The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-07
The D0u las stump Orators Trying TO
Humbug the People.

the Douglas stump orators In favor OF the
support of the Nebraska swindle, is verify
the greatest humbug ever attempted by any
party to be palmed off upon the American
people. The drive of their logic and strain of
their argument is to deceive the people into
the belief that popular sovereignty" or the
right of the people of the territories to gov.
ern themselves, and form and regulate their
own institutions,is conferred by the Nebraska
bill upon the people who may settle there.
We wish our readers particularly to mark
what we are going to say, and remember it
whenever they hear speaker or see an ar
ticle appealing to the people TO approve and
ratify the passage of this bill, because it
favors popular sovereignty.
We say ii does no such thing, and we will
prove from the records of Congress, that
provision was twice sought to be ncorporat-
ed into the bill expressly comforting this
right upon the people of the territories, and
on both occasions was promptly voted down
by the friends Of the bill, without even ex-
tending the common courtesy TO the movers
to allow them to explain their Objects
While this bill was pending in Congress, its
friends were continually asserting that il
gave to the people of Kansas and Nebraska
the power, through their legislatures, to ad.
nit or exclude slavery as they pleased.
While Northern doughfaces were assert.
ing this hypocritical falsehood in Congress.
Southern organs positively asserted the po-
stion TO be false, and that, "should the bill
pass, the constitution would carry slavery
theoretically into the territories; slave-hold-
ers might carry their slaves there, and the
territorial legislatures may and ought to pro-
tect them, but will have no power to prohibit
or dissolve the slave relation, or exclude the
slaves" Such was Southern view of the
matter.
While the supporters of the bill were thus
differing, Mr.. Mace, of this State, to expose
this contradiction in doctrine, this fraud in
the bill, this duplicity among its supporters,
moved to insert in the first section:
Sand the Territorial Legislature shall
have power to admit or exclude slavery at
any time by law"
Was not this just precisely what certain
men are now trying to deceive the people in
to believing the bill actually declares! Yet
what was done with that proposed amend
ment, which asserted in plain terms the p.in.
ciple which Douglas and his fellow cons pira-
tors hypocritically avowed was the true
meaning Of the bill itself, we'll knowing that
it contained no such principle or provison,-
1t was roted dOUn by a vote of 90 to 70, thus
voting directly against investing the Terrific
rial Legislature 10Th poper TO either admit or
exclude slavery, and directly against leaving
the question open to the people to settle as
they please.
And now they are talking about the sover-
eighty of the people and the great principle
contained in this bill, that the people of ter
ritories, through their legislatures, may have
the power to admit or exclude slavery.
Again listen to what these base by pocrtes
said by their votes in Congress, and compare
u with what they now say from the stump!
MIR. Fuller of Maine, a friend of the adj.
ministration and Democrat. and most de.
sirous evidently of acting with the friends Of
the bill, moved to insert:
sand the Territorial Legislatures shall
have the power to establish or exclude slave.
ny, as to them may seem proper"
He wished to vote for the bill as a nation.
al Democrat, he said, and with this amend
ment he would vote for it. And what WINS
done with that amendment, stating the prin.
ciple so clearly and Enthusiastically, and which
would permit the people of territory to
"choose their own form OF government" SO
far as this slavery matter is concerned,-
Why ii was voted down by vote of 81 to
10, thus saying clearly and unequivocally,
that the supporters of this bill riu not grant
the territorial legislatures the power to es-
tablsh or exclude slavery.
Thus it will be seen that every attempt at
an open and honest presentation of the oro.
fessed object of the friends of this measure
was eschewed with contempt.
Again, during the last stages of this hill
before the final vote on its passace an
amended bill as reported from the committee
on territories to the Senate, contains the fol.
'o"'ng provision, intended to confer the DOW =.
81 on tue people of those territories to regu.
,a's the subject of slavery as to them seemed
And De 1t further enacted, Tba, in o,dsr 20
c,srsd a hs m,,sseonstruction, it is hereby de-
this act, so far as the question Of siang OF
concerned, to carry into prac,;c.l s,asely Is
the following propositions and prneipIs ss', oa