The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-09-17
Criticisms Oh Mr.. Douglas, Essay.

The New York Eccning Post, the ablest
Republican paper in the Union, in re
view of Mr. Douglas article IN HaJpers
Magazine, says it is an exceedingly elabo-
rate, minute and closely reasoned docu-
ment. 1t declares it to be n keen and Wig
orous defense of popular sovereignty.
The National Ittsikiga,cer, also one Of the
ablest of the opposition prints, criticiscs
the article in the same spirit of fairness,
and pronounces it a clear and able exposi
ton of the views of its distinguished ALL
thor as consistently maintained by him
for the last ten years, on the great question
of which it treats. In disgraceful contrast
with the high tone and candor Of such
critscisms stands the mode in which the
essay is CARRIED and perverted by such Re
publican journals Of small caliber as the
| Ilino;s Journal Chicago Dsa.ocrat, Press, DC.
/ Take, as a specimen, the following which
| appears as editorial in all Of them:
! in speech made at New Orleans on
! the 9th day o? last December, Judge Doug
/ las used the following language:
The Democracy Of OF Illinois, in the
first place, accept the decision of the SUI
| pre!ne Court OF the United States In the
I case of bred Scott as an authoritative III
depreciation of the Constitution. In &C
cordauce with that decision, we hold that
slaves are property, and hence on an equal
ty with all other kinds Of property; and
the owner OF slave has the same right &c
move into Territory and carry his slave
property with him, as the owner OF any
ether property has 10 go there and carry
liis property.
Ii we accept this as authoritative, what
becomes of the Judges principle Of VII
friendly legislation, and the doctrine @
his Harper Manifesto? In the latter h.
declares that the Constitution does not car
~ slavery to the Territories, while ct New
Orleans he dstictly declared that it did.
According to his declaration at New Or
leans, the Constitution places the quest OF
of slavery above the Legislature and thu
, people Of the Territories, bat according u
the Harper Manifesto it does not.
Now look at the dishonesty Of all this
In the Very paragraph from which tbs
above extract from the New OrlGan
speech is taken, occurs also the following
"AIl citizens of the United States, Il,
matter whether they came from the mort!
or south, from free State or slave State
can enter Territory with their propery,
on an equal footing.
Bat, / G1prehc"d. rhea vou arrsre HGt
you are SUBJECT TO TEE LOCAI
=. LAW
This latter clause, so shamefully omitted
, in the above garbled extract, contains III
, marrow Of the whole matter. In New Oh
leans, in 1857, in Illinois in ISIS, and e,
: erywhere, indeed, Nr. D. has held tn
same language. He accepts the Dret Scot
| decision without qualification, that undo
the Constitution the slave holder has tn
- same right to carry his slaves into I'll
: Territories that the Illinoisian hss to tax
, his horses there; but that when ono
: there both horses and slaves are alik
subject 10 the local iI,c." The point COZ
tended for is that neither the Constitutio
! nor the bred Scott decision as interpreter
a it, gives slave property any higher rank {
y degree than any other property. This h
n always been Mr.. Douglas position; this
T.. the position he Celebrates and foytities
= the Harper essay. and this Is all. II
. essay contains nothing new except the liz
: OF argument by which he supports the ?
sitiou.