Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-06-14
COM UNICATION Ms.
For tho National Era
THE NEBRASKA BIIL-NO. A.
MR. DOUGLAS. HIS LETTERS AND SPEECHES,
CONCLUDED

MR. DOUGLAS, HIS LETTERS AND SPEECHES
CONCLUDED.
If this gentleman, with gang Of coniede-
rates, should cut the leyee Of the Mississippi,
and inundats city, in hopes OF getting the
"apoilsn which ght be seized ia the dlsti 40
ton and destruction OF the 'nhabltahtss ne
would probably make the following defence:
Douglas May it please your honor, ! did
not bring in the water
fudge. You admit that you cut the levee
Douglas Yes your honor. bat |, dldu't
touch tho water. | never touch cold mater. Us
fundamental principle with me, :" not to
interfere with it,
Judge Prisoner, such quibbling is con-
tempt of the conrt. 1t seems incredible from a
person who has occupied the high stations
which the people Of Illinois have conferred
upon yon. DO not imagine that 1t will help
you. Ii aggravatcs your offence, and will az
gravate your punishment
Douglas May it please your honor. thereis
no occasion for the excitement and "gtation
which have been got up about this affair. If
this 10 sovereign State, you have an nrques-
tionable right to legislatc the water out forth
with Ii it is Territory, you have only to
wait till you become a State, and then ycu may
ladle it out or let it stay in inst as the people
please, agreeahly to " the great fundamental
principles Of democracy and seli-government.n
see no ground for this charge against me
and other honorable gentlemen. We have not
troubled the waters--it is those who are pad
ding in them.
Judge. LIT the prisoner bc committed, to
take his trial ut Mirhaimas.
And now, who shall say that the little
giant" has not good right to roar, with his
stentorian lungs, throughout all the land,
@libels,0 "falsehood,0 fraud calumny,n
objectionable SANDER" against all who ven
tarc, with ever so much modesty, to express the
opinion that has bill proposes 10 let Slavery into
Nebraska?
And, if it does propose this, then, by his own
showing. it proposes to violate, not only the
Compromise, but also the Constitution and his
oath, for he expressly admits that to establish
Slavery anyaoheye would be breach OF both.
Where, then, is 6 the brand Of niamy ~ Ii
it on the brow Of his friend Burke, or IN it,
seipso JUDGE, Judge Douglas being the Judge
burned indeib'y upon his own?
THE SOUTHERN PRETENsIoN.
Mr.. Douglas has expressed no opinion upon
the pretcnsion, set up within u few years by
the shareholders, that they have "a natural
and inahenable right" to carry their slaves as
property into the Territories and that no law
by whomsoeyer prescribed, can or shall deprive
them OF it If mistake not, there we're South
ern Senator'S and Representatives. who openly
declared, in 1850, that they would 90 home
and advise their constituents to arm ITEMS Ices.
and march with their property into the Terri
tories They did not say whether thcy would
advise their constituents to arm the property ],
that would have been more interesting Upon
this threat mainly, an immense business at
Union saving has been transacted BY Upperten,
Dampschiff, Doughfacs, Hunker, Corruption,
& Co.
This pretension has become 20 important an
element in the Territorial question, that it is
to be presumed that Senator who undertakes
to discuss that question, and vet expresses no
opinion upon view Of it which has been vo-
lently adopted, ut never could be adopted in
any other manner by nearly the entire South,
must be presumed 10 assent to it; il would be
80 very knlvish for him to conceal his dissent
More than this both he and Mr. Cass recog
Mise il as fact, and urge it rs an inducemeut
for the free States Ia yield. Practically there
fore, they advocate the impudent dogma, and
assist TO enforce it
Waving the vantage ground that might
take with the utmost propriety, and On over
whelming authority, from the peculiarly of tho
property, Ia popularity which has made the
People Of the United States, and this under
Southern lead, oidain that traffic therein shall
be deemed piracy and punished with death
will, for the sake Of argument, put it on a par
with other property, and demand of these chiv-
alrous dogmatists whether they are prepared
TO contend that there Is no species Of properfp
which the People in the exercise through Cor
gress Of their sovereignty over the Territories,
may not prohibit the owners from carrying
thsref That is the question. And now, gen
tlemsn, "face the music
What say you to the laws passed from time
immemorial by the Unitcd States and by seq
arate States prohibiting the carrying Of ardent
spirifs into their Territories for sale 70 the In
dlansl II the People Of the United States may
prohibit the sale e liquor to the Indians with
IN their Territories they may 90 further, and
prohibit the sale Of it to any other man. Z
exclude il altogether. And is not liquor pror-
ety.
Some Of the Southern States have prohibited
tho introduction of icooden clolks-peshaps be-
canse they are Yankee notiona--although the
Constitution says that Cong1, IS shall regulate
commerce {" between the States, and this grant
has been construed by the Supreme Court 10
be exfiizsire Still, this power, thus vested in
Congress has b en- exercised by Virginia ami
several other slave Stats. Are not wooden
clocks property Tell us, learned Thebans.
All the Southern States have always claim.
ed, and Mt ono time or another have exercised.
the right Of prohibiting tho introduction of
slaves for sale INTO their respective limits vir
ginia did so aeon after the Declaration &c In
dependence, and, With three or four exceptions
ihsy all do IL noio. ] suppose they will not
turn upon me az the argument pinches and
say that slaves are NOT property
II States may do this for themselves. NOT.
viihstnpding that they have no power to regu-
late commerce. between the States, then, a for.
fiorf, the People Of the United States, in Con-
gresss may do is for their own Territories How
mnsh would MIR. Dixon think his friend Doug
has boon" ~ worth, With this restriction
II Congress have this power in respect to slaves
introduced for sale. they have il in respect to
thoss introduced for any other purpose; or If
they have not, show US the limit. Gentlemen
OF the South, the burden is on you.
IL will not, presume, after what has been