The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-06-10
The Democratic Doctrine Now.

The incessant disposition or neces-
sity, we hardly know which, of the
Democratic party to change, modify
and remodel it's opinions and positions
upon the slavery question, has almost
ceased to be matter of surprise to the
people, though there is an occasional
change in the programme of sufficient
interest and importance to elicit the
attention of the admirers of slight OF
hand performers, and aground and
lofty tumbling." For the past ten
years, the party have been engaged in
quoting agitation and settling the
slavery question, and could the reader
peruse file of any Democratic news
paper he would be hugely amused at
the great number of settlements it has
made, and the quaint and wonderful
manner in which they have been effect
cd. In the first attempt they rcsorted
to principle of diffusion as the easy
and sure solution ;>then came the cele-
brated Compromise measures; this was
followed by the &C .finality'' resolutions
of Congress; then the legitimate fruits
of " finality," to-wit: the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise; now squattel
sovereignty was inaugurated as the pa,
excellence of political maneuvering
following this was the Lecomptor
swindle, and Senator Douglas modified
popular sovereignty; and now comes
another phase, we do not know what
they do call it.
From late number of the Detroit
Free Press, the leading Democratic
organ of this State; paper which has
followed the party through all of its
winding and twisting way, and more
too, we clip the following paragraph
illustrating the present position of that
party upon the slavery question
Speaking of the present state of Kan
sas, the Free Press says: 1893
"The Territory, so long as it remains
Territory, aoW be .SlaCe TERRITORY il
anybody chooses to hold slaves there
The State admitted with the Lecomp
ton constitution will be nothing more
But admitted, the people may proceed
at once to abolish the right to hold
slaves by amendment of the colstitu
ton. Until admitted the people canno,
abolish this right 3asn sea 95
r. Departed shade of squatter sover-
eighty! To this complexion has i,
come at last. The language is clear
explicit and distinct, and goes the full
length for southern progagandism. A
Territory mast be a slave territory il
anybody, a single individual even
chooses to hold slaves there though
every other citizen is opposed to it
The doctrine of the poaoer of the people
to exclude slavery from the territories,
by any means and under all circum.
stances, is given up-fairly discarded
Only few weeks ago the Free Press
was rampant in its advocacy of the
doctrine that the people of the terrific,
ries possessed the right to determine
their own institutions in their own way
Now it says g until admitted as State
the people cannot abolish this riy]tt''-
the right to hold slaves in any or all the
territories of the Union, 1t is in fact
echoing the declaration of Mr.. Blu.
chanan that the Constitution of the
United States guarantees to the owner
of slaves the same rights and privileges
that the common law guarantees to the
owners of other property. 1t endorses
his atrocious sentiment that "Kansas
is to-day as much a slave State unde,
the Constitution, as South Carolina Of
Georgia" What magnificent prin
! ciple! What beautiful sDemocracy.'