The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1859-07-09

the unOccupied soil of the country of right
belongs to its active, energetic, and free
laboring men. They have no right, and
no desire, to disturb the relations of mas
ter and slave in the State where it exists,
but they insist that every consideration
of right and duty demands the reeogni-
ton of the claims of free labor to our vast
and unoccupied Territories.
Has Mr.. Douglas placed himself in a
position to secure the confidence of the
friends Of free labor? We think not. He
BIAS declared that the general government
must at least stand neutral in the great
struggle between freedom and slavery for
the possession of our country. He has
proclaimed that he has no choice between
the two, no sympathy for the one, more
than for the other The Jeffersonian doc
trine of prohibition of slavery he discards.
As working man and a friend of schools,
and railroads, and telegraphs, and of all
the blessings that flow from free labor, we
cannot approve his position. We very
well comprehend the circumstances that
have forced him to occupy his present
neutral ground. He has been, and is yet
an ardent Democratic politician He is
ambitious of the Presidency. He has
seen his party gradually but certainly
going over to the slave power At the
last Presidential election he saw nearly
all the South on one side, and the great
mass of the free North on the other. He
IS painfully impressed with the conviction
that TO secure the support of the South
he must not stand by the cause of free la
Dor, aud free territory. At the same time
he is equally impressed with the fact that
If he stands upon the platform of the
Southern Democracy, if he Endorses the
bred Scott decision, with all its logical
consequences, if he admits that slavery is
carried by the Constitution into all the
Territories and that neither Congress nor
the people of the Territories have the
power to prohibit it; if he insists that
Congress must legislate to protect slavery
in the Territories; in short, if he adopts
the views and principles of the present
administration on this subject, he will for
ever destroy all hopes of support from the
people Of the free States, and without
some of these States he cannot be elected
to the Presidency. He is therefore com
PEELED 10 take what he regards as a mid
die course. He is forced to declare his
} neutrality in this struggle. By it he hopes
to secure both sections and interests. But
he sadly undertakes the intelligence of the
people. The signs of the times very plain
, ly indicate that he is making no progress
in the South, while all the elections at
the North as plainly show that the peo-
pie have no sympathy with his views and
: policy.
1t is in our judgment idle for Mr..
Douglas, or any other man, to hope fol
success by lodging the great question
that underlies all these struggles. We
, have no love or sympathy for the mere
| agitator. We neither have, nor profess 9
special regard for the negro race. We
shall not be dragged into the(discussior
of the abstract rights of the blacks, or o.
+ the sinfulness of slavery. With that We
have nothing to do. The Constitution
has placed all control of the subject will
the States where it exists, and there We
shall leave it. Ifthey prefer to cling tc
/ 1t, with all its clogs to material progress
t and to moral, social and intellectual adj
E vancement, we may regret it, but upon
/ them be the penalty. We simply regard
/ rights and interests of the great masses
the free white laboring men of the coun
try. The destiny of the Republic is il
t their hands. They hold the power tt
I make and to unmake our rulers and t.
C shape the policy which shall control tn,
affairs of the nation. 1t is our pleasur,
\ now, as it has ever been, to do what W.
$ can to advance the interests of this largt
e and powerful class. By so doing we con
= ceive we are also promoting the very bes
/ interests of our common country. WI
y look to the future, and we feel convic
ton that every good cause connected will
: society and human progress will be adj
:. vauced 10y placing our Territories in tn
: control of freemen, and making them
!. like our own glorious Ohio, the homes 0
II people, where labor is honored aud re
spected, and where the blessings of fire.
# schools, and all the attendants of our sys
It tenn of society shall 60 hand in hanC
= with their material prosperity TO the en-,
IS of time.
o No careful observer has failed to not
If that the great struggle for the supremac
q in this Union between these two opposin
e elements, is now upon us. The repeal G
! the Missouri Compromise; the passage O
o the Kansas Nebraska bill; the startlin
If heresies of the bred Scott decision tn
g Lecompton policy of the Government
/. the demand for Congressional Legislation
/ in favor of slavery in the Territories, an
! tha ,1r,nt.,ol &c h. -
L slave trade in the South, all go to demon
I strate that the friends of free labor mus
v stand by their cause, or be prepared t
# see all the power and influence of the ma
# tional government exerted against then
o We think they should assert their right:
"a and assume as they can and should do,
i controlling influence in shaping our dc
y mestic policy. Mr.. Douglas has show
that he is not the man to lead this move
It ment. He has no sympathy for it, an
Al the masses of our freemen have lost conf
, dence in him. He is therefore set asid
y as unsuited for the leadership in the Pre-:
Ie idential campaign of 1860
u MEssRs. SEWARD, HUNTER, COBB, FRENoN-
e CRITTESDEN, BANKS, FEssENDEN, sc.
4 The Hon. WIN. II. SEWARD, of Ne
r York, is beyond question the ablest ma
IS in the Senate of the United States. !
lie the days of the Wing party he was or
Of of its pillars. At the earliest organize
d ton of the Republican party, be took b
ar stand in lis ranks, and has ever RENAME
one of its firmest supporters. He has I
lie sympathy with the american movement
D. and has taken occasion in his speeches
70 the Senate to say some severe things
IS. them. This has created strong feelir
a. against him on the part of many Of Il
st old Wings of that State who took an a
Of tive part in the American organizatio
re It is well known that Mr. FILLMoRE ar
m his personal friends entertain anythiI
s bat kindly sentiments towards him b
" his sympathy with the great free lab
% and free territory party which. since 185
Of has been gradually forming in the cou
Id try, is decided and outspoken He b
sy never wavered on this issue, and can