The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-07-17
Coming Around.

The little ne wspapsr brush we have had
with the Peru Sentinel has so far walked the |
editor up and FURNISHED his ideas that no is
beginning to understand his own position
" on the questions of the day" Two weeks
ago, in attempting to define his position, be
gave us such q tumble Of black republican
ism and nonsense, that we could come to no
other conclusion than that the editor had Ell
Their deserted the democratic party, or was
SO drowned in lager beer as to be ignorant
Of what he was writing about. His posi-
ton, as then defined, was this:
l. He was opposed to Lecomptonism.
2. Assuming that Judge Douglas was in
bitter strife with President Buchanan and
his cabinet, he took sides for Judge and
pitched into the administration.
8. As representing the Douglas party thus
understood, he supported the nominees of
the April convention Of the democratic par
ty of this State.
This was Mesinnis two weeks ago.
We undertook, in defining our own posi-
ton, to explain to the Sentinel that this was
unadulterated repubicanism. The admins
traton having abandoned the Lecompton is
sue and accepted the English bill as COM
promise, we undertook to explain that there
could among democrats be no further quar-
rel with the administration about Lecomp-
ton. That the issue was "dead cock in
the pit" That his assumption that Judge
- .xI, . H. s.@r
about Lecomptonism was misstatement,
proving it by quotation from Judge ID. S
speech that the nominees Of the April con-
vention stood on no such ground of hostility
to the administration as be assumed; and
that, therefore, in continuing his (he Senti-
neEs) small potato warfare on the admins
! tration about dead and bygone Lecompton-
ism, he was out of the democratic pale and
in the boat with black republcanism.
Our explanation appears at length to have
! penetrated the editors noddle, and as the
/ first hopeful indication Of the kind in that
! quarter, we take pleasure in recording the
fact that, having at length comprehended
the true position of Judge Douglas and the
democracy Of this State, he steps into that
position with commendablc alacrity. From
the "lesder" in the last Sentinel we cut the
following paragraph:
Lecompton, therefore, being final Y dis
posed of, and the English bill before the
people of Kansas, for them alone to decide
upon, and recommendation from the Presi-
dent as to the future line of policy to be
pursued, what is there to contend about?
Sure enough; and what could, therefore,
be more insane than your assertion two
weeks ago that the administration and
Judge Douglas were necessarily" at strife
and as the friend OF Judge D. and the enemy
of Lecomptonism" you must fight the ad
mnistration.
As Mac has thus come to his senses, ant
takes his place on exactly the same platform
on which we stand, we are quite willing tc
forgive hi IN the hard things he tried to say
about US III the last Sentinel. If it is any
comfort to him, We are willing to comics:
that he is immensely our superior when i
comes to black suardism, and that we rur
incontincntly from such a contest with him
We prefer altogether to fight in peace by hi
: side for those principles which it gives u
unalloyed pleasure to find he has at length
been enabled to comprehend.