Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-14
TIE PROGRESS OF MIR. DOUGLAS

TIE PROGRESS OF MR.. DOUGLAS"
1t is of the highest importance that Repub-
licans should understand the position of Sena-
tor Douglas. But this requires careful study
of his speeches, and of those especially which
he has delivered in the Senate. Not long
since, in reply to our inquiry by letter, he re-
ferred us to his speech made in the Senate last
February, as the most explicit and reliable
statement of his views. Will our friends of
the Springfield Republican allow us to recall
that speech to their attention ? He says him.
self that it tells precisely what he meant, and
call he meant" in his celebrated Freeport
speech. The speech at Freeport was deliver
ed while he was canvassing for reelection to
the Senate, and it bore considerable resem-
blance to his recent speeches in Ohio.
If Mr.. Douglas would, unequivocally, and
without reserve, take his stand on the old Re-
publican doctrine. that slarary ca" neither claim
nor haze any right to erst wittout the special Wdr
rant Of local Ia,c, we would be among the first
to proclaim the fact, But he has not done So
nor can he do SO without repudiating the very
basis of his present doctrine in regard to
squatter sovereignty. In that Senate speech,
to which he has referred us, he upholds the
bred Scott decision and states his position as
follows eve meaning himself and Senator
Brown of Mississippi agree that under the
decision of the Supreme Court of the United
States, the owner of slave has the same
right to emigrate to territory and carry his
slave property with him as the owner of any
other species of property has to move there
and carry his property with him." And he
reiterates the point that a slave owners right
to hold slaves in a territory is precisely like
his right to hold oxen, cows, and sheep.
Mr.. Douglas does not admit that any terrific
riol legislature can have a right to abolish sla-
very. According to him, all that such legis-
iature can co is, to omit protective legislation
in its favor, and show unfriendliness to the in
stitution. The great point of his doctrine the
point with which he confrives to bewilder some
minds in the North, is that sLaueyy cannot lire
aohere there is no local legislation in its titvor In
his addresses to Northern auditors, he confines
himself chiefly to this point, and leaves many
doctrine of popular sovereignty. And yet this
position itself is merely an unwarranted as
sumption, against reason, against facts, and
against the whole history of slavery. There
is not slave State in the Union whose history
does not contradict this theory and laugh it to
scorn there is not one such State where sla-
very did not go in and exist securely without
the aid of local law. 1t came in originally as
a freebooter, pirate, and, in all cases, contriv-
ed to live and thrive until it grow to be the su-
preme power.
The doctrine of Mr.. Douglas gives slavery
propagandism an advantage which it never had
before. He allows slavery right to go into
the territories, gives it there the protection of
the federal constitution, and then, in the face
of all history and fact, says with a sober coun-
tenance that it cannot live in the territories
without local legislation in its favor. He de.
clares that the right to hold slaves as property
in territory is the same as the right to hold
any other property and then he asks us to be-
lieve that it will die there Immediately If the
territorial legislature does not favor it. Is it
surprising that those who carefully consider
the matter cannot accept his views? 1t was
in favor of these views that he moved
and carried repeal of the Missouri Compro-
mise That repeal was demanded on the
ground that, the existence of slavery being au-
thorized in the territories by the federal con-
stitution, any enactment prohibiting slavery is
unconstitutional. The bred Scott case was
a political maneuver contrived in connection
with that measure in order to get the show of
judicial sanction for it, In view of all this.
how absurd it is to inquire doubtfully whether
Mr.. Douglas endorses the bred Scott decis-
ion Endorse it He is one of its chief
contrivers.
Perhaps it was excusable to be misled in re.
gard to what the Illinois senator meant by
popular sovereignty, when he was canvassing
for reelection to the Senate. His speeches at
that time were calculated to mslead and it is
very certain that a few Republican journals
were so bewildered as to do considerable harm
to our friends i'll Illinois He afterwards ex-
planned his meaning in such a manner as to re-
move this bewilderment very efIectually,
That explanation will serve as well for his
recent speeches in Ohio. Is it not wise, and
also very needful, at the present time, to re-
member what has happened and carefully
avoid repeating that harmful error? 1t is not
well for Republicans to aid the purpose for
which such speeches are delivered He who
was foremost in repeating the Missouri Com
promise in order that slavery might be estab-
lished in Kansas and Nebraska, has not
changed either his doctrines or his meaning.
His position is to-day just what it was when he
carried that measure. So he tells us, and the
fact is undeniable
PoLITIcAL.-The Republicans of Boston
held their first general caucus at Chapman
Hall, Monday evening. Fifty-fve delegates
at large were chosen to the State Convention,
among whom are Moses Kimball, John A.
Andrew, Charles NJ, Ellis, Geo. Sumner, 10
siah Quincy, Jr., Carl Heinsen Adolphe Douai,
Jacob Sleeper, Geo. Morey, +. Is. Crownin.
shield, and others. Mr. Josiah Durham
moved that the delegates be instructed to vote
Tor Gov. Banks. But as the motion excited
some OnDOgtinn t.J III,