Daily national Democrat., 1858-08-14

on ali sluts ol this haHe"S Huest'VH' N"N
charge is without foundation. We can state
our different positions on this Kansas ques
ton, we think in a very few words. In the
frs, place, before the question was fairly un-
derstood in this part Of the world, and many
Of the facts relating to the issue were not
made known, We were disposed to stand by the
Administration of James Buchanan, il it were
possible in honor to do so. Consequently,
when his annual message arrived, iavoring,
in a sort Of non.committal way, the admission
Of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution,
we said that We believed, from the lights
| then before us that there were very good ar
guments to sustain his POSITION. and stated
what those arguments were. Our article on
the subject was construed by some to be an
endorsement of the policy which went for
the admission of Kansas under that Constitu-
ton Such was not the intention of the ar
ticlc, and we Immediately after explained at
some length what we really meant in the
matter, and took issue, directly and emphati.
cally. with the Presidents position on that
point wbieh Judge Douglas declared to be
the fundamental difference between Mr.. Blu
chanan and himself, as thus Mr. Buchanan
claimed that the term domestic institutions, -
as used in the Kansas Nebraska Bill simply
referred to slavery and other household and
family matters, whereas we contended with
stephen \. Douglas, that the term applied
to the whole civil polity of State or Ter
ritory, and that the word domestic" was
used to distinguish the local character of a
state or Territory from the general character
of the Federal Government Still we made
no war upon the Administration, and many
persons thought, that because we did not de-
nounce the Administration, we were there
fore with it. (Such is the lack of power in
some intellects to draw abstract distinctions. J
At this time there were doubts as to the real
sentiments of the people upon the Lecompton
Constitution, because the affairs of the Terri
tory had been more or less in muddle. 1t
1t soon transpired, however, that there was
to be a full and free vote of the people upon
that instrument The lawful and Federally
acknowledged Legislature of the Territory
had called an election, which was to take
place on the 4th Of January 1853, and in
which the people were to say in their ballots
whether they wanted the Lecomp,on Con
stitution or not. The President had instruc
ted the Acting Governor of Kansas to see
that the election was fairly conducted and to
respect the edict of the Legislature in calling
it, Under this State of things, we declared
that now an opportunity was presented for
ascertaining, beyond a doubt, what the sen
timents of the people really were and thatif,
in the election it should appear that ma
lority of the people were aginst the Lecomp
ton Constitution, and the President of the
United States should, in the face Of that fact
insist upon the admission of Kansas under that
acted up to that declaration, and when the
President sent in his special message, disre-
garding the will of the people fairly express
ed as it had been in that election, and setting
aside as nought the tremendous and over
whelming majority of votes which were
polled against that instrument, we denounced
his Position-respectfully, it is true, but
nevertheless emphatically.
The President, with all his power of pat
ronage and prescription and he used it to
its fullest extent, failed, ANONYMOUSLY failed,
to override the righteous and patriotic and
manly position of stephen A. Douglas; at
least he so failed in the House of Represep-
tatives, where the friends of Mr.. Douplas
stood, small but Spartan band. His defeat
vas the grandest rebuke that ever Federal
Administration received at the hands of the
Representatives Of free people. Still. we
were for no disruption of the Democratic
party, and joined in no "hue and erv" 10
break down the Administration. Finally.
the English bill was passed. 1t was pusillan
mOusy accepted by the Administration as
an Administration triumph. We regarded it
as an Administration defeat. Being anxious.
however, for the reunion of the Democratic
party, and, hoping that the English bill
might be made to act as a measure of peace
between the conflicting wings, we did not
express that full and free opinion of it which
we would have done had we known that the
issue was bound inevitably to be made. Our
position on that bill was simply this Ifboth
wings ct the party were willing to consider
1t settlement of the Kansas question. we
were II the Administration side would so
regard 1t, and not enunciate platform which
would require Douglas men to swallow their
own words, we were willing to strain a point
and go with them. Well, what was the 70.
suit ? The two wings did not unite but
held separate conventions; and the Admins.
tration side, insead of presenting n platform
upon which Douglas men could stand with
them. enunciated doctrine which no Douc
las man could consistently endorse-a doc
trine which is the very essence Of Lecoron-
tonism-a doctrine which declares that tho
free-born citizens of these United States 20
ing into Territories which are the common
property Of the Union, are not TO he allowed
to vote upon the organic law under which
they are TO live, unless their merely technical
Representatives in Convention say that they
shall; that their protests at the feet of Con.
gress, repudiating the actions Of their SO.
called Representatives, and denouncing the
instrument which those so-called Represen
'"''Ses have framed as being in no wise their
act ana deed are to be disregarded by the
sle-e leglslaNye power of the nonntrr and