Daily national Democrat., 1858-08-17
Such is the cantion of n nneer t.lendo

Whichever way the people of Kansas may
ecde the question at that election, August
l4th, will be final and conclusive. If they
reject the proposition submitted by Congress
the Lecomrton Constitution is dead, and
there is an end of the controversy. If on
the contrary, they accept the proposition, ."
kansas, from that moment, becomes State
Of the Union, and thus the controversy ter
inmates. V neither they shall accept or re.
Ject the proposition is question for the ceo
pie Of Kansas to declare for themselves, and
with Which neither Congress nor tie people
Of the segcrdt States nor amy person, official
or otherioiSe, outside of that Territory, has
any right to iIterfere. Hence The Lecomptou
controversy IS at an end for all men, Of all
parties, must be content with and abide by
whatever decision the people of Kansas may
make.
| rejoice, however, in the assurance that
hereafter we are to hare no diversity of opin.
ion IN ds Democratic party, in regard to the
wisdom and proRriety Of applying the great
principle of popular sovereignty to all cases
as they may arise.
Observe. now, how the omitted part, be-
tween the words "may make" and the words
81 rejoice" in the above will make it read:
at is true that the same question may
arise on the application of some other Terri.
tory for admission into the Union | am pre-
pared now to give notice that whenever that
question may arise. shall be found main
tai''ing and gimdicating the same principle
which have in listed SO strenuously should
be applied to Kansas"
We have read his entire speech, of which
ihe foregoing is an extract, and the meaning
of it is simply this: "As far as the Lecomp-
ton Constitution itself is concerned the Eng.
lish bill (of which !, (Douglas) however, did
not approve) has settled one way or the other
the fate Of that instrument Ifthe people of
Kansas reject it, there is an end of il. If
they accept it, that also is an end of it. But
1t is not an end of the principle for which
have been eontending, and in every ease tina /
may arise hereafter | will insist upon the
ppication of the same principle. If Kansas
should reject, as | expect she will, the lie
compton Constitution, and it should so hap
pen that another iniquity similar to the
Lecompton niquity shall arise in that Terri
tory, will oppose it in the same manner
and upon the same principle. Mr.. Buchanan
has said that he hoped that the wise example
in the Minnesota case, where Congress passed
an enabling act containing a clause requiring
the constitution to be submitted to the peo
pie, would be followed invariably hereafter
| agree with him in that desire, and if the
Democratic party will stand upon that plat
form there can be no division of opinion in
its ranks"
That is precisely Douglass position. lie
says to the Administration party, if you will
subscribe to my doctrine, all rght-if you
will not, you can go your road and will 60
mine. The Administration party in this
tate have chosen to go their own road, and
in starting out, have adopted a platform
which distinctly and emph ,tically repudiates
the Douglas doctrine They take no advan-
tage of the margin allowed for them by Mr..
Buchanan, in his remark about the Miuneso-
ta Bill, but are determined to go the whole
Lecompton hog Well, let them take the
consequences far as Mr.. Buchanan is
SOhcclHcu' Ills pOslOlOH 10 sliipiy OHiS 1ll"'
he prefers to see constitutions submitted, as
u matter of fairness, but still recognizes the
binding power of Representatives, and de
nes the power of Congress to 90 behind the
action of Representatives in any case He
prefers to see justice done, but if it is not
done, he believes in taking no pains to have
it dore He would like to see the example
in the case of Minnesota followed but, if it
is not followed, he cannot help it-in hi:
opinion, the people have no business to ques
tion the acts of their Representatives, and
technical Representatives are as good as any
other kind
Douglas proposed peace, in his speech o.
June 10Th, and the terms upon which he
would make it, His terms have been re
fused by the Administration party, and now
they are misrepresenting his terms That tbs
terms he offered may be understood, we give
them verbatim from his speech. Here is what
he said
resisted with all my strength and energy
the attempt to force the people OF Kansas
into the Union with a constitution known tt
be repugnant to their wishes, without frs
giving them an opportunity to reject re
ioice to say that we resisted it successfully
unlil the attempt was abandoned and the
question of admission was referred back Il
the people of Kansas, to be decided by then
1t the polls. Although the struggle wa
long. exciting, exhausting, it resulted in th'
abandonment Of the attempt to force the lie
compton constitution on the people of Kansa
and in that abandonment was clear recog
milton of the principle that the assent OF th'
people must he first had and obtained befor'
, my instrument can rightfully become thei
fundamental law. The question of admission
was remanded to the people of Kansas, to b
decided by and for themselves ut an election
to be held, in pursuance of law, for that pur
pose thus again recognizing the principl
for which had contended during the Who'll
controversy, that the people had a right t
(; lecide for themselves the question of adlniss
- ION under the constitution. When | saw
r the bill the recognition of the principle,
deeply regretted that the provisions Of til
= dill and the form of submission were not sue
AS could sanction with my vote. expires
ed this regret at the time. and Indicated tw
amendments, which, if they could have bee
adopted, would have enabled me to vote fc
the bill But when the bill became la
the whole question was remanded to kansa
to be decided at an election, which ha
4 A