Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1858-12-11
TTEWEEKLY MINNESOTIAN
The Meeting OF COngress..Bucha".
Messagc-.The "Step I'm Advance

menceS the second session Oh uie
Congress of the United States
The political complexion OF Its Lower iioN'. >.
will stand, with slight alterations just aS ~
the last session. viz Republicans w Na'.'e
Americans, IA; Anti-Lecompton or Douglas
Democrats. -: and Lecompton or Buchanan
Democrats, us; being 246 in all The Speak
er Of the last session presiding at this, there
will be no delays on account of organization
and we may reasonably expect, therefore, that
the prssiieats Message will be delivered on
the day following the commencement OF the ses-
sion-on Tuesday-to-morrow; and that next
Saturday or Monday the readers of THE MIN
NEsorIAN will have it before them in our col
umns The Pioneer Of yesterday says in re-
gard TO this document:
"No very great interest aside from the ordinary
and usual feeling among POLITICIANS, is manifested
10 see the document, although it will doubtless
treat ofimportant topics. Our relations with Gen,
tral America and Mexico, the Pacific Railroad and
the Tariff stand out rs prominent subjects Tor Ex-
ecutive Recommendation.
In the anxiety of this official organ Of De-
mocracy in Minnesota, to ignore the possibil-
ity of anything good coming out OF Nazareth
or anything great coming from Mr.. BrcHAN-
AN, we think it unduly depreciates the impor-
tance of the forthcoming Message, and i'm
properly belittles the interest felt by the peo-
pie at large to see the positions taken in its
paragraphs-the positions, in fact, taken by
the man who has eleven-twelfths of the entire
Democratic Representation in Congress at his
back against the one-twelfth which entertain
the views alike held by the Pioneer and its
friend, Mr.. DOUGLAS. The people at large are
anxious to see what will be Mr.. BUCHANANs
position as the head, representative and mouth
piece of the Democratic party, on the topic OF
Human Sldrery-a topic which the Pioneer
does not condescend to mention as one of the
prominent subjects for notice in the Exec
utive document. The people are anxious to see
what new "agitation in this regard the De-
mocracy will propose, now that the Kansas
branch of the question is alleged to be practi-
cally settled in favor of freedom. They fear
greatly that most "agitating" prcject-one
which will convulse the country from its CEN
tire to its circumference-will be broached in
that Message. The South, by its presses and
in the late speeches of her statesmen, have
made new demand upon the Democratic
party. What that demand is, the following
from the Rochester (N. W Union, Demo-
cratic organ, succintly explains:
.sTna t;p,a hos or lapoth arrival when we North
ern Democrats must decide whether We are willing
virtually TO ignore or repudiate subordinate all
other issues and go into the next campaign upon
the single, or at least, the paramount and only
practical ISSUE that the Federal Constitution by its
own proper vigor, carries Slavery and the law of
Slavery into all the Territories OF the nied States;
and that it is the sacred duty of Congress in de-
fault of local protecton to pass laws and to const
tute tribunals and officers in the several Terrific.
rles, for the purpose OF MAINTAINING protecting and
upholding Slavery, and the rights" of Slave
holders, in each and all of said Territories
= To give practical effect to these doctrines the
Federal Government must itself become Slave
G0rernDlent, as fully and unqalitiedly as South
Carolina is a Slave State. 1t must have its Slave
code South Carolina has her Slave code. 1t
must have its Slave police as South Carolina has
her Slave police. 1t must have its Slave tribunals
as South Carolina has her Slave tribunals Are
We Northern Democrats ready to go to our people
on the affirmative of this doctrine and these sew
eral propositions
The Richmond Enquirer thus expresses
the sentiment of the Democratic party south
Of Mason and D;zon's line upon this head:
while Virginia recognizes no power that can
compel Territorial Legislature TO enact those laws
necessary to protect the constitutional rights OF
Shareholders vet she does hold that Congress has
TIE right and is in duty bound, 10 protect Slavery
in the Territories until the people of Territory,
when on the eve of forming State government
a., .l.. ltt rnp
This question is db0re the platforms Of par
ties and must be met and decided. constitutionaly
in favor of protection, or unconsttutlonaly
against it. 1t cannot Ghd m"st not be COM
promised fths CiRctn,sdti pidtjdr8e does not pro-
eide for this question, IL must be nude to meet this
issue
This question of protection to Slavery in the
Territories will have to be met, and the South will
demand her constitutional rights.
Thus by the overt acts Of the South her
self, the 'irrepressible conflict between Free
dom and Slavery is to 60 on. In the battle
for the mastery between these two forces
in the great contest to determine whether the
States of this Union shall be all free or all
slare-the Slave power thus takes the initia-
tive, and still shows itself as ever, in an ag
gressive attitude Now arises the important
question, will the President of the United
States and the Democratic Party yield to this
demand to make the United States Govern
ment officially, technically and practically
Slave Government, by enacting Slave Code
to protect and encourage Slavery wherever
the Flag of the Union waves? We greatly
fear that such will prove, in the end, to be the
fact In late speech by Senator JEFF. DA-
Wis at jackson, Miss, he assumed to speak Of
the views of the President as Zone having
knowledge" as follows:
"And it gives me pleasure here to say of him,
(Mr. Buchanan) what l am assured can now say
with confidence, that he will not shrink hairs
breadth from the position he has TAKEN but a0lW
qaoue another step IN ddUance and fall, iffa he must
manfully, upholding these rights and defying the
insolence of ill-gotten power"
1t is not difficult to conjecture what this
''step in advance is to be. 1t is that already
foreshadowed by the Washington Union, the
Richmond Enquirer, and other organs of the
Administration. The extra.judicial opinion
in the Dred Scott case, gave Slavery Con-
stitutional existence in all the Territories
This was vital step in the march OF exten-
sion. But Senator DOUGLAS having intimatcd
that the Territorial Legislatures might nullify
this construction of the Constitution by the
enactment Of troublesome laws, a Congress
ional Slave Code was suggested. This is un-
doubtedly, the "step in advance" which SEN
ator DAVIS is assured that President b.
cHANAN contemplates. In confirmation of
this, the Washington correspondent Of Forneys
Prees positively states that the message will
take bold ground in favor of the Slave Code
The correspondent of the Philadelphia North
american, says that "no doubt exists that
this statement was fully authorized, for Mr.
DAVIS took Washington on his way home
for the express purpose of informing himself
of the Presidents position; and after ascer-
tanning it, made known his intention to ad-
dress his constituents" There is another