Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-07-08

Inat, III tho tioCIon woio W VI Hbpiro III Wto 1
present month Of July, Mr.. Fillmore would |
carry more than eight or nine States; but we
do mean to say, that those Conservative infu-
encss are at work in every section of the coun-
try which must produce revolution in the
political views and feelings Of tens Of thousands
Of men, in every State, from Maine to Califor-
mia, between this time and next November; and
that ocery change viii be in favor of the man
who passed unscathed the ordeal of the turbu-
lent era Of l860-who proceed himself then
national man in all his sympathies- as
serted and maintained the equal rights Of each
and all the States, and who indicated the SUI
prcmacy Of the Laaos in the midst Of the fiercest
sectional conflict which the Union has yet ex-
perienced
The country has reached q crisis--its posi-
ton is eminently critical-it demands a pilot
Of skill and experience, and not a 6eardtess
bog, nor an effeminate, irresofute, inconsistent,
good lord and good devil politician, who
has boxed the political compass to reach the
haven Of the strong sidei Without referring
to those earlier changes in political opinion, in
fancy, we will moo cite only Mr. Buchanan's
metamorphosis on the Territorial question. In
his letter of August 2lst, 184s, addressed to 7.
Sanford, Esq, which, on the 4th of October
1S4S, was published in the Mobile Register,
and which we have republished, Mr. Buchanan
pososr Of Congress- over the question of slave
ry in the Territories. He says:
Having urged the adoption of the Missouri
Compromises the Inference Is irresistible that CON-
grsss IN my opinion possssses tho povey to lsgis-
late spon tho subject Of slavery in the Territories.
What an a6surdity sooutd u then BE-, u whilst as
sorting this SOVEREIGN POWER IN CON-
GRESS, phieh posSer from its nature must be
EXCLUSIVE, I should in the very same breath
also claim, this identical po,cer for the population
ofa Territory In an unorganized capacity"
Did Wilmot, or Hale, or Greeley, or Seward
ever 60 further on this question Of the power
of Congresss Could any man go further p
The power he says is sovereign and erclu-
sice." That is pretty strong for candidate of
the Democratic party, which party, it is claim
ed, is the only safe party for tho South
And "what an absurdty it would be, as
Mr.. Buchanan says, if after claiming that the |
power of Congress over the question Of slave |
ry was "sovereign and exclusive" in the Ter
ritories, he should, Sin the same breath" claim
this identical power for the population of
Territoryl And so he postponed such decla-
ration until the Cass and Douglas "squatter-
sovereignty" advocates had inaugurated it,
when Mr.. Buchanan is pat upon that platform,
and says he is "no longer James Buchanan"
but the faithful representative Of what was IN
"absurdity" eight years agol In 1866, in his
letter of acceptance, he thus adopts. this cab
surdity" of 1848, and declares, that the peo-
pie Of a Territory, LIKE THOSE OF A STATE,
shall decide for Themselves sohether slavery
shall or shall not erist within their limits"
In 1s4s Mr.. Buchanan, when he thus main
tanned the sovereign and absolute posoer in
Congress to legislate on the question Of slaos-
ry in the Territories, was fifty seven years Of
age, and we shall demur to the plea of infancy
this time, if his friends seek to interpose that
plea as they have done to the charge Of Fede-
ralism in 1851
1t is undeniable that such are Mr.. Buchan-
ans contradictory opinions at these different,
but not distant dates, and it is equally undeni-
able, that the South condemn both his Wilmot
proviso notions Of august, 1s48, and his
"squatter sovereignty" doctrines Of 1866.
If Mr., Buchanan, either in 184S or in 1856.
held the doctrines for which the South con-
tend, he might perhaps be allowed to Explain
away, or ssoedr away, one set of these opinions,
to suit the necessity of the occasion, but when,
in truth, he did not then, and does not noso en-
terrain one conservative opinion, in common
with the South, we are at loss to understand
how he can be sustained by single Southern
or conservative vote.
And here it may be asked, what are the
opinions of Willard Fillmore on the question of
State equa1ityf" and what are his opinions
upon the question Of "sguatter sopereiynty ?"
Lot the legislation Of 1850, approved By Mr..
Fillmore, ansper these questionsI Let the |
American platform on which he stands answer
these questiopsi And first, of the legislation
Of 1850, which sufficiently presents his opin-
ions officially and solemnly announced.
1t will be sufficient for the purpose of show
ing his official action on these two questions
to refer to the "Act to establish Territorial
government for Utah" The act in reference
to New Mexico stands on the same basis, but
as portion of New Mexico lies South of SO 10
degrees, and the whob Of Utah lies 6etpeen
81 and 40 degrees of North latitude, we select
the Utah Territorial act for an illustration of
his position. (See United States Statutes at
Large, Little and Browns edition, VOL 0, p. 453.)
By this act the Southern boundary Of Utah
was fixed Mt az degrees North latitude and ita