s done for a reason different from this, _he knows what that
reason was, and can tell us what it was_. I tell him, also, it will be
vastly more satisfactory to the country for him to give some other
plausible, intelligible reason why it was voted down than to stand upon
his dignity and call people liars. Well, on Saturday he did make his
answer, and what do you think it was? He says if I had only taken upon
myself to tell the whole truth about that amendment of Chase's, no
explanation would have been necessary on his part--or words to that
effect. Now, I say here that I am quite unconscious of having
suppressed anything material to the case, and I am very frank to admit
if there is any sound reason other than that which appeared to me
material, it is quite fair for him to present it. What reason does he
propose? That when Chase came forward with his amendment expressly
authorizing the people to exclude slavery from the limits of every
Territory, General Cass proposed to Chase, if he (Chase) would add to
his amendment that the people should have the power to _introduce_ or
exclude, they would let it go. This is substantially all of his reply.
And because Chase would not do that they voted his amendment down.
Well, it turns out, I believe, upon examination, that General Cass took
some part in the little running debate upon that amendment, _and then
ran away and did not vote on it at all_. Is not that the fact? So
confident, as I think, was General Cass that there was a snake
somewhere about, he chose to run away from the whole thing. This is an
inference I draw from the fact that, though he took part in the debate,
his name does not appear in the ayes and noes. But does Judge
Douglas's reply amount to a satisfactory answer? [Cries of "Yes,"
"Yes," and "No," "No."] There is some little difference of opinion
here. But I ask attention to a few more views bearing on the question
of whether it amounts to a satisfactory answer. The men who were
determined that that amendment should not get into the bill, and spoil
the place where the Dred Scott decision was to come in, sought an
excuse to get rid of it somewhere. One of these ways--one of these
excuses--was to ask Chase to add to his proposed amendment a provision
that the people might _introduce_ slavery if they wanted to. They very
well knew Chase would do no such thing--that Mr. Chase was one of the
men differing from them on the broad principle of his insisti