The Placer herald., 1856-08-16
Stephen A. Douglass and the Nominations.

We extract the following from the speech
made by the Hon. Stephen A. Douglass, at
the New York Ratification Meeting:
My. friends, find that these Black Re
publican orators and Black Republican news
papers have already begun to shed crocodile
tears over my humble fate laughter because
they say the Convention created u Douglass
platform, and then put Buchanan on it. APP
plause. wish to invite your attention for
q moment to this point, and see whether
that platform is not a Buchanan as well as a
Douglass platform cries of 'yes."] They
say that it is Douglass platform, because it
has endorsed every position l have taken,
not only upon the slavery question, the Kan
sas and Nebraska question, but also on the
question of our foreign policy A voice
Good for YOU" That is true, aud because
it is true, entered this campaign with heart
and soul, ready to devote all my energies to
the success Of that platform and the candi-
dates who stands upon it. Cheering and ap
plause. Now, my friends, if YOU will listen
for a moment to a brief historical recital, |
will show you that James Buchanan and
myself have occupied for years past, ever
since | came into public life, precisely the
same position upon this slavery question
from the beginning to the end Bear in
mind that in 1915 Congress passed an act
for the annexation of Texas to this Republic;
and if you will look at the journals of Con
gress, YOU will find that | offered the propo
sition to extend the Missouri Compromise
line through Texas indefinitely, as far as the
Territory should extend That act passed
with that provision in it, and Mr. Buchanan,
who was in Mr.. Polk's Cabinet at the time,
approved Of it. Applause. In the course of
events, war between Mexico and the United
States grew out Of it, the justice Of which
Mr.. Buchanan asserted. as member of Mr..
PoIk's Cabinet; and | maintained in the
House OF Representatives, by my votes and
my speech, and my very acts as a Represent
ative of my State. Great applause. When
there came a probability that by that war
we would acquire territory from Mexico, Mr..
Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, on the 9th of Au
gust, 1916, offered a proposition to prohibit
slavery in all the territory we might acquire
from Mexico
If that proposition had been adopted,
there would have been no territory acquired.
1t was proposition to disgrace this country,
by forcing US to withdraw our armies from
getting Justice for onr wrongs. DO YOU sup
pose that a southern man would have been
craven enough to have voted to ratify a
treaty containing a clause insulting his own
section, his own people, and his own State
rights, when was made as an insult to them!
And yet the treaty could not have been
approved without a two-thirds vote, at a time
when the slaye-holding and free States We're
exactly tied in the Senate. Knowing the
object Of Mr.. Wilmot, in Offering the pro-
position, was to force us TO an ingIorious and
ienominious peace with foreign power, |
resisted it with all my might. and offered in
lieu Of it an amendment to extend the Mis-
souri, Compromise line Of SO 80 to the Paci
nc ocean in the same sense, and with the
same understanding with which it was origi-
nalIy adopted. In October, 1847, James
Buchanan addressed a letter to the Harvest
Home celebration Of Bucks county, Penn, in
which he urged the extension of that same
line of 3G 80, called the Missouri Compro-
mise, to the Pacific ocean in the same man
ner as | had proposed.
In the month of August, introduced in
the Senate Of the United States an amend
ment to the Oregon Bill, to carry out the
proposition Of M. buchanan IN the Harvest
Home letter, to extend the Compromise line
to the Pacific ocean, in the same sense and
with the same understanding with which it
was originally adopted. That proposition
was passed by the Senate, went to the House,
and was rejected by the Abolition and Free
soil votes Three Groans were here called
for and given for the Free-soiIers Don't
groan, my friends, that sounds too much like
Know Nothing music. Laughter The
House of Representatives rejected that pro-
position by almost a sectional vote--bv north
ern votes composed of Abolitionists and Free
soilers-men Of abolition proclivites and ar
rayed against the true National Democracy.
1t was the rejection of that proposition to
extend the Missouri Compromise line to the
Pacific ocean, as proposed by Mr.. Buchanan
and as introduced by myself, which led to
the turmoil, strife, sectional hatred and hos
tility, from 1913 to 1850. To such an ex-
tent die that strife 90, the South arrayed
against the North and the North against the
South, that the purest and most devoted
patriots in the land feared for the safety and
perpetuity Of the Republic. Even that GAL
liant and immortal statesman, the great Henry
Clay, who had retired from the scenes Of
his active labors to the shades of Ashland,
there to prepare himeef for a better state of
existence, again took his place in the Senate,
the theatre Of his greatest achievements and
his most patriotic triumphs, to see if he could
not do something to quell the storm, calm
the troubled waters, and restore peace to a
distracted country. From the moment Clay
arrived among us, he was recognized as the
great leader and champion of the Union
men of all parties in Congress. The voice of
fact on was bushcd, and the voice of the
patriot quelled for time the storm Clay
W Is our leader, Cass was our right-hand man,
Webster stood by his side, and your Dickin-
oh Il. Il