The Nevada Democrat., 1859-01-12
The Onslaught upon Douglas.

In regard to the reported onslaught upon
Senator Douglas, special dispatch to the New
York Tribune of Dec. 9th says:
The action of the Senatorial caucus in re-
moving Mr.. Douglas from the Craftsmanship of
the Committee on Territories has created the
greatest excitement. 1t is regarded as demon
strating the intention of the Democratic leaders
to adhere to the extreme pro-slavery policy
adopted at the last session-to reduce the Anti
Lecompton men to the position of q faction
and to drive them from the party. A leading
Southern Senator said to-day that they had
temporized long enough, and that they had
concluded to drive Douglas out of the party.
The South will tolerate no halfway position.
The Anti-Lecompton Democrats express deep
indignation at the treatment which Douglas
has received Broderick was not invited to
the caucus, and is considered as having been
formally read out of the party. Seward. on
hearing the result of the caucus, remarked that
it was the best illustration that could possibly
be given of the truth of his statement that there
was an irrepressible conflict between freedom
and slavery. 1t was greater outrage, politi-
cally speaking. than the attempt to force Kan
sas into the Union as a slave State because it
indicated setteled determination to tolerate
no diversity of opinion upon any measure which
the South demanded. The Anti-LeCOmpton
Democrats declare that they will not submit
Douglas said recently that be meant to contin-
ue the fight with the Administration to the end.
The movement of his friend Morris of Illinois.
in the House to day, in favor of free trade and
popular sovereignty, is understood to be an
Anti-Admnstration demonstration. Jefferson
Davis and Slidell led the attack on Douglas in
the caucus. There we're only seven votes for
Douglas. They were thrown by Shields, Stuart
Clingham, Brown. Tombs, Green and Bigler.
These seven Senators protested against the ex-
clusion of Douglas as suicidal to the party.
The debate lasted from helfpast ten in the
morning to late hour this afternoon, with an
hours recess from twelve to one O'Clock, for a
session of the Senate. Great bitterness was
manifested, and Toombs left the caucus in dis
gust, while the discussion was at its hight. 1t
seems pretty certain that Hunter will be the
Administration candidate for the nomination of
The Charleston Convention. The President has
recently expressed himself strongly in favor of
Hunters nomination.
The following version is given in the special
dispatch of the New York Times of the same
date:
The war against Judge Douglas. excluding
him from the Craftsmanship of the Committee
on Territories, was success in caucus to-day,
and will be copsumated in the Senate to-mor-
row. tho ugh not without struggle. The eau
Gus had good time over his exclusion. Sill
dell was generalssmo of the forces, and Bright
the lieutenant. There was no concealment of
the fact that this action was had at the Presi-
dents bidding. At the same time, portion
of those who obeyed the mandate professed to
do SO because Douglas is expected to be absent
until January, Others manfuly declared their
votes to be decided by the fact that Douglas
holds to the power of Territorial Legislature
| to exclude slavery, while the South claims that
slavery cannot be prohibited until after the
Territory shall have been admitted as a State
into the Union. Toombs, Brown of Mississippi
! johnson of Tennessee, Shields. Clingham and
others, opposed the movement. Brown remind
ed the caucus that the rejection of Van Buren's
nomination to the London Mission made him
President, and warned his fellow Democrats to
beware of the result of their present action.
The proposition. however, was carried-17 to
| 7. The fact that Green, who takes Douglas
place, was his antagonist on the Kansas ques-
ton, last year. make this action the more sig
nifcant. Green himself voted against this
effort TO degrade Douglas. Senator Broderick
was not invited into the caucus, and several
others absented themselves-among them Sena-
tor Hammond.
The Washington correspondent of the St.
Louis Republican, writing Dec. 10th, says:
"The lick struck at Judge Douglas in the
Senatorial caucus will give him additional
strength before the people. The Democratic
Senators in caucus have overslaughed him as
Chairman of the committee on Territories, and
it is said in obedience to commands from high
er authority 1t was not, however, without
struggle. Senators Brown, of Mississippi; Fitz-
patrick, of Alabama, and Green, of Missouri.
resisted it to the last. The contest was bitter.
but the opponents of lhe movement were over
come by numbers and had to yield. The coun-
try will recognize the hand that strikes the
blow at Senator Douglas, and win be prompt
to resent it,