Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-11-18

endeavors to maintain the dignity of
United States Senator, keep cool, boy.
these predictions are all CANNON. Haven
we got my great principie!" Loud lsugh,e
and cheers) Popular Sovereignty. Wa
not Popular Sovereignty, according TO MI
Douglas, 10 aPpease the conflict, to renov
the fight from the Halls OF ongress, t
iocalize the struggle, to queil the excite
ment, 70 settle the Slavery question fol
ever! But how did i, happen that the YER
enactment of that Popular Sovereignty, a
embodied in the Nebraska bill, was tn
signal for a new and spontaneous outburs
oil hostilities! How was it possible tina
this very remedy should IAN the lipgerinl
strife into new flame! And, indeed, tn
blood Of American fresmen split on tn
prairies of Kansas, the ssasuidering ruin
Of the pioneers cabin-freda not by th
savage hand of the Indian, bot by the hand
Of people thai claim to be civilzed-th,
most iagrant violations of the ballot. box
the most shameless frauds, tue most stroci.
Gus usurpations of power ever known in tn,
strugglein Congress fiercer Than e'er-thes'
are strange fruits of measure which wa
to bring peace and liberty and prosperity Il
mankind. (Cheers.) 1t will no longer d.
to say that q II this disturbance was owing
to the obstnacy of few Abolitionists.-
The cause of lies deeper. 1t is this:
The nsas-Nebra>ka bill was but
new embodiment of the old contradiction
between political principles and social in
stitntlons; it was but a new form Of thai
old antagonism, which has convulsed the
the country for the iast iorly-years. 1t i.
not the right kind Unpopular sovereignty p
but worthless treacherous counterfeit. II
is wild delusion--u you will not go SO far
as to call it an imposition and lie. Gap.
P!ause.) Popular Sovereignty, in the true
sense oi the term, means the sovereignty
of AL individuals, 80 organized as to give u
cummun expression 10 The collective will,
res trained only by the natural right of in
divldual man. It's foundation can be other
all men. 1t can be built upon no other pre-
sumption but that all men are free, and that
no institution, which contradicts the prin-
tiples, has an q priOri right 10 ex ST.
ut what meaHs Mr.. Douglass great prin-
ciple Of Popular Sovereignty! He says
that the people of Territory shall decide
for themselves whether they will have S!av-
cry or not-that is to say, whether ihe
employer may own his laborer. or whether
he shall hire him. Did Slavery exist in
those Territories at the time of the enact
ment Of the Nebraska bill! No, it did not
Well, now the people shall decide for them
selves. Bat what shall be the ruie, what
shall be the law, before the. people shall
have given their verdict.bf positive legis.a-
ton! Shall the presumption be in favor OF
Freedom, according to the fundamental
principle Of the good AnglU-Saxon common
law!
No, Sir; tie STAKEHOLDER shall have the a
priori right to 60 into the Territory with
Lis slaves and to hold them there as slaves;
the right of man to ora his laborer is q
priort, recognized by the Kansas and Ne
braska bill. And here let me add that the
Dred Scott decision is a most logical con-
struction of the Nebraska bill Cloud cheers J,
and acknowledged to be such by MIR. Doug
las himself; aid that his quibbies between
his SGua,ter Sovereignty and that decision
are the most contemplate subterfuges by
which even Peftitogger made himself
ridiculous. Continued applause.) Thus
Mr.. Douglass Popular Sovereignty is based
upon presumption in favor of slavery!
upon the presumption tina, Slavery exists of
right, where it is not prohibited by positive
legislation. (Cheers.) ...-.
Common sense tells you that true Pop
ular Sovereignty can have no other basis
than the liberty of all men; that true Pop
ular Sovereignty means the removal of all
barriers which the ing ,nuity of desputism
has set to human liberty. lCheers.) But
Mr.. Douglas tells you thai the true iounds-
tion of American Popular Sovereignty is the
right of Slavery to exist wbere it is not ex-
Pressly prohibited; and that it means the
removal Of all barriers which American pa
triotism has set to human bondage. Gap
plause.) If you could ask Washington,
Franklin, Jefferson. jay, Madison, and
Henry Clay for their opinion, who Of them
would christen ihis abominable mixture
with the great name ot Popular Sovereignty.
They would have sligmatized it US a con-
tempIi5le bastard, begotten in the adulter-
GUS embrace of Democracy and Slavery,
With the features of liberty on its face but
w lark ,f I.,,n &c
heart. Loud and contitaaed applause.)
i repeat it, Sir, this so-called Popular
Sovereignty is but new embodiment of
the old antagonism, but new sigu board
to the old concern; rev melody to the
old song (cheers); a new trap set for old
fools. cThundering apPlause.) 1t is the
old mistake, the old confusion of ideas
there is nothing new in il but Gne feature,
and that is its very worst.
1t marks, indeed, a new period in the his
tory of this country. A Il The compacts be.
tween Freedom and Slavery struck by the
fathers of this Republic and the subs equent
generation of statesmen were compromises
between principle and an interest. En-
dsavor;ng to reconcile the social institutions
OF this country to the fundamental ideas
upon which this Government was built, the
fathers of this Republic lubored for the
gradual abolition of Slavery, wherever they
could reach it. But, unable TO extinguish
it at once, they made CONCESSIONS 10 Slavery
as to an unfortunately existing fact, with
out recognizing in it any principle from
which 1t might drive any national right. To
them, Freedom was the ruling, the funda-
mental, the national Drincipls and Slayery