Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1857-12-25
DEMOCRACY A UNIT.

ious and national-a unit in principles,
and, in its aims embracing the whole
Union, regardless of sectional interest
The popular mind, impressed with this
palpable fallacy, has needed not the most
conclusive evidence that locofocoism is
neither harmonious nor national neither
honest Units professions nor patriotic in its
aims and thus this radical aggregation of
discordant elements has been permitted to
waste the public treasure, devastate public
morals and degrade the government into
mere agency for awarding the spoils to
the successful candidtres for positions won
by fraud and filled without honor.
At this moment, we find this harmonious
democracy divided into two opposing fact
ions, and on a question, about which they
have boosted that there could be no differ
ence Of opinion--we mean squatter SOW
reignty. Douglass, at the head of one
faction, aflrms that the broad principle of
popular sovereignty, as settled by the Kan
sas bill, has been violated by the Lecomp-
ton Convention the President, at the
head Of the other faction, denies that the
principle has been violated, and contends
that the doctrine laid down in the Kansas
bill had reference only to the question of
slavery. This is the issue that divides the
harmonious, national democracy And
which faction is right For one, we can
not hesitate to decide in favor of Doug
lass
The Kansas bill gives to the territories
the absolute right to regulate their own
domestic institutions in their own way,
without let or hindrance, save the restrict
ions imposed by the federal Constitution.
From the passage of the bill, up to tho in
augural of Gov. Walker, this was the set
tied construction by the whole democratic
party, and the President himself, on two
occasions, declared that the sovereignty of
the people of territory is as absolute as
that of the people of State. Under this
aspect Of the case, nothing can be clearer
than the right of the people of Kansas to
to vote upon the whole Constitution, and
any juggling efforts of politicians to de-
prive them of that right for specific OBJ
ject, is not only violation of the prinei-
pie of popular sovereignty, SO foolishly
inaugrated by the locofocos, in the face of
the Constitution, but is an infamous eva
sion, by one wing, of the law passed by the
whole party.
And this new construction of the Kan
sas bill affords another evidence of the to-
tai want of princiale in the democratic
party, and Of the danger to be apprehended
from its wild and corrupt career. What
has changed the Presidents views so sud
denly? But few days since, he advocated
popular sovereignty in its broadcast signif-
cation, and instructed Walker so to carry
it out. A voice from the South, however,
was heard secret agent was dispatched
to Kansas, and the Convention resolved to
submit only the slavery clause of the Con-
stitution to the people it was darkly him
ted that Walker had disobeyed instructions
and then the President shaped his course
with view to appease the southern wing,
knowing that such course could have no
effect upon the fate of Kansas, and that
it might hold the party together without
giving the South even a show for slavery
in the Territory. 1t will be remembered
that the southern resolutions all censured
Walker and intimated that the President
might save himself by repudiating the acts
of his agent, True to his instincts, as
selfish politician, Buchanan took the hint,
aud true to their partizan and corrupt
policy, the authors of the resolutions are
satisfied with the President, though he has
done all that is ncedful to make Kansas
free, and nothing to counteract the policy
that brought odum upon Walker. So far
as slavery is concerned, it Is the same to
South whether the whole, or a part of the
Constitution be submitted and since the
cause of southern discomfort, was the sub
mission ofany portion of the Constitution,
honest men are at loss to see what there
IA TO reconcile the South to the President,
who defends tho reference Of the slavery
question, alone, to the people The South
argued that the Convention was pro .sla-
very, and that lift adopted Constitution,
without referring it, slavery would be estab-
lished in Kansas, And when Walker de.
clared tina the Constitution should be sub
mittod to the people, southern locofocos,