Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-09-08
A Stop backwards


A Step Backward.
he Black Rerublican party, when it was first
organized. proclaimed one Of the articles of its
orssd, he dogma Of mo more slave States" They
declared that Congress had the right to legislate
on the subject Of slavery in the Territories. 20 as
10 prevsat The admission Of any additional slave
States On the other hand Douglas and his fol-
lowers pronounced the doctrine that the control OF
this question belonged to the people Of the Terri
tories respectively. The Illinois Senator defended
the odioas doctrine Of squattcr sovereignty-by
which the people of Territory. while in Terri
torial condition. might exclude or admit slavery
at pleasure. The people Of the South. without
distinction Of party, held that the power OF the
people over the question commenced only when
they were preparing to assume the position and
dignity Of State.
This was the position Of parties. respectively,
up to the time when decision was rendered ly
the Supreme Court in the bred Scottcae. That de-
csion sustained the Southern view Of the question
fully and unequivocaly. 1t laid down the dictum
that Congress had no right to legislate in regard
to slavery iu the Territores-and that as Congress
had no right to do so, orior,, the people Of the
Territories themselves had no such right Us it was
impossible for Congress to delegate to the Terrific
ries privileges which it did itself possess But
Mr. Douglas expressly repudiates this decision of
the Supreme Court. He still afhrms, (ride his
speech at Freeport that the people hare the right,
in Territory, to decide in reference to slavery.
Mr.. Douglas, therefore. disavows the bred Scott
decision. and runs counter not only to the South
ern view Of the question, but to the authoritative
and binding dictum Of the Supreme Court, the
highest judicial tribunal Of the land.
1t is little remarkable that while Douglas thus
increases his departure from the true faith and Is
practically not q whit better at the present time
than those who hold to the dogma of mo more
slave States" (for Squattcr Sovereignty would ALB
olitionise every Territory we have)--tbe Black
Republicans, on the other hand are modifying
their extreme views on the same question. True
they still maintain the right Of Congress to egis
late on the subject Of slavery in the Territories
but that is more dangerous doctrine than that
the people should legslate. But the most impor-
tAnt point of all is, that they have abandoned the
cry of mo more slave States" Gov. Corwin, Of
Ohio, who has been nominated for Congress over
that il State should present itself to Congress
with o Constitution tolerating slavery. he should
be compelled to vote for its admission The Gin.
cinnati Gazette. the leading organ Of the party in
the north west, as it is also tho Ablest. holds tho
same ground. Senator Trumbull expresses the
same doctrine. So also does Lincoln, the compel
itor of Douglas 1t will be recolected. also, that
the Frcesoilers, in the last Congress voted unani-
mously for the Montgomery amendnent-by which
the people Of Kansas. in the oct of bcoomng Il
State, should decide whether they would have tho
Lceomptcn Constitution or not--wbich WINS equiv
oent to saying whether they would have slavery
or not-thus sustaining fully the doctrine Of tho
Supreme Cour, that the peoples authority in the
matter commenced when they passed upon the
Constitution Of State Government. We arc us.
tiled then, in saying that tho Freesoers have
abandoned their extreme ground upon this ques-
tion-thai they have abatcd somewhat Of their op.
position to the extension of slavery by legal and
Constitutional means-in short, that they have
taken "a step backwards
Ifthis be so. as we think is clearly the case, it
is great point gained for the South--for the
South will soon be in minority in both Houses
of Congress, and will have to rely as much upon
the sense Of justice Of the Northern majority
upon her own resolute spirit. The universal re-
cognton ofthe doctrines of the bred Scott decision
is all that the South will claim. If these doc
trines be conceded " the Northern ma ority-and
practically they have been as much denied by
Northern Democrats as by Freesoers-thero will
be an end Of sectional parties and sectional ami
mosities at once, and We may return to the good
old days when parties met each other general
questions of foreign and domestic policy only.-
Such, We trust. notwithstanding the prepondsr-
sIce Of the Northern majority, will be the case.