Daily national Democrat., 1859-03-11
Douglas with the Administration.

The following is from the leader of Bu-
chan, Gwin & Cos organ, the San Francisco
National, of March 9th;
The PAST CONTROVERSY. The greatest no.
ltical cause which has appeared at the bar
of public opinion, for years past, was the case
Buchanan vs. Douglas Our views with ref
erence to its merits, were freely and decided
y expressed during its pendency. While we
upheld the doctrine of popular sovereignty
"squatter sovereignty" (or whatever sover-
eighty the enemies of the principle denom-
nate it, in its most comprehensive sense we
could not approve the course of Senator
Douglas at that juncture We believed him
to be mainly right In the abstract, and if, as
he asserted his personal honor demanded
vindication of that principle as he viewed it,
at all hazards, we can excuse, but deprecate
the manner in which he thought proper to
attempt that vindication. No mans iudg-
ment is infallible in the correctness of its con
cluslons, and it seems to lis the Little Giant
might well have paused and abstained from
running muck" against the administration,
when he found SO large majority of his
tried political friends and compeers in the IT,
5. Senate arrayed against him. But even ar
rogating to himself indisputable accuracy of
| conception, and concluding, as he must have
done, that all "the rest of the world and the
balance of mankind" were wrong, and he
alone DaS right, we think, that he should have
been less infleXible in his advocacy of dbStrac-
tons The very nature of politics is opposed
TO such intangible theories for politics con-
sists of a system Of laws adapted to the end,
whether those laws are morally correct or
otherwise. None but dreamers imagine NOR
al, and political science, to be nearly akin
Expediency constitutes the marrow of the
latter-it is n foreign element to the former
The end to be attained in the instance to
which we refer, was the peace Of the country
That accomplished, the steps whereby it was
attained became, on the instant, steps of pro
prety along the pathway of political virtue
These were the views of Mr.. Buchanan he
correctly deemed the preservation of the
Union, more conducive to our welfare as
people, than the existence of the Territory of
Kansas were every foot of its area pregnant
with gold and jewels. Again, we say he was
right That unfortunate region has become
the rendezvous of hot heads and malcontents
from every section of the confederacy. And
better far, would it be for the prosperity of
the thirty millions of their fellow citizens, in
the other States and Territories, that they
should improvse a Hegira further westward,
and link their fortunes with Brigham Young
and his horde of zealots, than to continue, as
they have DONE ard scatter their apples of
discord broadcast, throughout the land.
A statesman of expansive ideas, and learn
ed in the art of welding supremacy, Mr. Bu-
chanan knew that governments could only be
preserved by such means He proposed the
transient negation of political doctrine, to
accomplish the demolition of sectionalism,
and the triumph of the Union. These are
our opinions on this subject, briefly express
ed Although we cannot yet resolve to os.
tracise Douglas, Walker and others, from fu-
ture political co operation with the democ-
racy yet we admonish them and their fol-
lowers in all kindness, to beware where
they stand, lest they fall" They have not
yet committed the objectionable sim but
their steps are tending towards the altar of
democracy, on whose sanctifed horns they
are unwittingly preparing, or being prepared
to lay unholy hands. Let them stay their
course, and reflect before they farther go.
1t is plain to be seen, from the foregoing,
that Senator Douglas and "Old Buck" are
chummies.