The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-03-20

THE CONTEST OF 1886 CONTEST FOR PRINCIPLE.
Since the days Of John Adams when the opponents Of
the democratic party boldly ayowed thet principles and
boldly set forth their arsoeadc doctrines in favor Of
clothing the Senate and the President with almost unm
tied power and OF declaring the alien and Sedon laws
cessay 10 maintain that power unimpaed in the hands Of
those who should be the OF the people there has
been instance in which the adversares Of the dem
ocratc party have been frank and as courageous In set
ting forth their principles during the memorable
which we have referred. At last however, prom
sed exception TO the general rule The sectional party
the representatives and of those who naugura-
ted their policy in the midst of the earliest days Of the
public have through their immediate organs Messs Sew
ard and Others formally proclaimed their principles for
the public eye and this fact will add unusual interest to
the contest to be decided 10 November next
The doctrine prominently brought forward by r. Sew
ard and by his adhereu is this that the people Of the
Territories of the United States shall not be permitted
manage their affairs in their way and that this
power belongs TO- and shall be exercised by the members
Of Congress representing other communities, and hay
lug no direct interest whatever in the Of
the Territories. Proceeding from this theory in nat
ura order is the assumption, that inasmuch as the
people Of the Territories shall not control their
affairs in their way, when they demand adms-
sion into the Union State the Congress of the United
States may and refuse admit them unless their
State constitution conform to the abolition ideas OF Mr.
Seward and his coadutors We thank opponents for
the bodness with which they set forward these doctrines
and we glad to know that the democratic party
throughout the country ready accept the issue thus
rendered Mr. Seward and his friends to be sincere
in presenting it The democracy take the broad ground
that the people Of the Territories should be confded the
regulation Of their municipal concerns and that they
closely and constantly interested in their local. social
and political concerns they the proper authority by
which these concerns shall be managed and decided and
the other hand the democracy assume the equally dis
position that the people of the Territories when they
have formed State constitution in accordance with the
provisions of the federal compact and In like manner as
been done by those who have preceded them they shall
then be admitted into the conedeacy of American States
These the principles at issue in the campaign of
1856 There is no evadng them-there is no conceal
ing them. The opposition cannot retreat from the at
ttude they have boldly taken. They have already
abandoned their ground in favor of the restoration of
the Missouri line and in doing have been utterly de-
moralized But in taking the step which aude, in
declaring for the intervention of Congress in the Terrific
res in setting up judges upon those Territories asking
in the House have clearly made up their mind to pur
these theories their alarming conclusions On the
other side the democracy, having beforehand announced
principles precisely antagonstc to those proclaimed by
the aboonts black republicans of the day. the issue
is fairly made up between the parties.
We shall therefore, have a conflict as we had in
ls4o when there principles proclaimed for the
public eye, as we had in ls4s when the presidential
candidate of our con6ded his commit
tee Two rival doctrines in the field each surrounded
by devotees and each vocaed by the abes
in the respective organizations We repeat that greet
the occasion when these two doctrines shall in OPP
position with great satisfaction matter who may be
the candidate of the democratic party in the presidential
II is the principle here asserted by party and
denied by the other that will constitute during the
Open the great attraction to the American