l 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 anothe