Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-11-13
The Triumph of Mr.. DougIas.

SATURDAY MOhNlNOrS NONs Log 1SSo'
The Triumph of Mr.. Douglas.
From the exultation of the Douglas Demo
Gratis one would suppose that they consider the
contest of 1860 settled, and that the Little
Giant has only 10 march to Washington and
wait for Mr.. buchanan to lay down the seePtre
The gunpowder ovations, however, have good
deal of the prematureness of the Atlantic Ca
bic explosions, and the fact that Mr.. Douglas
has after a truly gigantic effort obtained bare
majority of the Legislature of a State that has
heretofore given him overwhelming endorse
ments, is blazoned into an importance far be
yond its real import. To Mr.. Douglas Peron-
ally, it is a proud triumph, for it was hard
fought contest But how the Democracy al
party are to be benefited by it, is far from be.
ing clear 1t has healed no divisions, but has
rather widened those already existing between
the Sectional and the National Democracy.
With the apportionment decidedly in his favol
Mr.DougIas has secured the Legislature and may
be reelected to the United States Senate, but the
popular verdict of Illinois is against him. Up
on the State ticket and upon the Legislative
ticket the Republican majority is about five
thousand. and upon the Congressional ticket il
is some eight thousand 1t is on such popu-
lar record that the exponent of popular sove-
reignty seeks to retain his place. But this is
not all. Says the Missouri Democrat, "the
course of Mr.. Douglas now shows that what
Morris said to Smith was true-'he resolved to
oppose Lecompton in order to save himself al
home 1t was no patriotic outbreak, no inspired
flash of genius and courage; but a simple calcu-
lation how best to hoodwink the people of Hi
nois. The unloosening, too. of tongues since
the election, proves what the Union intimated
was the fact, that prior to his departure from
Washington he made his peace with Buchanan,
and only broke the bargain subsequently, when
he found that it would beat him to be in amity
with the Administration. It was at Freeport
that he put on the mask of Free Soil, and his
personation was so good that many thousands
voted for him, believing in the language of the
Missouri Republican that he was ''as much an
anti-slavery man as Mr.. Lincoln" We thought
then they would be cheated, we think SO still.
Mr.. Douglas as Free Soiler, can never be the
nominee at Charleston, and yet ii is to Charles
ton that both Mr. Douglas and his friends look
for the consummation of what they call his tri-
umphs And it is herein the necessity arises
that will involve him in career of equivocation,
of shutting, of contradiction, such as we have
predicted for him in the future. Already the
South the Enquirer, t5e Delta, and the Repub-
lican have begun manufacturing his speeches in
to very passable Southern doctrine, explaining
away the little eecentricities of the canvass as
electioneering lodges, and anchoring him safe
and fast alongside the slave extension clauses
of the Dred Scott decision. From now, too,
until the National Convention meets, this course
will be continued by the nullifers-under the
vain and foolish hope that the people of the free
States will not detect his backsliding whilst the
people ofthe slave States are being mustered
into his service. But what are the signs of the
times in his behalf! Mr.. Seward has very apty
said in late speech that it will be the duty hence
forth of the friends of freedom to watch the in
dieations which give evidence of intent to be-
tray the cause, and what he has said is only the
expression Of a Pervading popular thought Mr..
Douglas triumph now consists in nothing but
the TACT OF having saved mmseH from ruin IN
the general wreck of the pro-slavery Democ-
racy, and that by taking free soil ground
Let him be classed otherwise, but for mo-
ment, by his own action, and he goes TO keep
Pierce, Buchanan and the rest of the great de-
feated company. To talk of his Presidential
chances, therefore, is idle. With Bright,
Slidell, Mason and the President to eonstrain
him to the utmost requirements of the South
before nomination, with popular defeat in
his own State, running as an avowed freesoiler
to start with, and with the assurance that no
other Democratic leader can carry his own
State for himself much less for Douglas, we
think his prospects not worth discussing, Much |
stress has been laid heretofore upon the fact |
that Mr., Douglas had the popular heart. This |
consolation is now also dissipated. The re-
turns show that he has not touched the enthu- |
siasm of the masses even in Illinois Thus we
see the people are against him the politicians, |
are for him. But in the battle between people and
politicians, are we wrong in saying that from
the aroused public spirit which is msrshaling
the friends of freedom in this Government
it is evident that the people must triumph in
1860.