Daily national Democrat., 1858-12-01


Democratic platform, and the endorsement O
Stephen A. Douglas, but we certainly die
not think that any one of them was going tC
fulfill our prediction almost simultaneously
with its utterance
How the Express can pretend to rejoice
over the triumph Of Judge Douglas, after al
that it has said against him, and that so re-
Gently, may well astonish its readers 1t may
afford little amusement to 60 back, a short
distance, into the history of the Express, ant
see what course it has pursued with reference
to Judge Douglas. 1t is not necessary to al
lude again to its tremendous endorsement ot
him during the last political campaign in
California when Douglas votes were wanted
to carry through the doubtful fortunes of Le-
comptonism The public are already sufli-
GENTLY impressed with that fact But, we will
begin with the attacks made upon him, after
the election in this State was over. 1t will
be recollected that, when the first report of
his Freeport speech arrived, with copy of
the Washington Union denouncing it, as it
had done the whole course of Judge Douglas.
the Express directly and vehemently made
an onslaught upon it, and joined with the
Washington Union in reading Douglas out of
the Democratic party. We were called upon
in tones of anticipated triumph and loud and
pompous selfcomplacency,t to come out d pub
lish that portion of the Freeport speech which
was to the Lecompton party so Objectionable
We refused to do so, until we could see it in
its entirety, as reported in a reliable Demo-
cratic paper, but at the same time remarking
that we were well satisfied that what he had
said, and meant to say, was simply this
that, although slavery might 90 into a Terri
tory of the United States, under the general
guarantee of the Federal Constitution, vet it
could not exist without special police regula-
tions to protect it, and that there was no
power in the Federal Government to compel
a Territorial Legislature to pass those regu
lations. Subsequently well authenticated
report of the Freeport speech came, and we
published every essential portion of it. Short.
ly afterward there came comments upon it
from Douglas organs in Illinois, explaining it
to mean just what we had said that it meant
Afterwards again came endorsements of the
speech 10y leading Southern Democratic pa.
pers, and, afterwards again, the subsequent
speech of Judge Douglas, himself, at Gales,
burg, in which he declared that he meant
nothing more in his Freeport speech than
what has been above indicated. And upon
the heels of this, came speech from the Hon.
jeff Davis, of Mississippi, delivered in Port
ground precisely. on the subject of slavery in
the territories, that Douglas had taken in his
Freeport speech in Illinois. Well, all that
this amounts to is simply the fact that we
were right and the Express wrong our senti
ments were those of the Democracy at large,
both North and South, while the Express
were not; and our position is such that we
can well rejoice over the triumph of our ia
vorite statesman, while the Express, we ina
gine, has to do it, as the Dutchman said, init
a tam tight squeeze
So much for generalities. Now for the re-
cord. This paper (the Express,) which so
rejoices over "the pleasant and acelcome an.
nouncement that the great Douglas" is trium
phant, said on the 9th of October last, in
general article denunciatory of him:
"Now, to show conclusvely the precise posi-.
ton which Mr.. Douglas assumed in this Freeport
speech, from which we have Just quoted, and in
which He FOREVER ABANDONED THE DEMoCRATlC
PARTY, it is only necessary to quote" &c
Afterwards, on the 2lst of the same month,
defending the course of the Washington
Union in opposing tie election Of Douglas in
Illinois, it said:
at is true that the Union does oppose Mr..
Douglas BECAUSE Mn. DOUGLAS OPPOSES THE DEy-
ocRATIc PARTY and one Of its most vital princ-
pies"
Afterwards, on the 23d day of the same
month, it said
"a week or two ago we published an extract
from the FreepOrt speech Of Senator DOnglas in
which that distinguished statesman took a pos-
ton DIANErRICALLT ANTAGONIsTIc To THE FuNpA.
MENTAL PRINCIPLES or the DEMOCRArIc PARTY
and in direct contradiction to his whole political
record.
Afterwards, on the 2sth of the same month.
in laying down what was expected of its
kind Of Democracy in 1860, it went on to
read Douglas out Of the Democratic party.
with all due solemnity, emitting none Of the
forms of accommodation, and iustifyng
the opposition to his election which lad been
thoroughly organized by the Lecompton
party in Illinois, in the following words:
"The position Of parties in Illinois is anoma-
lous and Unprecedented Mr. Douglas, despair
ing of the ability of the Democratic party to sus.
tam hun upon the great principles of his own
kansaS-NebrlSka Act, is endetvOring to impress
upon the dominant party the Republican party
that he lsa better Republican than his oppo-
nent, or Seward, or Chase, or any of the Repub-
lean leaders, that, uuder the Kansas Bill all that
the Republicans contended for, or ever have con-
tended for, can be and will be more certainly
more completely carried out than can possibly be
itself" F"''
1t then goes on in.the same article to accuse
"the great Do'gias" of hypocrisy, and adds.
"Bnt however that may be, the NATIONAL De.
hoCRACf OF ILLINOIS dislike the position he has
assumed and are unwilling to follow him Naitha,.
are they willing that the Democratic party shonld
gain an apparent triumph by repudating Demo-
cratic principles and espousing Republican tenetS
Hence they are maintaining the principles of the
Constitution, the Kansas Bill, aud the Cincinnati
Platform, AGAINST BOTH LINCOLN AND D1uGLAs
They deem it more important To adhere 10 their
principles than to re-eect Mr. Douglas in opDosi.
tIou to those principles. With this view they
met in Convention at Springfield, on the 9TH OF
September and re-lsserte1 the ancient faith OF
the Democratic party. as it has been 50 long and
SO ably asserted by Mr. Douglas bat which he
now repudiates, and attempts 10 explain into Re