The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-09-30


accusation that the democratic majority of the present
Congress has been diverted by the naca phensy of the
opponents of the Nebraska bill from due attention to other
objects of the government
POPULAR SOvEREIGNTY.-THE NEBRASKA BILL
The proof that could be adduced to show that
the position OF the democratic party on the doctrine pop
uar sovereignty asserted in the Nebraska DILL is I'M
pregnabe is furnished by the fact that its opponents WIZ
and the doctrine in open and fair
debate before the people 1t this great principle that
Judge Douglas and Governor Willard proposed to discuss
before the citizens of Chcago but instead of meeting them
in open and manly debate their opponents evaded the a
peal the1popular judgment, and skuked behind the
camor Of mob excited and instgated by themselves
Who doubts that the abotionists of Chicago had be-
leved the doctrine of popular sovereignty was wrong
they would gladly sought honorable Intellectual
rencounter with champions, to have overcome whom In
debate would have been signal achievement They re-
sorted the dsgrace appliance of mobvolence to pre-
vent the discussion for other than that they felt
and knew that the appeals of Messrs Douglas and Willard
to the popular Judgment would be successful.
But there are other opponents of the doctrine of popular
sovereignty who resort to mode of evading the discus
sion of its merits reputable but not less significant
of their unwingness to abide by enlightened popular
decision The columns of the Albany Journal New York
Express and National Ktegsneer furnish illustrations of
the fact to which aude. The ast-named journal
quotes from Express the following and remarks that
it happily hits off the allacy of the doctrine angi-
bic principle"
The Nebraska bill disowns this principle of popular
ereignty. One Gen. Pierce whose home is in New Hamp-
shire and who lives Just Washington makes the
ecuve and the judicial powers the very greatest OF the
powers of all governments for the popular souereg that
live Nebraska This Gen. Pierce makes his governor and
that has the veto over the SO tha
he can passage of law unless sustained by
majority of wo-thrs and being the creature of the Exec
utve he responsible to the people The President APP
points and pays the judges the marsha and the district at
orneys they vote for President Vice Pres
dent senators congressman And this executive
eighty called popular sovereignty! 1t reminds one OF the
story told by speaker against this BILL of boy who
cried minced pies but when bought one he
found frozen hard ice You scoundrel! said the
purchaser why did you call this hot minced pie? Be
that is the of it, replied the boy
1t will be remarked that neither the Iegencr the
Express ventures ground openly against the doctrine
The IneHgencer its peculiar mode of attack, character
ICES it as faacy and tangible principle whilst the
Express evades the merits of the issue by the common
Encouragement expedient of resortng to stale joke Both
journals however, opponents Of the doctrine of the Ne
braska BILL both conducted by gentlemen of ability
and tact and yet neither face the question and
point out the objections to the doctrine.
We might concede all that Express says its effort
TO rdcue upon the doctrine and yet show that that
journal has studous avoided the real question issue No
friend of Nebraska bill conended that it conceded
to- conferred upon the inhabitants of the Territories all
the attributes and prerogatives of popular sovereignty
To take such position would be to concede to them
popular sovereignty than enjoyed by the people
of the States But because they endowed by the
A.
Express would maintain that there is nothing in the
doctrine but its "name and the Agencer that it is
o fallacyp With equal propriety they might insist
that there is nothing in State sovereignty but NAME
and that popular sovereignty in the States is a mere
"faacyn The inhabitants of the Territories al
lowed to choose their governors Judges marshals and
attorneys, and to this extent they do not enjoy the
rights of popular sovereignty. But there other
preroeaves which the inhabitants of Nebraska and Kan
enjoy under the bill which attributes of popular
sovereignty but which have heretofore been denied the
inhabitants of other Territories Territories have three
departments of government like the Sateshe executive,
the judicial and the legislative. Heretofore the nhabi-
of the Territories have enjoyed the rights Of popular
sovereignty neither of these departments but under
the Nebraska bill they have the right choose their
Lawmakers and to enact their laws. We would
speculy ask if the privilege of making laws for the gov
of the people is not high attribute of
reigny any people enjoyed Is not the very
highest prerogave of sovereignty and the real of
selfgovernment2 Our wing contemporaries of the Ex-
press and hateilgsnser put low estimate this
sacred boon of freedom that they would cast ridcue
upon it They regard it of no Importance that the
people of Territory should choose their lawmakers
and determine the character of their local institutions
Because they allowed also choose their
utive and judicial officers wing contemporaries would
not have them to accept the poor prerogave of making
their laws but would leave that also the federal
government This is Just what would expect OF old
fashioned ederaiss 1t is the very doctrine against which
fathers had contend when they insisted that it
tyranny be governed by laws in the selection of the
makers of which they had voice When they petit
onng the mother country for redress and insisting
having the right to be represented in legislation which
affected them they entertained notions of popular sover
eighty wholly different from those advanced by the
Express and the htelligencer The doctrine of popular
sovereignty asserted in the Nebraska BILL is iden-
tically the same with that for which the patriots of
the revolution contended with the British Crown and
in maintaining which they staked erythng and
valuable Yet the organs of the opposition popu-
lar sovereignty aaey and seek to evade the discus
sion of its real merits either by calling to their assistance
abolition mobs or by resortng to unmeaning jokes The