New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-10
From WASHINGT TON.
Prom Or OWE CorrsspoLieut.
WAsHTNGToS, "wednesday, Dec. :, 1858.

WAsHINGToS Wednesd sday, Dec. :, 1865.
Two years ago. Sir. Charles I. Congdon at that
time editor of The Boston Atlas took occasion in bis
paper to scribe dreadful spell ofesstwinjed aud
longwinded weather which then inf, sted the Puritan
city. With his usual copious felicity of language
lie depicted the drizze and the drearincss, the
splash aid the splashiness, the mizzle and the
" muddiness, the moisture and the muzziness, and
" tie muzziness and the misery-thc creeping along
" the puided streets, dwelling apsrt under pent-
o houses Of umbrellas Ike damp Robinson Crusoes,
dragging ten pounds of India rubber boots at
every step, AID growing ancient and fshhke,
web-footed and web-hDgered."
Such has been the weather aud such has been
our life il Washington for week past. have
almost forgotten how sunshine looks, and am
tempted to believe that rheumatism and colds in
the head are elements Of the normal condition of
man. Everybody has a cold in the head, and
eyerybody is damp, muddy, wretched and cross.
Even the Presidents Message is eclpsed in inter-
est by the question Of the weather In fact, / fear
that if this weather continues much longer, shall
begin 10 think better of Mr.. Buchanan's PROPOSE
tion 10 take possession OF Central America and
other regions to the south of Us. This country Is
ev identity unfit for white man to live IN; 1t ought
10 be given mp TO the Esquimeaux. Even our glorl-
Gus Constitution aud ever blessed Union are not u
sufficient compensation for the climate. Liberty
and Democracy are excellent things To talk about,
but would rather live under despot than under
n umbrella.
have been seriously checked, however, in my
tendency to accept the Presidents proposition to
seize Sonora, Chihuahua, and Central America for
their benefit, by percelying the direct conflict
which exists between the principles Of that pr0pO-
sition and the principles OF Popular Sovereignty
maintained BY Senator Douglas and The v. y.
Times. In The Little Giants speech at Memphis,
| find the principle maintained, with great empha.
sis and without any reservation, that States and
communities should be let alone by other States
aud communities; that they should be left to man
age their own affairs. Ii they choose to have bad
institutions or bad things that Is none OF your eusi'
ness, says Mr.. Douglas. Let them alone Lei mem
| settle their own hashes. You must nol lorcr even
| good upon them.
VERY we'll But the President seeing, all men
see. that Mexico and Central America are in a bad
way proposes TO step in with the army and navy
and KINDLY set matters to rights there. Yet what
have We to do with Mexico OF Central America !
Massachusetts, and Ohio, seeing how much wretch
edness and loss Slavery causes 10 South Carolina
and Mississippi might with much more reason vol.
unteer to occupy those two States and introduce
into them an orderly and Christian and honest con-
diiion Of society; because Massachusetts, and Ohio
have some claim to an interest IN the affairs of
South Carolina and Mississippi, for, as parts OF
common country, they participate largely IN the
disgrace Which slayehodng brings upon US ALL and
also suffer certain proportion OF the common ioss
resulting from il.
Beside this radical disagreement between the
principles of Dir. Douglass speeches and Presdeat
Buchanans Message find Mr.. Douglas, In the
same speech, taking position striAmgy al SaiItnce
with that of another President whose Htnority IS
higher even than that of Mr.. Buchanan. Mr.
Douglas said at Memphis: This Government IS
- confederation Of sovereign independent states,
each having the right to have just such c0isti-
tuition as il pleases-esch having Constitution
different from every other, and requiring laws
and institutions different from every other. Va
rety dlssiInilarity, local law and local institu
tons, is the great principle on whlch tne sale'!
of the republic rests and not that fatal heresy
that the States must be all free or all Save.
| IfMr. Douglas meant to be taken literally mere
and was not speaking at random, be deliberately
| ignores and Oyerrides the Constitution oil the I az
| ted States. So long as that Constitution Is ia
force State of this Union does not have the right
to have hst such Constitution as 1t pleases' nor
Just such institutions it pleases In the hrs'
! place lie Constitution ust be Repubhcan-a pai-
| pabe Limitation Of Popular Sovereignty, TOR, ac'
cording 10 the logic of Nr. Douglass reasoning,
the people ought surely To have the rlglI " uic q
was demanded by IsraelIn the days OF Saul, VI
having 4 king to rule over them. In the next
place. no State can establish an order oi hoolit!
which is clearly what Mr. Doug Las calls an " in'.'
tuition" Here is another violation OF Popllal SOW
ereignty, though the States IN when saver! Is
established practically disregard the hmIallo9' Tue
slayeholdiDg class being clearly an order Oh NO.
billy, if the application of the term nooily " -
| gnotle class De not misn0mer Neither can Q
State estsblsh an army or navy III time oi 49,,
both of which are institutions, ana important
| ones sl.o. ,. e.,
But passing over these slight diversion. rom
the Constitution and from the fact Wish 70 cal
YOUR attention To the discrepancy between Inc Las
clause | have quoted from Nh Dough' 'peecn'
AID the following passage which extract irS.n C
letter addressed BY President Washington 10 "en'
Lafayette in 49,
81 agree with yo1 cordially IL yoar views q reg az
70 Negro Slavery | have long couni ierel !, u'9
seriou. eyn, both socially aud poltlceny ani sioa
rejoice in any .cazbls schenle 10 r'1 o" "'a'e'
such tNrdeg. .r,.,.o oh; i
"Tte Congress Of l7s7 adopted an orinanse ~ "nl, =
prohibits the existence If Involuntary ,' 'NuH - ~
| Nmtl.Weetern Territory foreyer e0h..as, -. -
| ~, ,,easare l. met with the apprcN1l an 49, !.
of peaIly every member Of the S''es ors M 1;r
s.el, itiereslsi IN slave labor. Tie PIe's,,ne op..
! Z. ,.s, ~ "