Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-11-24
DAVIS on DOUGLAS.

Another charge preferred against him was
that he had made speech, at Bangor, in Maine,
in which he had avowed the odiOus doctrine of
squatter sovereignty and an extract from the
alleged speech, torn from its context, had been
produced to sustain the charge. He had never
made speech in Bangor of any kind, nor had
he ever at any time uttered any sentiment
which could fairly be construed into reeogni-
tion by him of the doctrine that a Teritorial
Legislature could affect in any way the statuts
of slavery-a doctrine worse even than the
Wilmot Proviso, and against which he had
warred ever since it had been broached. Mr..
Douglas in his recent canvass for the United
States Senate in Illinois, had seized upon this
alleged passage from speech never made, and
had claimed that his own sentiments delivered
in his speech at Freeport were identical with
those prOmulged in that paragraph. Mr.. Doug
las well knew that his (Mr. DavisD deliberately
expressed opinion on this subject in the Senate
of the United States, expressed in debates with
Mr.. Douglas himself, in which he had forced
Mr.. Douglas to abandon the doctrine as unten-
able, were the very reverse of those attributed
now to him; and that in his Portland speech he
had SO expressed himself He thought the very
reverse of Mr.. Douglas. He considered Mr.
Douglas opinions as Objectionable as those of
his adversary Mr.. Lincoln. They were both
equally destructive of the rights of the South,
both at war with the Constitution, and with his
friend, the editor of the Mississippian, he would
have been glad if they had made Kilkenny
fight of it, and neither had been left to proclaim
victory.
UCHANAN-INDIc IcATIoNs-DIsUNIoN.
He declared his firm conviction of the fidelity
of the present Chief Magistrate to the Constitu
tion to be unimpaired; that he would never re-
cede one inch from his present stand, but on the
contrary would, if need required take step for
ward That the clear indications were that the
Black Republicans would have the majority in
the next Congress, and would thus control the
legislation of the States; that in his opinion
their policy would be to have such multiplied |
ty ofeandiGates for the Presidency, to prevent
a choice by the people, and thus they would Sc
cure, by an election by the House, one of their
own men. That if this should be so, or if they |
should elect a President by vote of the people,
the question would be presented what should |
the South dol For his part he had but one an
swer to give. When that happened; when the |
Government was in hostile hands; when the |
Presidency and the houses Of legislation were
controlled by the enemies of the South, he lUas
for asserting the independence Of Mississippi; |
he leas for immediate l1ithdraloaL from the Union
sEwARD-MINNIE RIFLEs-cAENoE.
Already, that arch-enemy of the South, VIM. |
H. Seward, has proclaimed war upon the insti-
tuition of slavery itself In his recent speech at
Rochester, he had declared that there was d. |
rect irreconciIable antagonism between free and |
slave labor This was not true. In the South |
we are an agricultural people, and our soil and |
productions were suited alone for slave labor, |
and no such antagonism existed; but with |
such sentiments, aEowed by the most powerful |
leader of the enemies of the South, and their |
probable success, it behooyed the South to take /
instant and active measures to put themselves
in a state of preparation. He adrised them to
turn their old lauskets into Minnie rifles, prepare
poicder, shot, she'll ammunition of all kinds, and
f0rtifcati0ns, so as to be ready against any emer
geney. Get skilled artifeers teho could cast san
non, make gun S an manufacture all the neceSSa-
ry implements of toaJare; that this loas but the
part Of prudent Precaution.
THE EFFECT-soUTHE HERN BRAvADo.
It's effect would be to strengthen and not
weaken the bonds of the Union to cement and
not separate the States. IF the North saw and
felt that We were in earnest, and would not
permit aggression beyond certain point, they
would cease their efforts That for his part,
while he was Senator in the United States and
IL - H.