Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-01-03
SAND HE PLAYED UPON A HARP OF
THOUSAND sTRIRGsn-THE WASH
INGTON UNION.

In on article in the Sentinel of the 18th De
celnber, 1856, under the caption, "A Political
Mosaic-The Washington Union" We mad
laudatory comments Of the Washington Union,
in its issue of the 2Sth Of December, 1854. of
the speech of General Shields, late Senator of
the United States from Illinois, upon the Ne
braska bill.
Not desiring to do neighbor injustice or
TO disturb its consistent series of Inconsistencies
upon the Nebraska Kansas bill, which we un.
folded from his record, we make this morning
the amende honorable by supplying the omis-
sion. To do this more effectually, we repro
duce our article of the 18th entire, and insert
here the following, from the Washington Union
of the 18th of October, 1854:
From the Union of Oct IS 1854
Gen. Shields In Illinois.
We are gratifed to see that General Shields
ia ia the canvass in his State, giving powerful
aid TO his distinguished colleague, Judge
Douglas. Seldom has contest been 50 zeal
ously and ably carried on as that in Illinois.
Judge Douglas has just completed tour Of
four weeks, and returned to Chicago with con-
| hdence of the triumph of the democracy.
| General Shields has entered the fight with
earnestness and ability. We see sketch Of
his speech at Springfield, in which he sustain
| ed the principles of the Nebraska bill with
great force and effect Speaking Of the prnc
| pie Of intervention, he said:
1t allowed the people he said) 10 fix their
| own condition, manage their own affairs, and
| work out their own happiness in their own
way. 1t gave equal chances to equal States
in the settlement and government of common
territory. Kansas and Nebraska rere free
nor, and the people there ,oould keep them free.
The establishment Of slarery in those Terrific
ries pas not only improbable, but impossible,
and it was always wiser aud better to let peo-
| pie work out great good for themselves than
have it forced upon them by others; and this
was the way in which freemen always do what
is great and good, BY their own free and voun-
tary act The principles of non-intcrrcntion
rould not only keep Kansas and Nebraska
chat they are trce-but you'd by its full
and fair operation, if zee acquire the continent
to the Isthmus Of Darien, tcork ,ciM such po,c-
ertul force and effect that man could erer
see another slare Territory on this continent"
After saying much more on this head,
General Shields alluded to the danger of sec.
tional organizations, and of arraying one sec
tion OF the Union in a general sentiment OF
hostility against the other. The Nebraska
question, he said could soon settle itself az, in
the midst Of THIS angry discussion, Kansas
could present herscLf aoih a free constitution,
and be admitted as free member Of the con
ted~aey."
Now, here we have what really had escaped
u.s. the Washington Union absolutely endors-
ing the speech of General Shields, in which he
had argued in favor of the constitutional prin-
ciple in the Nebraska bill, while he declared
that the passage of the bill itself would ensure
the admission of Kansas into the Union with a
free constitution. While we endorse the whole
principle Of non-intervention contained in that
bill, we could not have been induced to sup
port it purely upon the ground of its practical
effect upon either section of our country. This
would not have been fair. A principle is only
a good principle when it operates equally upon
all the parties interested in its establishment.
Such was the case in this instance. We do
not mean to impugn the patriotism of General
Shields. BY no means. We know it too well
and have often commended it highly; but the
praise of the Washington Union of the pecu
liar view enforced by him. is in striking con
trast with its uery late positions, taken for its
own purposes no doubt, upon the extreme
southern platform.
A POLITICAL NosAIc-rHE WASHINGTON
UNION"
On the goth of January, 1854, the washing
ton Union denounced those who would Civ,
the compromise of 1850 fair play in Nebraska
by removing all obstacles to its full, and free
and nntrammelled operation there. 1t de
nounced those who would repeal, by express
terms, that portion Of the Missouri compromise
which curbs and Restraints the compromise o.
1850 while Nebraska remains territory. The
Union also demands precedence for the Mis-
souri, compromise as fixing the territorial con
dition of Nebraska, and denounced any attemp
to repeal that unconstitutional act, in order L
give force and virtue to the Baltimore plat
form.
In speaking Of Judge Douglass report, the
Union said
I" He has arrived at conclusions which seen
to us unassailable He plants himself reso
lutely upon the compromise of 1850 as 6Na
settlement--not final merely as to the terrific
ries then in dispute, but final as to all future
legislation for territorial governments. If the
principles Of the compromise, as brought for
ward in the Nebraska bill, are sustained by the
united democratic votes Of senator's and repre
sentatiyes, all doubt as to the FINAL expulsion
OF the slavery question from The democratic
organization will be put TO rest
On the llth Of January, 1884, the Union
said:
"We are gratifed TO witness the earnestness
and promptness with which our democratic
contemporaries are rallying to the support OF
the principles proposed to be incorporated in
the Nebraska bill. As historical fact, we
may remark, that in 1850, Judge Douglas pro.
posed to adopt the Missouri compromise line
and to extend it to the Pacific; but the organs
which now insist upon the inviolabilty of that
compromise, denounced bis propositions as a