Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-01-30

III Their speeches, the very same doctrines ne " nu'
vOCHtink now In support ~ senator Douglas as
against that ~ the President, I ask the Use OF your
columns TO correct the he has fallen Into So lar
as am concerned. Al the same time express the
hope that he will excuse me for addressing him as
publicly Us he has seen proper TO refer to me.
Respectfully. yours,
BENZ. Y. WASHINGTON.
San Francisco, Jan. 20, 1sSS.
San Francisco, Jan. %, 1853.
DEAR SIR The mention Of my name among others
In your leading editorial Of Saturday for the seeming
purpose If supporting. from the tenor Of my speeches
during the last Presidential Campaign, the position
taken by You what may BE- termed the Douglas
side of the Kansas controversy, is my excuse ana
npoIogy for addressing you this. feel deeply and
scnsiby the Importance ofth ISSUE and M one would
be- more rjoccd than myself to hear that some COM
mon ground had been discovered upon which the
great National Democratic family might narmOni.
uusy meet. As ! view II, however, am chagrin'
ed to believe the issue Is much more serious than
YOU aud many " our friends are inclined to re-
gard it, 1t Is very true the President does not, IA
you say, in words. recommend the passage Ot n
law by Congress for the immediate admission If
Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution. Never
thrlcss, one can carefully prrl>e his clear, able
and elaborate prcscntat"n Of the case IN his Mcs-
sage and mistake his views in this particular. II was
unnecessary, ~ view II. for him 10 tell Congress
what their duty IN the premises. The question
was one familiar to the minds Of every reading man
IN the Union, and AN emphatic indication OF his
own views, in communicating the tactS ~ the case,
was all that necessary. This he gave, for he
distinctly says, the convention (lccnmltun were
bound by tcrs to submit any other portion ~ the
constitution to an election except that which relates
to the domestic institution uf slavery. ~ And
again, speaking Of the passage IL the kanSns'Nc-
hra>ka law, "ihcrc was no question then before Con
grrss has there since been any serious question
before the people Of Kansas or the country. except
that which relates to the domestic institution ~ sa
very. Having thus endorsed the legality of the ne
ton II the conventions he next indicates the result
which would follow if the matter is not now settled
For, "sh"uld this opportunity hr rejected She (kan-
sas) may he involved fnr years in domestic di>'"rd,
and P'~SiHHM "iW W"r. before she can again
make up the issue now suE',f"HdhiY rendered, and
again reach the point she has already attained
"Unlrr these circumstances, 1t may well bc qucs-
toned whether the peace and quiet 81 the whole
country lot of greater Importance than the mere
temporary triumph of either Of the political parties
Of Kansas" When, therefore, Senator Douglas
makes It AN ultmatum that the Who'll" subject should
be- referred back Ia the people 0f kahSa<. and that
h" will stand or fall hR that post or; seems I" me
that he and the President "dlrr' NOR thhn slight
ly." H. you would term it, But agliH.tf there were
any doubts as 10 the nature OF tiis difference HOOK
To your Democratic exchange throughout the c"un-
try Nuu will there find leader after leader alE 49,
say after essay upon the all absorbing topic Could
"a courtroom, DIM renee ot opinnl,, app" rc"in
mater al ISSUE awaken 50 marked anu viii" spread
an interest IN the public mindE l think not and
looking upon this difference rs II most serious and
mlo. tam one feel il Ia he the duty "f every Dem
urrat To- stand by the Pre- rnt in his earnest efforts
To Re- store peace aud quiet To the country by the i'm
mediate admission OF Kansas
agree with yuu when yuu say that "thr nrmocra.
cy of California mr., fully and unc,Iuivuraly pledged
Ia sustain the principles OF the knuSas-Nrhra>ka
act" ! also admit that |, with others whom you
name. did in the last Preside tial campaign. lin lam
gnagc strong. emphatic, unmStakablr, advocate the
same great principle IIut what great prime plrE-
at hcing he true intent amt mcdHiHH ofMiS "H
not To rgislatc - NEEN into any Stat" ar Territory
nor exclude IT tcrrirnm, hut I" leave the people
thereof perfectly free tn form and regulate their do.
nestle institutions. in THAR irtH. subject only
to the Constitution Of the United States" This is
the principle advocated then and II Is the prinrrr
advocate 1t is the great principle of noh'iH-
hrrTHfi0H upon which VIZ fought aud triumphcd nj
on the great Union battle field IN l>J6. Because i
believe IN this principle am "ppnsrd Congress i'll
I'm the iVtirr- nj k1uSus nj t~ tifc. Mr.
