The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-06-19

10 efeat1y peIPieAeu ~ oui eo
Lecompton," and is in agony to haze us de-
fine our position. We hasten-wc bound
we flv to his relief We do it the more
cheerfully in consideration OF the poil'e
manner linking the fish market ass the
standardI in which the request is preferred.
But as we arc not aware Of having been o.
scure on this point heretofore, we cannot
undertake 10 suppl our contemporary with
This then, is, ri has been o5r "oosItioT
on Lccompton," as tie iil.s # the Pro-
1ra'er for the last eight months will Illus
trate.
When ;ne Lecomntion convention, last
October, presented their constitution, with
out submitting it to the people, and made
John Calhoun the soi1kjudge OF the returns
of tire first elections to bs held under IT, we
demons ei It as q premeditated fraud
Whe. inc President recommended the
admission Of Kansas with that CO. slitu!ion,
We said we cannot approve the rccom4enda-
ton. When the election for legislatureain
Kansas und-r tina. constitution was Held
and the Free State men elected the officers,
we said, lie. John Calhoun give the certif-
cate 10 the men fairly elected, and there
will be little left to fight about; and when
he finally did give the Free State men the
certificates, we thought all that was left II
the Kansas question amounted to little be-
yond an abstraction. However, we still
hoped Congress would pass the Crittcndcn
or some such bill, to give the people a
chance to vote on the question. Wei, the
democratic party were sorely divided. One
wing, land much the larger held that Con-
gress had no right to question the manner
in which the people Of Territory adopted
their constitution; the other wing contended
that such constitutions must be approved
by the people. Between the two, the Crit
tendon bill failed, ani the Montgomery bill
failed But instead Of them the English
BIZ came forward, and proposed entirely
to avoid this point Of disagreement, and yet
submit the ansas Constitution to fair
vote of the people. For our part we thought
the proposition far one, and when Con-
gross passed that English BIZ" we had
not another thing TO contend for. We stand
to the English BIZ. II is liberal cOnces-
sion on the part Of lie Administration for
the sake of peace, and between acquiescense
in that measure, and continued assaults up
on the Administration on account Of its
support, honestly given,) of the Lecompton
constitution in its original form, Tow dead
and buried, We can see no middle ground
between democracy and black republican,
ism.
In reference to the late Springfield con-
vcntion, we have thought this. The April
contention was held before the Kansas
question was disposed Of in Congress. That
convention, there was just ground to fear,
might, in its zeal to approve the course OF
Judge Dou las. place the democracy OF Hi
nOis in the attitude Of ayowed hostility to
the Administration. The friends of the
President therefore. had a right, to hold
'howsolvss aloof frGm an uncoud uonal
pledge to support lis nominees; and had a
right to hold another convention fer consul
taton after the Kansas imbrogio had as.
sumed 4 more definite shape. As, however,
the April convention took no step that
amounted TO hostility 10 the administration,
and as the democracy Of the State generally
recognize its nominations as regular and
~
N tie English bill, ue MoygAt the late
Springfield convention could perform high
and important mission, which was to unite
the party by re-nou.inating the candidates
of the April contention, and affirming as the
ground work Of that ui.ion the general ac-
quiesccnce or the democracy IN the Eng .sh
BIZ and It's willingness to support the Ad
ministration. The r.nGlcadcrs Of that con.
vention seemed, however, 10 be actuatel by
no such oble purpose, but seemed rather
20 be bent on division and contention. We
cannot sec that they even made an effort TO
effect a union of the party, and cannot
therefore approve their action. What was
feared Of the April convention, that in their
sl0r;icat:on of Judge Douglas they would
forget the democratic platform and make
fca!ty to hirn the test Of democracy, was
tone by this las: convention, When It made
opposition to him the test.
We magnify Judge d. into TO such ia
portancc. We shall support him as de-
mocra at, and as the only democrat in the
State who can beat Lincoln for the Senate
bu, only so long as lie is squarely with the
democratic party. If the issue should as
sumo the shape Of Judge Douglas On one
side and the administration On the other, we
should drop him as soon as we should any
lack republican, for between him and the
republican party we could then see no d.
viding line.
This is our say, from beginning to ED,
we b,li,ve. And row, friend Mac, where
DO you stand?
IOvcjOy Victorious.
In the fight between the abolitionist, and