Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-09-06
The Democracy of New Jersey and
The douglas Heresy.o

The Union and american thinks ii has dis
covered an Inconsistency in our denuneialion
of the DOUGLAS beresies of the New Jersey
Democratic platform. 1t copies one OF the
resolutions which constitute that platform.
and denies that it approves squatter sovereign
ty, but asserts that it does take ground against
Congressional Intervention, :" position
which the PATRIOT itself advocated less than
one month ago. If The Union and AaaeicC1a
had examined the whole platform before it
wrote, it would have ascertained that our
reference was not to the resolution which
IL quotes. Possibly we were not sufficiently
explicit. We shall try to be more SO now.
The following is the resolution which, in our
opinion, contains the DOUGLAS heresy of
squatter sovereignty:
.sThe Democracy of New Jersey, by their
delegates in Convention assembled, readopt
and declare anew their adherence to the Gin
cinnati platform. and to the great Democratic
doctrine of popular sovereignty, constituting
their doctrine as understood by and interpre-
ted in the Democratic State Convention of
this State, held in August, 1856, and as in
terpreted by President Buchanan, in his letter
accepting the Democratic nomination for the
Presidency, in which he said, The recent leg
islation of Congress respecting domestic
slavery (meaning the NebraskaKansas acD
derived, as it has been. from the original and
pure fountain of legitimate aud political
power. the will of the majority, promises,
ere long, to allay the daGgero excitement.
This legislation is founded upon principles as
ancient as free government itself, and, in ac-
cOrdance with them, has simply declared that
the people Of Territory, Ike those Of State,
shall decide for themselves whether slavery
shall or shall not exist within their limits"
The Interpretation given, north. to the
Cincinnati Platform, with its great demo-
cratic doctrine of popular sovereignty, was
that the people of territory, whilst in a
territorial condition, have jurisdiction over
the question of slavery, aud can abolish or
establish slavery, as they may deem proper
that, ike the people of State, they possess
all authority over the subject. The citation
in tne above resolution from The letter OF Mr..
BUCHANAN accepting the nomination for the
Pr sidency, is, upon almost all occasions, re-
ferred to in support of the doctrine OF
squatter sovereignty by its advocates. Mr.
DOUGLAS, during his canvass with LINCOLN
last year, repeatedly sustained his position
by quoting it. The Democracy of New
Jersey, in patching up truce between the
two wings of the party, adopted the above
resolution, with full knowledge of the manner
Ia " uIcn il would be constru d, and, like
tn brethren in Maine. meant that it should
C ,mmit them to squatter, or popular
sovereignty" as they prefer to term it. In
condemning and denouncing them for this, as
suusUund and rotten TO the CORE" We are
not condemning and denouncing their oppo-
sitiOn to Congressional Intervention, nor are
we lat war with ourselves"
Having placed the PATRIOT right, We
would be gratified 10 have the views OF
tle1 UIdon and A'aericdn upon all the resolu-
t. us OF the New Jersey platform relative To
slavery issues. Docs our contemporary APP
psvve the resolution which We have cited
a,ove? Does it approve the resolution cited
it It's article ol Sunday. against Congression-
a. Intervention. The latter is d matter OF
ilr. rect to all who look TO it for an exposi-
tio OF democratic policy aud principles.
The Nj, mpbis appeal approves, whilst the 40
d'aHAe cond mus, the resolution, and calls
the convention which adopted it, a .'quas,
abo ,ou meeting" Does the Uiiion and
American side With the appeal or the AuaLdnche?
Do II approve the resolution which " deep
1y regrets and emphatically disapproves of
tn attempts now being made to build up
p ty in favor OF revising the abumInable
a d inhuman foreign slave trade, and repeal
X the laws of the land enacted against it,
aid earnestly desires that those laws may be
rlgidly enforced" We have never learned
where the Union and American stands on these
questions and no doubt the public, as well
~ ourselves. would like TO know its position.