The Placer herald., 1858-11-06
The Disintegration of the Opposition
Their Foundations Swept AWAY,

Slavery in the Territories, says the Wash
ington Union, has been the bond of union O
the opposition. Their forces were and ar,
wholly confined to the free States. On th,
basis Of opposition to the admission of any
more slave States they have been able t(
unite. This union has been effected on the
issue-altogether controversial in its nature
of hostility to slavery in the Territories
That issue has teen fully tried, and the YER
dict of the country is, that the people of the
new States have the absolute right, when
they organize their governments, to ordain
or prohibit slavery. They are the only in.
terested parties; they are endowed by the
Federal Constitution with full authority thus
to act for themselves. No poayer IS conferred
by the Constitution upon the people of the
States touching the matter. They have no.
thing to do with the subject. Their assumed
anxiety about its existence here or there is
all gratuitous. They have no more right to
interfere in Kansas and Nebraska than in
New York, Virginia and Maryland 1t is
wholly local affair. More than this, ex.
perience has shown that the local community
are not only competent to decide it for them
selves, but, as practical question, they will
always do SO.
The Opposition four years ago organized
the "Republican" party on the distinct
ground of State Intervention to prevent the
establishment of slavery in the Territories
So long as that issue could be maintained
they were thoroughly united. When the
question came to be determined, so palpable
did it appear that the people of the place
would decide for themselves not only the
slavery controversy, but every other relating
to their government, that the Opposition
were driven off, and fought the whole battle
on questions of fraud at the elections. They
were forced to abandon their former ground;
they were, in point of fact, granting that
they were honest, compelled to disband the
party they had organized three and half
years before. There is not an intelligent
member Of the "Repubcan" family who
does not know and feel that the foundations
of their organization have been knocked
from under them What is the fruit of this
sudden change in the doctrines of their creed?
In Ohio, where Abolitionism had taken its
deepest roots, we find new apostle rising
into favor, repudiating their whole platform,
and proposing at once to open the future
canvass of his party on the principles Of
popular soverei gnty," as enunciated by the
Supreme Court of tie United States. Mr..
Corwin does not formally declare his adhe
sion to the bred Scott decision; but we take
it for granted that, in adopting the idea that
the people of the new States shall form and
regulate their institutions in their own way,
he intends that they shall thus act for them
selves when they come to organize their
State systems. 1t is more than idle to get
up controversy on the naked question of
territorial governments. They are Temporal
ry in their very nature; and it would lie alb
surd to suppose that any political organizati' n
of tlis country would be guilty of the com
pound folly Of driving an issue on a mere
transtory matter, and upon subject with
which they have no right to interfere. The
truth is evident that the bond of union of
the oppositio,a' is broken. Their occupation
is gone. They are in process of quick dis
integration. They can no longer agree upon
basis of action. Their batteries are all
leveed at Lecompton-Lecompton without
any reference to slavery. They have used
Kansas to convince the Northern people that
the Shareholders Of the South were preparing
to effect the conquest of the common terri
tories-to establish slavery with or without
the consent of the people. Every days OBJ
servation and experience 60 to prove their
shameless deception and hypocrisy in this
respect. The judgments of truth are con-
fronting and condemning them at every
point. They are proven to be unprncipled
demagogues, agtators and disunionists.-
They have derived their sustenance alone
from what has weakened and debilitated
the Federal Constitution.
What wonder is it, then, that as they are
exposed by practical events, they exhibit
of rebellion in their organization? What
wonder is it that Corwin drives Giddings
from the field in Ohio, and boldly proclaims
that the plank in their old platform pledging
hostility to the admission Of any more Slave
States into the Union has been splinteredto
atoms by the irresistible force of truth?-
What wonder is it that the "Repubicans" of
New York 60 off in such fearful numbers to
Abolitionism, under Gerrit Smith, on the one
hand, and to the "Amercans" on the other?
The truth is more than evident the oppos-
tlon nave no ground upon WHICH tney can
stand. They cannot and dare not present
an issue to the Democracy.
We submit to the fair judgment of the
country, if the Republicans" ale not now
subsisting wholly on the difficulties which
have prevailed in our own ranks? All their
present strength is derived from our weak
ness. Those who abandoned the Democracy
last winter have served the cause Of the OPP
position, have galvanized for the moment the
dead carcass of Abolitionism; but it is only
another trial which our invincible forces are
compelled to make before they shall achieve
thoir o,roaf faet v;ctoru-tbo uftor SnhiuratiOn