The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-07
JUDGE DOUGLAS AND Popular SOVEREIGNTY.
.. MIAMI vAtlrr, Oct. !, 1858.

have always cherished great admiration for the
Little Giant Of the Northwest Ho has always appeared
to me great light in the political armament Ht
is not unlike the comet which now attracts the anx
GUS gaze of millions He has risen in the Northwest
and appears to be setting slowly but surely in the
general direction Like the same celestial yisitan
he shakes fiery tail at the administration and his old
political friends, which, with fear of change per
plexes the voters and has visiby affected the Caforna
elections
Beyond the dictn Of Judge Douglas have never
cared to CO. In him think political wisdom bound
up. so for an 'ocean-bound republic" and am de-
cidedy opposed to the annexation Of Cuba BY this hap
py figure Of speech exclude slave State and thus
staye ofa most dangerous issue. have followed the
Judge through his entire career changing nay views as he
did his and jumping with hs jumps though confess
this effort cost little exertion When the Wilmot
provso first mooed and seized the popular heart
of the North with tight grip went for it along with
the Judge, for did not consider 1t patriotic to
counter to public sentiment under republican govern
ment sensible for wise statesmen to impair their
capacity for usefulness By-andby the tide began to
turn. Then turned--thc Judge being a little ahead,
owing to his youth and superior agility The people be-
gan to the adoption of the provso would break up
the Union and solemny assured them that their con-
clusons were correct The compromise began
to be popular and wec therefore, entirely acceptable to
the Judge and myself We could not muster up quite
pluck enough to vote for the fugitive slave law but when
it placed the statute book it the law of the
land and held it the duty of all good citizens
obey Our course in this particular consider
hibtion of great moral courage
When the Judge brought in his first bill and report in
relation to Nebraska he argued that it very improper
to raise any question in regard to the Missouri Compro-
mise or to repeal it expressly. fully agreed with him;
but did not remain long Of this opinion, for the very
next day the Judge changed and changed with him
discovered icn
most outrageous invasion of the great principle Of pop
ula sovereignty conferred by the Declaration of Inde
pendence and that the people Of Territory ought to he
allowed t'to form and regulate their own domestic ns
tutions in their own way" This view struck me with
peculiar force being strong popular ground for popular
politicians to take who desirous of preserving their
popularity. went for it accordingly What was the
use of the resolution of l776 anil the Declaration of In
dependence Congress to be permitted to fix up mat
ters in the Territories just they pleased In order to
satisfy our southern friends put in the words subc
only to the constitution of the United States" This
we thought could do harm for nearly everybody IL in
favor OF the constitution and had fully satisfied
selves that its leading object to provide for popular
sovereignty in the Territories
In course Of time Qhe Judge and MYSELF became
identified with this great and popular principle of
popular sovereignty But, like all good principles the
Judge held 1t with proper limitations, and 80 did l.
For example, some of the rash and indscreet disc
pies OF our school of opinion that in the bill prov
ding for the forming Of constitution in Kansas and her
constitution should be formed by a convention freely
chosen by the people, but that provision should be in
serted to refer the constitution back to the people aan
for their ratification wise schoolmaster does not
waste his time with FOOLS and the Judge quietly throtted
this provision in the committee did not assist
a the operation but entirely approved of it when heard
of it. The Judge and myself held that this was not only
popular but representative government, and that to
strike out either principle would impair the symmetry Of
political temple We believed as fully as ever in pop
ular sovereignty, but did not the thing into the
ground We believed, moreover, that had fully per-
fected our Improvement and were entitled to pat
ent. There never yet was great invention but
unscrupuous scamp reckless fool claimed to have i'm
proved on it. From this fate not exempt but
we knew we had perfected principle, and resoutey
held that popular ratification of constitution which
the people had formed by their representatives was like
fifth wheel to coach-entirely unnecessary and i'm
proper On this point firm for year or there
abouts
Meantime constitution formed in Kansas by
convention chosen by the people Ii began to be held by
many persons that the constitution should be ratified by
the people, and Gov Walker went far say that
this not done Congress ought to reject the cons
tuition The Judge however, had maturey considered
this point, and taken his position it in the Senate
when he brought in his bl to admit Kansas He accord
ngly made speech at Springfield in which he deicatey
referred to the doctrine of popular Sovereignty with which
he and myself identified and then proceeded to
argue that Kansas ought to be admitted her consttu
tion as adopted by the convention with silent
contempt the absurd clamor for popular ratification
When read this speech was delighted said to my
self, 'There you are, Judge, and /. What's the
use of popular ratification If we, the great cham
pions OF popular sovereignty dispense with the rati
hcaton, why should Others consider it necessary the
principe Had it been necessary should have incor
porated it into Nebraska bill along with the other
judcious remarks we made therein. 1 accordingly
wrote to the Judge commencing his caution in resisting
these dogmas and this saclegious Interpolation into
the doctrine of popular sovereignty.
did not hear from the Judge for some time and then
he sent me copy of his speech in which he had violent
ly assaied the Presidents message and come out fat
footed for popular ratification Now had been much
gaed at what understood to be the President views
could not but applaud his patriotism in lending the weight
of his high office to build up the doctrine Of popular
sovereignty coupled with the wise limitation with which
Judge Douglas and myself were identified" thought
that Mr. Buchanan the Judge and myself would be able
standing together to put down the rashuess Of innova-
tion and the rage of modern improvement there
fore greatly panied to find great gulf between the Presi
dent and the Judge but did not hesitate to follow the
latter To tell you whore this has led would take up
too much Of your space and my time. came on to
W Washington--new views dawned upon discovered
That Kansas, far from being the victim of black re-
publican emigration, speculation, fraud, and rebellion
was, in fact Territory imbued with the great principle
u popular sovereignty and subject to violent ncursons
rom Missouri and other slave States The principle Of
popular sovereignty learned was nothing without
he popular ratification of the constitution and as use
the play d Hamlet with the character of Hamlet
eft out The Lecompton constitution which had pre-
1iously favored, asccrtaned to be fraud and was
orry to discover all the southern people going for It.
Judge Douglass astonshment was equal to mine We
we're panied to find friends the Mssourans the ac
in these frauds We began to find that the South was
generally lax the subject of political morality and
hat in fact very little of political purity was left in the
among black bIicana l,o,