believe IN H. approve uf the position Of the
President in favor ~ her immediate admission. \
convention called in acc"r,laWe with law-clcctcd
by the people Of that TCrritory-nr hold with Gov
ernur Walker In his inaugural, that those who re-
fused to vote bound by the action Uf those who
did--and proceeding in the customary way, formed u
constitution and submitted the slavery clause alone
to the ut,tlnr vote. ffIrrr rutUV tn tsC uTHIItc
act of that Territory which required thrm tn h
than this. Neither was there anything Of the kind
In the act Of the local Legislature calling tine convcn
tion. The people acting through their legal repre-
| scntavcs, selected that way Of forming their do
nestle Institutions" 1t was ''thcir own way and
any interference the part Of Cungrt IS with that
way, except to ascertain whether the constitution
| adopted he republican in its features, would hc u
gross violation uf the doctrine 0f n0n-inttrvcntinn,
which in It's national aspect is the and substance
of what you term the great principle Of the Kansas
Nebraska act. That the whole constitution was not
submitted neither unprecedented nor unlI>,lal,--
In that way" more than half the states admitted
since the adoption Of the Federal Constitution firm
| ch THEN domestic Institutions, In that way" both
Illinois and Vermont, the native AMI adopted States
| Of Senator Douglas, formed their constitutions. 1t
will not do to contend, therefore, ut this late day,
that in the OF Kansas, alone such omission Was
! fatal
That am right in the view which have taken OF
the true meaning Of the Nebraska act In 50 lar
Us il has been made part Of the Democratic creed
glance at our last National PLATFORM, unanimously
| adopted ut Cincinnati will readily show. quote ii
part Of the FIRST and the whole Of tho second resulu-
| ton OH the subject OF slavery:
| "The American Democracy recognize and adopt
the princlcs contained IN the organic law nf the Ter
rtory OF Kansas aud Nebraska ny rmbudyng the only
sound and safe solution "f the slavery question upon
which the great national idea 0i the people of the
Vloiv rct~rrVt-
| tsn Of the Union uN-INrfRFEEfNcE ny c"NGRNS'
WITH SLAVERY IN STATE AND TERRITORY, On IN THE his
| TRltT ~ COLUMBIA.
| . That this was the basis Of the compromises o
| 1ShI-contrmcl by both the Democratic and Wing
| parties In national conventions ratified by the PEG
pie in the election Of lN'4-and rightly applied IL
the organization of territories in l>''4.'
| Here then, 1t will he seem that when you conf
IDENTITY appeal to the action of the last National Con
vrntiOn To sustain your position, you make All uur
| tunatr reference. 1t teaches -ntCriercncr-yot
teach lntcrierrnCc-it prucatmS the doctrine Ot non
| intervention you, that Ot mtcrvcniiOn-it Wuult
leave the prnplct regulate their institutions
"in their own wny'-you would compel them IL do i
in your way Neither does the platform Of the Ma
tiUna Convention nor do any nf the speeches, so TAI
rs l haze rrad-and have read all Of Senator Doug
las and most Of the other leading ones made upon
the Kansas Nebraska law-Say one word about ia,
people being compelled to vote upon their stitu
ton. The only discussion that was ever elected by
was In reference to the subject 0f slavery, and even
on that there IL nothing, In my opinion, In the Kan
sas.Nrbraska act making II II sine 1Hd non, that i
should be submitted To the decision 0t popular vote
Our government Is not pure but representative
Democracy aud the people can act rs legally through
representatives ns Of themselves. Senator bougla
himself admits, In his reply to Senator Green. that h
could easily conceive II case In which he would vot'
to receive constitution unrntitlcd by II vote Of thu
| people. lie admits ton that an enabling act can b.
| dispensed with by Congress. With these admission
the whole subject resolves itself into one of party pol
| icy and eNpe,rncy. In that view whatever nigh
| h. my private opinions ns to what the lcconptOn Con
vention should have done, would sustain AN homes
patriotic and Democratic Administration, backed b.
an overwhelming majority Of our National Democrat
ic representatives, against the combintd bitter AM
virulcnt opposition of an unscrupu"us enemy
| When see one hundred thousand copies of Sprcc
delivered by Democrat bought and circulated broad
east through the land by such AN enemy. my instinct
teach me that there ls mischief in il. am sorry L
add that upon pCrusal of senator Douglas speech
| my reason teaches me the same thing. Do not uIi
dCrsand, however, that question the patriotism u
| Democracy Of that distinguished gentleman. TIL
| columns Of the Times ant TidHS,J ipt when undo
my control will show that he has had in me warn
and enthusiastic admircr. For that very reason AZ
| the more chagrncd at the course n sense Of duty,
have no doubt, has compelled him to take ! hope h
may awake to the error Of his way. In the languag
| OF another, "the Democracy cannot afford to los
him, nor can he afford to lose the confidence OF til
| Democracy"
You intimate that the Presidents plan Of adjust
ment would result In forcing constitution "upOn tn
people against their will" How do you know am
how IL Congrcsst to know that this 'oud follOwS Tn
prescriptions are always ON the side Oi the genuine
| ness of an official act, convention, Onvencd Il
accordance with Inv, frame constitution purpoitin
to reflect the will Of the people. What right have yO