The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-26
An UnpopuIar Humbug.

Pretty much the only defence the machine
Democrats make for the Nebraska Bill, is cry
ing out "popular sovereignty" whenever the
bill is attacked. They cannot argue upon
any real or supposed merits the bill may con-
tain, but exclaim popular sovereignty -
If asked what was the necessity for the re-
peal Of the Missouri Compromise, ard for
fastening this terrible agitation upon the
people-nothing comes back but-"popular
sovereignty" II asked what right they had
for surrenderng unasked to the South, cer-
tain great rights belonging to the North
popular sovereignty" is all we get. Or
when we ask theu-why did you break a
compact made between the North and the
South, which forever prohibited the exten.
sion Of slavery into certain great territories!
N thing is heard but popular sovereignty"
They dare not meet US upon even the popu-
lar sovereignty issue. They cannot point
out to the people wherein this popular sove-
reignty consists. We have exposed this
humbug often enough. The people Of Ne.
braska and Kansas have but precious little
popular sovereignty by this famous bill.-
What do our fellow citizens think of that
popular sovereignty which actually gives the
people Of these territories no sovereignty Of
their own but the right Of the first JeW squat.
ters to say whether or not they will have
slavery, A beautiful specimen Of "sove-
reignty Of the people" is that. And yet il
is precisely what these men are contending
for, as something Of inestimable value to the
people. They know better. They know
that the people have really no sovereignty
given them by this bill. 1t is all humbug -
Their Governor is set over their heads by the
President-the manner Of their voting is
prescribed them--even their Judiciary is es-
tablished by other authority than their own.
Now what privilege of popular sovereign
ty does this bill give the people' Why are
ue asked to support this bill on the popular
sovereignty principe' The popular sove-
regns TO carry out this principle, are the
first few hundreds who settle in the terrific
have nothing to do with the matter. The
popular sovereignty in confined to the first
few squatters Of Nebraska and Kansas. Do
any Of our people intend settling in these
territories! If so. it is to their interests to
inquire as to how much "popular sovereign
ty" they will realize in Nebraska and Kan
sas. They will find that by this Bill, no
privileges are granted them which they do
not have here, while they are deprived Of an
immense deal of sovereignty they enjoy in In
diana.
We close with an extract from a cotemPo-
rary's remarks on the Nebraska Bill and
popular sovereignty:
The Nebraska Bill is a palpable cheat, a
gross fraud, incapable of either apology or
explanation. 1t allows the exercise OF "pop.
ular sovereignty" only in the matter OF slave
ry-nowhere else--no other admission Of it
can be found, and it allows that just because
il gave a chance for slavery in the Territories,
where before there was no chance. The
Slaveites dared not formally establish slave
ny on the ruins Of the Conpromise--that
would have been too great an iniquity even
for them-so they left it to the people as the
next best thing. The people might exclude
it, but if they did, there wac nothing lost;
the Compromise excluded it too. Ii the
people admitted it, there was clear GAIN
At all events the uncertainty Of u popular
vote, was better than the certainty of the
Compromise. If there had been the remot-
est chance of strengthening slavery without
In ha tspfh au
been in the Bill, even the despicable pretense
Unpopular sovereignty" that it has. We
consider that as fixed a fact as anv that flo.
ures won't prove.
T.