The Kanzas news., 1858-08-14
] - From the Chiesgo Press and Tribune
Senator Douglas Reyiewed---1e64 ana
- IaS6 zF44 =

Senator Douglas Reviewed---1e64 and
- 1853.
When, in 1854, the distinguished author
of the Kansas Nebraska bill, returned te
his constituents, he was everywhere me
hv indications of their hot dispIeasure.-
He had broken down. for the purpose o.
permittine Slavery an opportunity 70 extsnd
/. itself into territory then free. an ancient
compromise, to the maintenance of which
. his ablest efforts had been devoted, and
.hich he had declared vas eanonized il
the hearts OF the American people broken
down upon pretence, then as now. believ.
ed to be false and hypocritical. His pro-
gress throughout the State was far from
satisfactory. The men who had sustained
him in all bis measures up to that time, met
him with contracted brows or ayerted looks.
He felt that he had drawn too freely upon
the generosity of his friends-that priHci-
pie was superior to partisanship, aud. set
ting aside all considerations of right and
wrong, that for once he had made . fatal
mistake In November, the dissatisfaction
ripened into revolt; and when, on the day
of election. the polls closed, it was demon
strated that the power of the false and rec
reant Democracy was broken forever.
We propose to inquire what new title to
the support and regard of the people of the
free State of Illinois Mr.. Douglas has earn
ed since that time; to ascertain, if his rec
ord viii show it, what advance he has
made, If any, toward the old policy of the
Democracy. and of the Wing party as well.
on that vital question which now divides
the country.
I. He stumped the State from end TO end
in support of the Kansas Nebraska bill;
and Observation-Disclosures addressing the
people as an orator or laying out work for
his friends-made Sqaatter Sovereignty. or
the power ofrthe people of q Territory,
through their IerritoriaI Legislature, to reg
ulate their own affairs-to admit or inhibit
slavery-the groundwork of his argument.
Nobody cared about the differences which
were said to exist in regard to the necessity
and expediency of opening the Territories of
Kansas and Nebraska at all, at that time
The agitation grew out of the repeal OF the
Missouri Compromise. and the permission
given to slavery TO occupy field once de-
Voted to Free Labor alone. We all remem-
Der the argument, now famous, upon which
the Senator dwelt at great length, and which
he frequently elaborated with extraordinary
-auce-the argument, that q citizen Of
Sensa S.A ,'-rating to Territory, ought
o.asS, i,, - - foae none of his rights OF self
pgoyerpment-that the same privileges
Should be exercised :; :; him in the new -' ::
be had enjoyed in his old home, !nae II q
man were competent to assist IN making
laws relative to the status of the colored
race in Illinois, he should not lose that
power by moving to any Territory wbatso-
ever. That was the weapon with which
be fought, and candor compels US to say
that he welded it with remarkable vigor
md effect But events have since trans
pired and declarations have since been
nade-He mean the Cincinnati Convention,
he campaign of 1856, Mr.. Buchanan's let
ter of acceptance, the Dred Scott decision,
Mr. Douglas Springfield speech, the Sill
man letter and the Lecompton Constitution
which prove beyond the possibility OF
doubt, that that campaign was well ar
ranged and artfully preconcerted fraud
hat Mr.. Douglas himself was party to it
that he knew, as well as he now knows,
that Squatter Sovereignty and the power of
the Territorial Legislatures over slavery
vas repudiated and denied by his party
that the authority of Congress was also
ignored, and that it would be, as it has
been declared, that slavery is carried by
virtue of the Constitution alone, into all
the Territorial possessions of the United
States. He knew, as he now knows, that
every newspaper article, every bar-room
harangue and every public Grafton which
led the people to believe that it was the OBJ
lect of the Kansas Nebraska bill, or of the
Democratic party, to give the citizens of a
Territory, through their Territorial Legis-
lature, the power to admit or prohibit slave
~. was rash falsehoood. His completely
in this thing is so well attested, that, were
lie crime of which he is guilty punishable
by statute-law, he could be arraigned and
convicted by any Justice of the Peace in
the Stale Senator Douglas speaks IN this
city to-day. He viii insist anew upon the
merits of the massachusetts bill. Squat
ter Sovereignty, Popular Sovereignty, or
whatever name the Humbug is called, will
come in for its share of laudation. Let as
call his attention to this point, and beg
from the Senator himself an answer; ''When,
sir, In 1854, and subsequently,, you based
your advocacy of the Nebraska bill on the
alledged power of the people of Territory,
anterior to the formation of State Consti-
tuition, to establish or prohibit slavery. were
you deceived in your knowledge of the
Constitution of the country, or were you
playing false for effect? If the latter, how
can We believe you now; If the former,
what are your claims TO statesmanship
worth ?'' Which horn will the Senator take:
II. Since the passage of the Kansas-Ne
braska bill and the beginning of the troubles
which that il-advised measure originated,
Senator Douglas has been the bitter, unre-
lenting and unscrupulous defamer of the
Free State men, and the constant apologisi
md defender of their Border Rufiau
opponents. While the former were endur-
ing the horrors of civil war, while in the
exercise of right which he had told them
that Che Nebraska bill gave. they were sub
iested at home 20 Whateyer of insuIt and