The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-25
The Charleston Conventi0n-The Dau4Ias
Manifests,-Ihs Wise and Wood Comblna-

The Charleston C"nve"tion--The Dausia.
manifesto-xhc Wise and Wood Combina-
ton.
The frank, bold aud unmistakeable position Of
Mr. Douglas as declared in his Washington ma
nifesto of Wednesday last, in reference to the
Cha,i Convention, relieves us of every
doubt SO tar IA he is involved as a Presidential
candidate. He will accept the Charleston no
mlnation with his platform of local popular
sovereignty over the subject of slavery ia the
Territories; but if the Convention shall iuterpo
late into the party creed such new issues as the
revival of the African slave trade or Congress
sonai slave code for tue Territories. or the doc
uine that the constitution of the United States
either establishes or prohibits slavery in the Ter
ritories beyond the power Of the people Terri
toriaD TO control it as other property then he
will not accept the nomination il rendered to
sim.
This is the ultimatum of Mr.. Douglas. He
has seen enough Of the slippery tricks Of these
party conventions, and will 40 logger trast
them. These, be says, are my principles
Adopt them, and am with you-reject them
and l am against you. This is fair, and We
rather like the movement, because it cuts down
the trailing and juggling of these convention
tricksters to very narrow margin. Mr.. Doug
las does not intend again to risk the chances of
being sold out for mess of pottage. A new
feature is thus introduced into the arbitrary aud
dictatorial conventions, which reads to us like
decree setting them aside aud superseding them
through the Independent movements Of the va.
rious candidates.
This Interpretation will also apply to the
movements in Virginia aud New York, which
cur readers will fnd disclosed in the extracts
which we give in this paper from the Richmond
Enquirer and the New York Daily Ners in behalf
Of Governor Wise as the proper democratic can
didate for the succession. 1t will thus be seen
that these two organs, the one under the control
Of Governor Wise, and the other under the con-
troll of Fernando Wood play into each others
hands with very "hAppy accord" Among the
men Of the North, Governor Wise can 'reco gaise
no man as better entitled to the honor lot the
Charleston Convention) than is Daniel S. Dickn-
son, Of New York;" to which Fernando Wood
lis well and truly represented by Governor
Wise," and that "no man, of either section, has
done SO much to suppress the slave trade as he"
This is good Northern capital for the Cover
nor, and it is also urged by the News that his
Southern platform does not embrace slave code
for the Territories, nor anything Of the sort
But we find that it does embrace the doctrine
that whenever, in any of the Territories, the
safety of slave persons or the rights Of slave
property are unconstitutionally assailed, it is
the power and duty Of Congress to interpose
for their protection. We also find, that as
Governor Wise holds that the Territorial autho-
rites have no right to legislate against slavery
he would consider any such local legislation au
unconstitutional assault upon slave persons aud
property. This doctrine is covered up by the
Richmond Enquirer, but it is laid down in the
lengthy Stamford manifesto very broadly. Aud
so, while according to the Enquirer and the Ncrs
Governor Wise has mounted the identical plat
form of Douglas, there is really chasm between
them as wide and deep as that of the Niagara
river at the suspension bridge.
Here it is-Mr. Douglas maintains that on this
subject Of slavery in Territory the power be
longs only to the people of the Territory by
friendly or unfriendly local legislation" illegal.
ly to control it as other property" Governor
Wise contends tina. the Territorial authorities arc
| bouna 80 protect slavery, and that where they
fail 10 10 so Congress must interpose. Tns
nice distinction puts Douglas on the north and
Wise CT u sm'h side Of the slavery line. Each
has gone The full length of his tether to be safe
at home. Thus, then, they must stand before the
Conventions; and upon this issue the contest 10
New York and elsewhere for the Charleston
delegates will turn. The issue, thus emphat
cally made up by Douglas, will admit Of no dodg s.
ing at Charleston; and, as matters now stand
with the adoption of the platform, the Southern
or the Northern wing Of the party will be cut of
close to the shoulder.
Thus, between Douglas and Wise, the Conven.
ton is forestalled, aud all the other candidates
Of the party are invisible under this cloud
Their pretensions and movements are positive
ly ridiculous under the shadow of this terrible
ultimatum of Douglas. The Southern democra.
| cy cannot edge up to it, for if they attempt i,
they will be cut off by the flank movement Of
the Southern opposition under their new organi
cation as strong pro-slavery party. Nothing
in the strategy Of Napoleon at the battle of Ma
genta is superior to this stratagem of the South
ern opposition movement which drives the
Southern democracy into corner, or compels
them to risk the loss Of half the Southern
States.
In this critical position nothing can save tho
democracy but general movement into ths
citadel of the administration of Mr.. Buchanan
Here they may be saved Tie administration
strong, and having cleared Off the mass OF rub
bish which obstructcd its progress in the Out
set, it has now an open highway before it. Il
the new Congress, in the face of an opposition
majority, it will be stronger than in the last
when it had demoralized democratic majorit,
to contend with And TINS he Nav nayt This