New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-15
WE WILL sUBDUE YOU.

not grow out of any ncapacity on the part Of that
Senator to express himself concsely and quite to
the point. Probably his report was made so
e.winded with the precise intent of preventing
any body from reading it, Nor, indeed, is it worth
! while to expend so much time in so useless man.
ner, since Mr.. Douglas himself has given in the
Senate, the whole substance of that report, and at
the same time of all the Border-Ruffian speeches
made this Winter in Congress and out of it, in these
five words" We mean TO subdue you
In this phrase, so short, comprehensive and
30 expressive is embodied the entire policy Of the
shareholders, pursued with great zeal ever since it
was naugrated by Mr. Calhoun, when he was
member of the Tyler Cabinet. This policy has
been already carried out in the subsection and
sequent destruction of the Wing Party, which, al
ways having its chief strength in the North and
always inspired with certain spirit of Freedom,
pned and died away from the moment that it be-
came the servant of the slavecatchers 1t has been
carried out also in the complete and total subec-
tion Of the miscalled Democratic party, out of
which every symptom of resistance to Slavery
extension has been most effectually crushed Still
more recently has been carried out in the effect
ual subsection to the slavehoding interest of the
Know Nothing party, as exhibited in their recent
nomination of Fillmore and DOnelsOn. All these
outwOrks having been gained, the grand assault is
now to be made on the body of the Northern peo-
ple--Mr Douglas waving his hat at the head oft,
with the cry 1--WE mean to subdue you ~
The only defense set up for the Border-Ruffan
Legislature of Kansas and for the things done
under their laws and by their authority is
that as they are in possession, how they got
there is not thing that can be looked into.
That Shareholders should set up this title of pos
session on the part of the Kansas Border Rufians
is natural enough. 1t is the very title and the only
title by which they themselves claim to hold some
three or four millions of their own labOrng pOpua-
ton in subsection. They have all along denied the
right of Congress- OF indeed Of anybody, to nvesti
gate the nature of their title TO their slaves, and
now, naturally enough, by following out the same
idea they deny the right of Congress, or of anybody
to investigate the title Of their friends, the Border
Ruffians, to legislate for Kansas, or to choose
Delegate to represent that Territory at Washington
But however naturally the slavedrivers may
have come into this position there is one little cir
cuIlstdDCt 10 WHICH MI lOublus his OiVtHti
slayedriyers in Congress DO not seem to have paid
quite sufficient attention. 1--WE will subdue you"
NAV answer very well with negroes; it may an
swer very well for white political hacks aud
seekers of office-like Mr.. Douglas himself; but
whether it will prove quite SO effectual with the
great mass of Northern Freemen, might seem, to
Judge from the past to be little doubtful. Indeed,
IL 10, .h
"we will subdue you has been hitherto used to-
ward our Northern people, and in which an expert
ment of that sort has been attempted are not of
kind to afford much encouragement to those who
are to follow Mr. Douglass lead
eve will subdue you," cried Lord North in
l774-the result of which cry was the Declaration
of Independence, in which one of the chief griev-
ances alleged against the British Government was
its obstinate zeal for the extension of Slavery.
"We will subdue you" cried John Adams and
the Federalists in 1898, and to that intent they
passed their Sedition act of which the consequence
was their defeat at the election of $500, and the
Inauguration as President Of that ayowed Abolition
ist and sharp hater Of Slavery-Thomas Jefferson.
1--WE will subdue you," cried that same Jefer-
to be passed that most extravagant Embargo act,
forbiddng the expectation of any article whatever
from the United States (all, it was alleged, for
the benefit of commerce., he attempted, by all
sorts of legal penalties and inquistoral and sum-
mary proceedings, to put down the opposition made
at the North to this paralysis Of the industry of the
country. But, so far from succeeding in this at
hacama spaadilv IN rapaal +ha
embargo, and Madison and the other supporters of
Jefierson's policy presently found themselves
forced by rebellion in their own party to give
over all their tavOrite projects of commercial re-
strictcns, and to resort, very much against their
will, to war, OF which the result. had it sue
cteded, would have been the annexation of Canada
and the decided territorial predOminancy of the
North.
Whether this cry, 1--WE will subdue you" is to
be any more efectual in the mouths of such
| political giants as Mr.. Douglas and Mr.. Pierce
tlsn ii was when uttered by Lord North BY John
Adams and by Jefferson, remains TO be seen.
Mr.. Douglas is but young man. II will not do
for him to take merely that era Of dOughfacesm
during which be has himself hourished, and in
which and chiefly through which be has played a
somewhat conspicuous part, as the sole measure of
political probabilities and still less will it be safe
| for him TO estimate the feelings, sentiments and
dispositions of the mass of the NNthern people, by
taking as standard himself and the bar-room poll
ticisns with whom he is chiefly accustomed TO
| associate. Let Mr.. Douglas recoec. that this ia
tie age Of Sharps rides and il, in his attempt to
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