Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1858-09-29
The Contest IN Illinois.


The contest in Illinois between Douglas and Lin
coin for the SenatorshiP in Congress, continues to
enlist much attention in the other States They are
both able men, but Judge Douglas is confessedly the
superior intellectually of Lincoln, or of any other
man in Illinois. Lincoln advocates negro equality
denounces the Supreme Court and the Dred Scott
decision in emphatic terms, takes ground against the
Kansas. Nebraska act, and maintains the right of
Congress to abolish slavery in the Territories, and
holds in addition to this that the free and slave
States antagonstical in interest, and that the ab
clifton crusade must 60 until slavery is extirpated
not only in the Territories but in the States. Judge
Douglas opposes negro equality, sustains the Su-
preme Court in decisions upon points properly in
voIveG, but holds that under the Kansas Nebraska
act the people of Territory have the right, before
they assemble in Convention by " unfrend'y legs-
lation to exclude slavery and this in the face of
the bred Scott decision, which to the slave
holder, under this recent and most important inter-
pretaon of the Constitution, the right to carry his
slaves to the common Territories and to be protect
ed in his ownership of this species of property He
thus practically ignores the Dred Scott decision, and
at the same time gives Interpretation, and
certainly not heretofore advanced by him in his
speeches in Congress- to the principle of so-caed
popular sovereignty" He also maintains that
institutions must continue to spread and that new
States are formed and apply for admission, the ques
ton of slavery slavery shall not be determined
BY Congress- but by the people of the Territories,
voting in every case at the ballot box their Con-
si,nons. If the people for slavery. he says,
they will protect it by Territorial legislation; if
- l1,,ln
i>aon." Judge Douglas also characterizes the Le
compton Constitution, which received the sanction
Of the President ard the approval Of nineteen-twen
tehs of the Democratic party in Congress, as a
"monStrous fraud :" and he thanks those black Re
publicans and Know Nothings in that body who
tanned him in his attacks that Constitution and
the manner in which it was formed.
The doctrine thus recently advanced by Judge
Douglas, that the people of Territory before they
assume sovereignty, have the right, by unfrendly
legislation" to exclude prohibit slavery, can never
receive the sanction of the Southern Democracy,
nor, We believe, Of the national Democracy. Con-
gress itself possesses power by any kind of legs-
alon, whether direct or indirect to prohibit slave
y in the Territories; and possessing such power,
can delegate such power to Territorial Legls'
hure. No power less than sovereign establish
Or abolish property. Territorial Legislature is
not sovereign Failing in its duty to protect slavery
the aid of the Supreme Court would be invoked, and
protection would be extended by the national arm
The doctrine of the celebrated Nicholson letter is,
not that the people Of Territory may indirectly
abolish savery-far from it but that slavery, like
other domestic relations, husband and wife, pa
rent and child, must be "reguldted." That is the
word To "reguate" means to rule-to adopt
measures for controlling and preserving, and not 70,
destroying. Gen. Cass never held, and does not
now hold this doctrine of Judge Douglas He placed
and no doubt still places the institution of slavery
on the same ground with the other domestic rela
tons; and he would as soon think of abolshing ont
as the other for the plain reason that the Consttu
uon conters no power on Congress on the Terrific
fa Legislatures to abolish either. I've have always
understood the doctrine of "popu'ar sovereignty,
as embodied in the Kansas Nebraska act, to mean
na shareholders and sa vehclders privileged
70 remove to the common Territories with any ant
all Kinds Of property, which is recognized by th'
laws OF the respective States, recognized ant
guaranteed by the federal Constitution that they
"'e emitted, on this common ground, belonging no
"''re TO one State than to another, to the full ant
unrestricted enjoyment of such property, until sucl
u""e as the people assemble in Convention and fran
'"e'r CONSTITUTIONS and that then, the people hav
s met IN their sovereign capacity. have the righ
ueeare, for themselves and in their own way
""a' institutions they will have-or, in other words
n n"e'ner they will have African slavery or not.
~'9 oe'ng TINS sovereign, determine to have slave
~ II S we'll; if not, it is we'll and in neither cas-
C ~" congress inquire, object, intervene. Nor ca
'"s'ess say to this people that their Constitntio
na. not been adopted in proper way, and that
Constitution must be formed, the right to ador
n: anu the assumption of sovereignty having carrie
.nen' the most plenary authority as to the mar
Os' Of adoption.