The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-03
SENATOR DOUGLAS AT ALTON.

eHoTt OF MS present campaign. we eAuact low
sentences from it below, in which he not only en-
deavors to show that the President and several
prominent southern with him in declaring
that the people Of the Territories, during the ter
ritoria condition have entire power to exclude sla
very, but asserts that the "whoe South are rallyng
to the support of that doctrine
"They now tell me that am not a democrat, because
assert that the people of Territory well as those of
State have the right to decide for themselves whether
slavery cannot exist in such Territory Let me
read what james Buchanan said that point when he
accepted the democratic nomination for the presidency in
1856 In his letter of acceptance he used the following
language
The recent legislation of Congress respecting domes
tic slavery derived it has been from the original and
pure fountain of legitimate political power the will of
the majority promises ere long to aay the dangerous
excitement This legislation il founded upon principles
as ancient free government ITSELF and in accordance
with them has simply declared that the people of Ter
rtoy like those of State shall decide for themselves
SLAVERY SHALL SHALL NOT EXIST WITHIN THEIR
LIxITs.
"Dr. Hope will there find my to the question
he propounded to before / commenced speaking.
vociferous shouts Of applause OF course no man will
consider it who is outside OF the democratic
organization bolts democratic nominations and ndi
rccty aids to put abolitionists into power demo-
Gratis But whether Dr. Hope considers it answer or
not every far-mnded man will see that James Buchanan
has answered the question: and has asserted that the peo
pie Of Territory like those of State shall decide for
themselves whether slavery shall shall not exist with
in their limits answer specifically If you want fur
ther answer say that while under the decision Of the
Supreme Court recorded in the opinion of Chief JUS
ticc fancy slaves property like all other property
and can be carried into the territory of the United States
the any other description of property yet when
you get them there they the local law of the
Territory just like all other property You will find in
recent speech delivered by that able and eloquent states
man, Hon Jefferson Davis, at Bangor Maine, that he
took the of this subject that did in my Free
port speech. He there said
I" If the inhabitants of any Territory should refuse
to enact such laws and police regulations would
give security to their property to his it would be
dercd less vaueess in proportion to the difficult
ties of holding it without such protection In the
of property in the labor of man. what is usually called
slave property the insecurity would be great that the
could not ordinarily retain it, Therefore, though
the right would remain the remedy being withheld it
would follow that the owner would be practically de-
barred by the circumstances of the case from taking
property into Territory where the of the in
habitants opposed to its introduction. So much for
the oftrepcated faacy of forcing slavery upon any
munity.'
" You will also find that the distinguished Speaker of
the present House of Representatives, Hon James L.
Orr construed the Kansas and Nebraska bill in this
way in 1885, and also that great intellect of the South
Alex H. Stephens put the same construction upon it in
Congress that did in my Freeport speech. The whole
South rayng to the support of the doctrine that if
the people of Territory want slavery they have right
to have it, and if they do not want it that power
earth can force it upon them.
His use of the extract he makes from the Presi-
dents letter of acceptance of the Cincinnati nomina
ton is too bare faced to require exposure The Ne
braskaKansas bill limited the power of the people
of Territory slavery, to the time when they
s,ould prepare for admission into the Union as
State. The Cincinnati platform repeated this limi-
tation pointedy and in express words; and the
President accepted the nomination with an express,
full, and cordial approval of the platform and the
bill, in all their parts; even going far to do
clare that after fully accepting the resolutions of the
convention which nominated him at Cincinnati, he
did not think he had right by referring to special
topics or answering interrogatores propounded to
him from the outside to embarrass the party whose
candidate he was, by Unfortunately putting forth in
dividual opinions ofhis After planting himself
squarely upon the Cincinnati platform which express
ly limited the power of the Territory slavery
to the time when it should apply for admission
State, and dsclaimng any intention to depart in
the least from the terms of the resolutions, he went
on to argue in favor of the particular doctrine of
slavery in the Territories thus limited using the Ian
guage brought forward by Judge Douglas in a con-
nexion which did not require precise qualification
Of it again in terms, by limitation to time. 1t
is, therefore, very unworthy trick of Judge
Douglas upon the intelligence of his auditors to
represent Mr.. Buchanan advocate of squatter
sovereignty doctrine against which the President
is more thoroughly committed than perhaps any
other in the whole range of our politics, or than
any other man in the Union
1t is not to be denied that previously to the bred
Scott decision democrats were divided upon this
question Of squatter sovereignty in the Territories,
but it is notorious that Mr.. Buchanan was as hostile
to it as Judge Douglas ardent in its favor and
in now attempting to represent Mr.. Buchanan
entertaining before that decision the views on
the subject himself, Judge Douglas insults the
common intelligence of the country.
There was a ground, however on which all good
democrats agreed on this subject, and that was
as this was purely legal question, that all should
await and abide the decision of the Supreme Court
Accordingly Mr. Buchanan, in his Inaugural Address,
delivered before the judgment of the court in the
bred Scott case was rendered, accepted in advance
and endorsed in the broadcast and most emphatic |
TERMS its anticipated decision. Has that been the
course of Judge Douglas On the contrary, his
language is, that, notwithstanding the decision of
the court the territorial legislatures have the right
to exclude slaveryby the meanest Of all processes,
the "indirecton of unfriendy legislation y by the