The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1858-01-27

the obnoxious epithet Of rsqustter sovereignty,
and insisted that territorial legislature could
do by ordinary statute, without the sanction eth.
er Of the people or Congress, what now he con-
tends cannot be done even by constitution un-
less authorized by Congress, and sanctioned by
the people. He said:
| Extracts f0n Jlalgs Douylas's dosing speech on
! ne Nebraska Kansas biR March 3, 1854.
The Utah and New Mexica bills of 1850 pro-
posed to leave the people of Utah and n. Mexi-
co free to decide the slavery question for them.
selves, in the precise language of the Nebraska
bill now under discussion. A few weeks afler-
wards the Committee of Thirteen took those
two bills and put wafer between them, and re-
ported them back to the Senate as one bill, with
some sli ,ht amendments. One Of those amend
nenls was that the Territorial legislatures
sh9mfnot7ep's'ate upon The subject Of african Stare
yy IoBectel to this p,oris,on ppon the gyOuno
that t s,joe,tsd The great principle Of self goce,1-
nsi, Upon ,clich the bill had been originally tram-
el bytie Territorial Committee. On the first
the Senate refusee to strike it out, bat subse.
quently did so, after full debate, in orderto es
tablish that principle as the rule ofaction in ter
tritorial organizations.
Mr.. Dodge. 1t was done on your own mo,
ton.
Mr.. Douglas. Upon this point l trust | will
be excused from reading one or two sentences
! from soma remarks ] made in the Senate on the
Sd, of June, 1850. Amongst other extracts he
read this, IL do not see how those of us who
have taken the position which we have taken
Chat Of non -inter.erence) and have argued in
favor of the right of the people TO legisIate fol
! themselves on this question, can support such a
provision without abandoning all the arguments
which we urged IN the presidential campaign ol
lS4S, and the principles set forth by the honor
able senator from Michigan in that letter which
is known as the Nicholson letter." &c.
r x | refused to support the cele-
brated omnibus bill in 1850 until the obnoxious
provision was stricken out, and the principle o.
self-goyemment restored, as it existed in my or
/ ganic bill. ..
In the same speech, on the Sd of March, 1854
in the Senate, he quoted, with appreciation, from
some resolutions of the Illinois egis Stature, pass.
ed in 1850-'51, the following one. a...
"Reso7rel, That our liberty and independence
are based upon the right of the people to form
for themselves such government as they may
choose; that this great priviege-the birth.
right OF frecmen, the gift of Heaven. secured to
US by the blood of our ancestors-ought to be
extended to future generations; and no hn2itG-
tin ougdt to be applied to This polcer in the organ.
iaaton of any Territory IF the United States; q
either territorial government or State cons'jtu-
tioa: Pr0Dided, The government so established
shall be republican and in conformity with the
constitution"
| In this same memorable speech, in which he
so often alluded to "the right of the people ol
the Territories to legisate for themselves, and
to form for themselves their own institutions
and government he defines his own under
standing in the manner in which they shall dc
all this. He nowhere contended that they are
to obtain authority from Congress to do what
they may desire, or that the form Of ratiying
vote at the polls is essential to the validity oil
their action but ignored Congress in every line
and word, and declared that the decision" by
the people of their local questions is to be made
"by their appropriate representatives. to be chosen
by them for that purpose" Quoting from his
report, made in the early part of the session o.
1856 on introducing the Nebraska bill, he
said:
After making brief argument in defence o.
this nrinciple that report proceeds as follows
"From the provisions it is apparent that the
compromise OF 1850 affirms and rests upon the
following propositions:
"First. That all questions pertaining to sla
very in the Territories, and in the new States tc
be formed therefrom, are to be left to the deci.
sion Of the people residing therein bY their 6p
IWoNtate representatives., to be chosen By them TO,
that PURPOSE"
We think in these brief extracts we have
made from probably the greatest speech Judge
Douglass life, he has completely overthrow
himselfin the remarkable position he las recent
ly assumed, and answered every word he utter
e1 in his recent speech on the 9th ofDecember
Not only was he thus committed in advance
to sanction the whole class of measures which
have resulted in producing the Lecompton con
stituton, but down to as late date as the mid
die of last June he is recorded as supporter o
this movement. We quote from the Chicago
Times Of the 10th Of that month, an extrac
from his well remembered speech at Springfield
Upon the Kansas question he had little t.
say. His opinions on that question were wei
known, and he had nothing to add, except tha
subsequent experience and reflection had con
firmed HIM in the correctness Of the iudgmen
he had 50 often advanced in the Senate and be-
fore the people
"He spoke OF the fairness and justice of thu
law, giving the people an opportunity of ex
: pressing their honest convictions on the subiec
Of slavery in constitutional manner, by mean.
ofa constitutional convention soon to meet, tt
decide that and other important matters con
nected with the future of the new State OF
sas, The people of that beautiful Territorv
would soon speak, lin the election of delegates
to the convention. We would soon have, h,
had no doubt, free and quiet expression o
opinion, by means of the elective franchise, from
that silent, but most certain weapon of FIRE,
people-the ballot box. Should the enemies o.
that mode Of settling the much vered question o
slavery in that Territory, Hindly and ol8tinateli
refuse tn exercise the rights assured them By III
'nws Of Congress- upol their hands anil theirs q
lone, soW rest the responsibility For his part, h,
was satisfied the democratic party in Congress
had done their duty, and he was equally vel
satisfied that the democratic party in the Ter
ritory Of Kansas would do theirs in a manner
grati(ying to the heart Of every friend OF tn,
tConstitution and the Union"
Under ordinary circumstances it would not b.
Legitimate toquote against Judge Douglas th
evidence Of black-republican witnesses; yet, a
present, their testimony may be presumed les
obnoxious to him. Accordingly, we copy from
the Chicago Democrat the following allegation
and do not suppose it could have been made un
less founded in fact. Says the Democrat ofth,