Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-05-06
Republicans to Fight the Battle
Singlehanded.

Republicans to Fight the Battle
Singlehanded.
Since the development. of :he Lecomp-
ton Iniquity and Mr.. Douglas unexpected
resistance thereto, thousands of Republic
ans have hoped that the day had come in
which they might see an union Of both the
leading parties of the North, snd the begin
ming of the great revolution which would
bring the Government back 20 its ancient
land mark :. All such, who based their hope
upon any supposed action OF the recent
Douglas Convention in this Stat, ;, are eisap-
pointed. We know that among the m,st
intelligent Of Mr.. Douglas followers, his
doctrine OF Territorial Sovereignty is
thought to be utterly incompatible with the
Dred Scott decision and with the opinions
of Mr. Buchanan the President, and all the
other magnates of the Democratic parity
and we know that few of these friends
were determined to repudiate the cause of
the glaring contradictions of their published
creed, ty boldly affirming their dissent from
the Calhoun heresy, that Slavery goes into
every Territory by virtue of the Constitu-
tiou, and in defiance of Congressional or To-
cal law. They were anxious to declare
their choice between the two ;rreconcilable
things, and for this purpose would have in
corporated in their resolution a respectful
but firm and decided disapprobation of that
monstrous heresy of Cslhounism which the
South has forced upon them.
Hon. s. 8. Marshall, Mr.. Douglas repre-
sentative and supposed mouth piece, was at
the Convention. He knew the wishes of
the Northern men on the vital point, and
was told that unless the Democracy of Illi-
nois could relieve itself of the incubus upon
it, no laudations of Territorial Sovereignty
could save it; that it must inevitably go to
the wall. The best men ofthe party-the
shrewdest managers and clearest thinkers
foretold utter defeat if they were forced in
to the contest without a platform in which
no trace of Mr.. Cilhoun's dogma could be
found. They declared that no ingenuity
could conceal from the people the fact thatthe
Dred Scott decision and Popular Sovereign
ty iL the Territories were as much opposed
10 each other as fire and water, or life and
death, and the Inconsistency was so glaring
that the masses would hoot down any ora
tor who would dare undertake tn explain il
away. But the representative could not be
made to yield; and the insane and ridiculous
platform which has been presented to the
public, was chosen in lieu of political wis
dom and manly words. The first then, is
made by Mr.. Douglas friends, with the fol.
lowing for their creed:
/. Territorial Sovereignty-The right Of
the people OF Territory to form and regu-
late their own domestic institutions, Slavery
inc luded. in their own way.
2. The Dred Scott Decision reaffirmeI by
Mr.. Douglas in his Springfield speech, by
Mr. Buchanan in his Silliman letter, by
numberless party conventions, by all the
party newspapers, which denies all right o
the people of Territory to meddle with
slavery in any way whatever.
8. Opposition to the Lecompton Iniquity
and the affirmation of the rule that all future
Constitutions must be submitted to the peo
pie for their appreciation or rejection.
Mr.. Douglas has thrown his chances
away. 1t was in his power, when he made
his last speech in the Senate, to have pul
himself in such shape before the people thai
his defeat could not have been effecred with
out superhuman offort. 1: was in the power
of his friends at Spring6e d, on Wednesday
last, to have corrected the mistakes and sup.
piled the deficiencies of which he was
guilty. But timidity-fear of the South
distrust Of the courage and sincerity of the
people of the Observation-Disclosures to wider
the breach between himself and the Oil.
garchs whom he has served -neutr; zed th
earnest counsels Of his warmest and ablest
supporters. He shirks the vital issue befors
the country upon which all others hang
and bases his claims to the support of the
people of the State only upon temporary
agitation which Congress will soon put tt
rest. He has made his own bed.
We confess our disappointment with tht
result. We were among those who hopet
that Mr.. Doug las bolt on a question o
minor importance would lead his follower,
to adopt some needful and timely actor
upon the greater questions which lie be
hind, and that in 1860 we should see al
united North consummating that necessar.
revolution which the Senator'S timidity
may defer. We are disappointed but no
discouraged. The Republican party neve
was stronger than tod y. To it alone viii
accrue that honor and renown which tn,
Anti Lecomp'on Democracy might hav'
shared. - Chicago Tribune.