The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-10-28

They could not see how it was that the vote
Of Senator Douglas against the a" English
bill" should exclude him from the democrat
ic party. The result OF the vote in Kansas
rejecting the bill, had tendency TO prove
that Douglas was right In his opposition to
II. Theu was blind rockIessncss in the
prescription of Douglas which seems in.
credible. What desire the un,on clique
had. do not openly appear, but il is said that
the object was to kin of Judge Douglas as
n candidate for the Presidency in 1886, 10
as to leave better field for far Seuth can.
ddate. II was in vain that the most able
and inhucntial men at the South, not in the
councils Of the clique protested against
making the English bill test democratic
question. But on dashed the Washington
clique and their adherents in Illinois and
elsewhere regardless of the most obvious
considerations of prudence. The cxtraordi-
nary ground was taken that the Democracy
OF the country were to receive their princi.
pies from the exigencics Of the Administra.
ton. thus reversing the principle that the.
Administration was bound TO take its prin.
ciples from the Democracy /; that is, TO ap.
ply in acton the principles upon which the
Presidential election was so handsomely
carried in 1856
One Of the few leading principles profess.
cd by the democracy as expressed by the
Cincinnati Convention, was the right Of the
people TO regulate their own internal affairs.
Now it so happened from accidental and
temporary causes, that the people Of Kan.
sas failed toexerclse the right, and that
there was something in the circumstances
which seem TO impose upon the President
the duty OF taking step calculated to set
tic the question Of the admission ot Kansas
as State. We saw no great harm Ia the
course pursued by the President. II would
have produced no great harm--perhaps none
at all-for the simple reason that the only
permanent tact that could have resulted
from it would have been the admission Of
Kansas under a slavery constitution, while
II majority Of the people were in favor Of
the exclusion Of slavery.
The admission once accomplished the
anti slavery majority would have had the
power 10 amend the Constitution In any
particular within year after the admission
Such being the fact, il IL impossible TO ~c
how u test question Of Democracy could
honestly be made out Of any difference Of
opinion upon the course TO be pursued. II
was a short lived issue We were not
strongly in hvor Of the admission under the
ncompton Constitution, or under any one.
We were convinced by circumstances. open
and palpabe, that u majority Of the people
did not care about admission IN a State,
and they certainly had no claim for aJms-
sion upon the ground Of population or upon
the ground that they had exhibited evidence
Of capacity to maintain and carry on n
State government. The violence which had
marked the contest between the Free State
and proslavery parties in Kansas had began
10 subside before the discussions on the Il.
compton Constitution were opened IN Con.
gress. Both parties seemed TO have had
enough OF IT, and the acts Of violence which
were occasionally occurring were committed
by scattered bands oi marauders, and not
through the action Of party organizations.
We can understand how honest Democrats
may have voted for the admission under the
Lecompton Constitution and also how they
could have voted for indirectly submitting
that Constitution 10 the people again, in the
English bill. But just "a clearly can We
see how Senator Douglas and other Demo.
crats may have honestly believed, that il
was not right 10 resnbmit il Ia that form,
especially II they believed ~ We did, the ne
cessity for any action bad ceased This ia
the general sentiment Of the country and
the managers IN Washington must have
been wiIfuliy blind not 10 have sen H. The
spirit Of dictatisn to the Democratic party
was therefore most inoppor,une. II was
not matter 10 regard 10 which the party
throughout the country Deedei any insiruc.
tioD. They we're fully informed. They had
been sitting on the ca's as jury nearly two
years The subject in nIl il aspects hsd
ben thoroughly argued, and IN the rnfan.
time things were settling down In Kansas,
in s1cb manner - % render IL doubtful
wbetber 1t would be oeoessary for Congress
TO do anything about il for some years. ln
getting the English bill through, the duty
Of the Administration was certainly cloeed.
II lad nothing to do in the way Of reward.
ing supporters u the bill, ~ in punishiDg
,ho.e who had opposed il. The people ps-
fec,ly gndefs,ood this, and they have most
signally rebaked the attempts 70 punish
Senator Doogas. Boaon Prio.