Daily national Democrat., 1858-09-04
The Douglas victory.


The Douglas victory.
Now that the smoke of the battle is clear
ing away it may be well enough to take
brief survey of the field which has been so
sloriously won by the Douglas Democracy
of this county This battle was fought bv
the friends of Mr. Douglas, under many dis.
advantages. The cry of " Broderickism" and
BLACK Republicanism" was raised against us,
and the effort made to impress the minds of
the people with the belief that we were not
contending for the principles of Stephen A
Douglas, nor the doctrines of the Kansas. Ne
braska Bill or the Cincinnati Platform, but
for the triumph of q sort of conglamerated
Free Soil Party, and that our hostility to the
Leeompton party was simply fanatcal OPP
position to everything that was not in favor
of freedom as against African slavery. New
er was q falser cry raised, for there were men
in our ranks from Southern sections of the
Union as well as Northern, and imbued with
the peculiar prejudiccs which more or less
appertain to the different sections Further
than this, our platform was announced and
promuged, without the shadow of an equiv
ocation, aud that platform reiterated the
Cincinnati Platform, and the principles OF
the Kansas Nebraska Bill and particularly
enuneiated and insisted upon that grand fun
damental doctrine of the Democratic Party
against which the Republicans had always
contendpd and still do contend, to wit: that
Congress has no right to interfere with the
question of slavery in the Territories, but
that the people are to regulate their own do.
mestic institutions. We cared not whether
the Kansas.Nebraska Bill operated in favor
of Free States or Slave States, we were in
favor of seeing it carried out in all cases. 1t
SO happened that the Kansas.N ebraska Bill,
if fairly carried out, was bound to result in
making Kansas Free State. For this rea-
son, and this alone, were the Republicans
anxious to have the principle of the Bill car
ried out in this instance, and for this reason
they were willing to help the Douglas De
mocracy to rebuke the Administration for
not carrying it out in the case of Kansas
Because the Republicans, thus actuated by
entirely selfish motives, partially joined
hands with us in this contest, many simple
minded persons supposed that the Douglas
Democracy and the Republicans were one
and the same thing! And many good Doug
las men, who had too much intelligence to
believe any such stuff, were yet so fearful
that they might lie un Justly charged with an
utilization with Republicans, that they were
pusillanimous enough to abandon thir con
scientious principles and vote for sustaining
the Admins ration in policy which they
knew TO be wrong. Rather than face down,
and bravely trample under foot false accu
sation. they were willing to turn their backs
upon the Platform of their party, aud to fol
low, into the darkness of political swamps
and quagmires, an ism which never lit its
torch at any true altar of the Democratic
faith.
We are not disposed to indulge in any un-
seemly exultation over the defeat of the Lee
compton party in this county We are most
heartily reioiced, however, that Democratic
principles have prevailed and that the party
are true to the doctrines for which they con
tended in 1856. AS for the nominees of the
Lecompton party, who have been so signally
defeated, We have the utmost respect for them
rs men The most of them are personally
known to us, and We regard them as excel
lent gentlemen and n ost worthy citizens
We are satisfied that they have taken the
course that they have, more for a personal
regard for the President and q desire to aid
him in an embarrassing position, than for any
y cry potent convictions that he is right. Be
that us it may, most grevously have they
erred, and gtievously have they answered it.
Still We entertain no feeling of enmity to
ward them, and we believe we speak the
sentiments of the Douglas Democracy of this
county when we say that they will be welcome
back to the Democratic fold, from which they
have wandered, at any time that they see fit
to return; provided, always, that they leave
their Lecompton notions behind, and cordial
ly subscribe to the principles of the Kansas
Nebraska Bill and the doctrine of Popular
Sovereignty as construed by the author OF
the Kansas n ebraska Bill and the greatest
living champion of Popular Sovereignty,
Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois. Denying
the right of the people to pass upon their
organic law at the balot-box; asserting the
absolute supremacy of so-called representa-
tives over the masses they pretend to repre-.
sent; denying the power of Congress to paw
any heed to the will of the majority of the
people unless their so called representative.
are willing; denying. in short, the whole
doctrine of Popular Sovereignty, as it ha.
been construed by the greatest leaders of the
Democratic party and by the Democrat,
masses at large. no man need ever expect tc
hold fellowship with the true and staunci
Democracy of Yuba county, which has Just
triumphed, nor with that great national or
ganization of the Democratic Party which i:
to elect the next President of the United
States in 1860
BANCROFT AND JoHNsoN.-In the last vol
ume of his history, recently published, Ban
croft pronounces what we cannot help but
think, says al exchange. is hard judgment