The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-28
WASH N GTO N:
WING NOMINATIONS.
Judge Douglas In the Penitential Mood.

Judge DOUGLAS is familiar to our readers
under several aspects of his character. In the
curse of his political career he has played
many parts-6gurng at remote intervals as
friend of his country's veal, oftener manifest
ing his skill in The arts Of demagogism, and at
other times sinking both Senator and dema-
gogue in characters that admit of no specific
description. We have seen him active in the
Senate Chamber as the representative of Pari-
san Democracy-valianI at the dinner-table as
the champion of universal interventlon-un-
scrupulous at the hastings as the assallant OF
good mems services and fame-and ready eve
rywhere to outrun all competitors in the re-
gions of nonsense and filibusterism. In all
these respects Judge DOUGLAS is known tho
roughly; SO thoroughly, indeed, that he can do
nothing in any one of these directions for which
the country is not perfectly prepared. We
mean merely to compliment his versatility
when we express belief that he is equal to
any thing that appears likely to advance the
cause with which he is identified. His iden-
tification with it is complete. 1t is Judge
DOUGLAS, and nothing and nobody else.
There is one portion Of the Judges efforts at
self: portraiture which is not so widely known
as it ought to be. We know him as he stands
in positive, negative. and equivoca moods; 1t
is proper that we should for once look at him
in the peniten,al mood A reference to his
speech on the River and Harbor bill in the
Senate, few days before the close Of the SEES
IL. .,L l. =.
ness. The official report attributes to him the
following:
81 am speaking plain and bold truths. have
stood upon the deck Of a steamboat, in the act of
sinking by a snag, at place called the Grave
Yard, where could see the wrecks of nine other
boats, where three hundred people had died, and
millions OF property had been lost. never saw a
snag boat in that vicinity. The money is ex-
pended in the vicinity of the towns and if you
wish your money appropriated to any valuable
purpose, you must put it into the hands of those
who have practical knowledge of the country
whose sympathies in the cause, and whose
property is at a hazard upon the bosom of those
waters.
81 have said, therefore, that for the consent
of Congress being given to the levying of those
tonnage duties, because ! am satisfied that our
river and harbor Improvements can never progress
under the policy you are now pursuing. Here
YOU all know that, for the last nine years, it has
been death struggle in the last nights of the sea
sion-a trial of physical strength-whether the
River and Harbor bill should be defeated, or should
be passed, by all possible combinations. am free
to say that our River and Harbor bills have always
been a combination Of items, selected with refer.
ence to the number Of votes necessary to carry
DCr ~
have been compelled to admit items that would
not receive five votes in separate bills. But We
justified ourselves the ground that life and pro-
perty were at stake. that the sacri6co fearful.
and we must not fail to do every thing that could
tie done TO arrest that course of destruction, and
furnish that protection whic h was necessary. We
therefore justified ourselves in taking those bills
they came to And the opponents of the bills
have justified their opposition on the ground that
some OF them believed the principle to be unconsti-
tutonai; others that the bills bills OF abomina
,ion in consequence of combinations made by their
friends in forcing improper items into them The
consequence has been, that every year have
been in Congress, in either House. it has been a
struggle, not Of argument, not of discussion, not
of reason, but Of physical force and numbers, who
should sit out the longcst either to pass or defeat
the bills have seen for series Of years the op-
position to these bills triumph; and our western
people living around the borders of these lakes
and on the banks Of these rivers, with their lives
and property exposed to all thesc hazards, have
been looking anxiously to you TO do something to
put q check to this course-something to protect
them from destruction We have gone home and
told the people that the opponents of the bill de-
leated US this time for tho want OF time, but we
should be sure to succeed next year; that we would
oF tbo ~
session it was the same thing. and we were de-
fsated at midnight the last night of the session.
We have held out to them the next, and the next,
and the next session. until am satisfied that VI G
can never rely upon this uncertain, irregular po-
licy of granting appropriations here. Suppose
this bill should pass now, nearly all the appropria
tons YOU have in it would be expended In building
dredging machines and snag boats, and improve
ments necessary to commence with, in contracts
for material, in preparations, without completing
the frst thing. And next year, in all probability
. struggle will defeat the bill. Thus every far
thing in this bill will be wasted
In this picture Judge DOUGLAS has sketched
others beside himself He has drawn the out
line of Democracy with fidelity which would
be inexpicable anywhere but at confession. II
is worth examining closely, for it relates to a
question of paramount importance to the par
ties and to the country.
The admissions of Judge DOUGLAS in regard
to the necessity that exists for river improve
ments, and the consequences sprlngng from
their neglect, are point in favor of the Wings,
and emphaticalIy against the Democratic nom
inee for the Presidency. The fact, as stated
is neither over-colored nor isolated. 1t applies
to the western waters generally, and indicates
the presence of terrible responsibility in one
quarter or another. There are many such
grave yards' as that which threatened ths
Senator from Illinois in the instance alluded TO
Their number and perils have been known FOL
a life time; and not season has passed with
out evolving some calamity calculated t.
bring them back W the memory of the ruling
powers. That they have been to 4 large exten
disregarded, and that the efforts made now
and then ostensibly to remedy the evil hay,
been too spasmodic to be effeclual, are clrcum
stances that are cbargeable on the Democratic
,,r,r and on them alone. Their platform