1848, “49 & “50 in puting down the infamous and abolition measures of the “Wilmot Proviso” abolitionists of the north, and in carrying out the doctrine of non-intervention, on the ground that Congress had neither the “power nor the right” to interfere, but that the right belonged to the people of the territories. In speaking of the speech of Clay Feb 3d 1850 he made Clay to advocate the doctrine of popular sovereignty.
5th The Republican Party say that slavery is aggressive: In the beginning we had one free state and thirteen slaves states. now we have more free than slave. why did not the south crush out the one free state
-3- [July 7, 1860]
6th We are for liberty---equality and fraternity---liberty for all white men---Equality with all white men fraternity with all the states slave & free. While the Republicans are for the liberty of all the negroes.---Equality with the negroes,--- fraternity with the negroes & northern states.
7th Yates who is a good man but not a good politician, (“I like Dick”) refers us in his springfield speech to Kansas. If they desire to play at that game, we are ready and I alas refer you to Kansas---where and when Jim Lane with his band of “Rowdies” went to fight the United states troops stationed there to preserve order and maintain peace and also the actual setters of Kansas, but against all (notwithstanding such men as Abe Lincoln backed up this band of Rowdies and subscribed as Lincoln did fifty dollars for this purpose, while he had neither a vote nor a thank to offer to our Patriotic soldiers who were fighting starving and, dieing for their country on the plains of Mexico) the people prevailed and formed a free state constitution.
-4- [July 7, 1860]
8th The Republican platform (Yates said at springfield) contained doctrines so simple and well understood that even a county-clerk could make one, but up at Chicago they had (as I say) some fifteen of their best politicians at work for four days, and after they had finished it it was like the Pedlers suspenders “short enough for any boy and long enough for any man” made to suit all sections---but even then it had to amended so as to suit “Old Josh Gidding” and the abolitionists.
9th Republicans are sectional. Filmore said of them in 1856, that they were a dangerous and sectional party. They are abolitionists &c.
10th Nothing to say about Yates personally---suppose all are his friends, but his record speaks for itself. In 1849 Yates was elected to the legislature of this state, and the year previous our constitution as it now is was formed, and it made it obligatory upon the legislature to pass a law prohibiting the introduction of negroes into this state and some other things. a bill was offered for this purpose and Yates noted “no”
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11th An Abolition member from Jo Davis Co offered a resolution for the repeal of the “Black “laws” of the state of Illinois---which were and are that no colord person shall be a witness against a white person, that no person of color shall sit upon a jury---and no person of color shall intermarry with a white person, and colord children should not go to a school of whites and sit beside your white children. on this resolution Yates voted “yea”
12th What Yates said of Lincoln, why the people of Springfield did not know that Lincoln was a great man, it was because he lived among them refered to the mountain. this does not hold good for the reason that if the people of Springfield had had a mountain in their midts, they would have known it.
N.B. many other things were said which I regard of no importance for you or any other human being
I.J. Ketchum
[Written Vertically for purposes of filing]
Allens Speech
Ketchum’s Report
1860
1860