Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-02-06
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.
The Union, discussing the great prin
,iple of the new territorial bills, SAYS:

clple of the new territorial bills, says:
Popular sovereignty is the principle which
made the compromise measures of 1850 so sig
nihcanly triumphant, and popular sovereignty
Is the enduring basis and element of the ter
ritorial bills now reported to both houses of
Congress by Senator Douglas and Colonel
Richardson. It will be remembered that
when every expedient had been tried, after
' the last acquisition of territOry-the South ad-
herring all the while, with tenacious grasp to
the Missouri Compromise, and insisting upon
the formal and positive recognition of her
constitutional sights-the agreement before
which at least all other measures were yielded.
was the agreement which asserted that the
people OF the Territories should, in their own
way, manage and control the question of sla-
very within their limits, consistent with the
constitution of the United States Before this
great principle the waves of fanaticism sub
sided. Those who could not approve did not
long hesitate TO acquiesce. Both the great
parties in 1852 rallied upon this great idea.
The leaders Of both endeavOred to surpass
each other in the illustration and support of
1t The ballot-boxes on the same year affirmed
the wise and pxtriOtic settlement of the Con-
gress of 1850; and Franklin Pierce found
himself in power in 1853 surrounded BY a
popular sentiment in favor of popular SOW
ereignty as the only true arbiter of the vexed
question of slayery-such as had never been
Beginning with California and ending with
New Mexico, the South saw this principle
aiding in the creation of q free State and free
Territories but the bond was complete, the
compact ratified, and the gallant men of that
region consented to an arrangement which,
however it may have operated against them
removed all mere expedients to secure tempo
rary tranquility, and recognized in their Stead
the doctrine that gave liberty to the New
World, and now cOnvulses the decaying dynas-
ties of the Old. That doctrine is the right of
the people to govern themselves"
The Intelligeneer, at length, formally
breaks ground against the Nebraska and
Kansas bill, arguing that its infraction of
the Compromise of 1920 is thing not to
be tolerated. By way of showing the
readers of the Star how the venerable
editor OF the Iptelligencer sets out upon
this most important question, we quote
paragraph, as follows:
. The fundamental objection to this propo
sltien which must strike every mind-fhe
mere suggestion of which, indeed, is enough to
startle the true friends Of the Constitution in
every part of the Union-is that il proposes.
without decentralization, the abrogation of a
'p"tPA' hoAuiy icoc tQdQ lQdl OF t.
Constitution itself, and which can hardly be
deemed OF less high obligation than that in
strument. And this notification of q solemn
covenant between the United States and the
State of Missouri-between the South and the
North-is proposed on the ground that this
compact was superseded and rendered 'inop-
eratiye' by the compromises of 1851"
The Sentinel arguing that indiscreet
friends" are more dangerous than en-.
emies, rates some body or some journals
of the Democratic party for alleged
scoring of Southern Wings. The editor
evidently considers the fact that the
Southern Wings are unanimously in ia
vor of the Nebraska bill, entities them
to the right hand of fellowship from the
Democratic party. lie seems also to have
a very poor opinion, indeed, of the North
ern Wings, one and all.