Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1859-11-16
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SENATOR DOUGLAS AND JUDGE BLACK.

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SENATOR bOUGLAS AND JUDGE BLACK.
4 49, - No. 8. 80 ,-'
In our last vs. promised few thoughts upon the
much mootcd question of the power ~ we'll ~ duty
Of Congress to leglate for the protection Of slavery
in the territories.
We will, in the first place, preface our remarks
by general review Of the aspect Of the case as seen
in the different phases which the subject has been
made to assume b. the champions on both SUES
The hack Republicans contend that there l. no"
an ire IRE ,She conflict between opposing an" e'.
during forces" and which must be continue" 9nt''
either the one or the other shall have attained inc
mastery. lie.
This is. ut once, proclaming "war to the knife,
and thu knife to the hilt" against the Constitution
rs it is: for, mark vou they deny not the const'tt-
tional rights of the South hut contend that there IS
n power behind the throne stronger than the throne
ITSELF and they trace this to emanatc from the high
er law"
With such fanaticsm as this We have too much
selfreSpect to argue for the imagination and rot
the Judgment sustans the conclusions ut which they
have arrived; but nevertheless, these very concli-
sions should not be overlooked for they arc cone,-
sions. and conclusions Of the most fearful import,
unless they be guarded against.
There is a second party. with Senator Douglas NJ
their head, Who although they deny the p"wert'
bird the throne and tram:'lc under their feet with
scornful dsdain, the "hisher law doctrine and ap
peal to the Constitution. and to the Constitution
alone as their standard of action and their rule Of
government vet with their construction Of il, it looks
ito saw the least Of D to the attainment Of the same
ultimate object, but 10y different means.
Yes, it looks to that with which the Wing party
cha, ged John C. Calhoun" unhanking hank by
q bank, "-breaking down a constitutional govern
ment by the Constitution itself
The leader of this party. although hitherto Dem
orat, and who. in many well fought battle, has
stood up manfully for the constitutional rights Of
the South, vet, so far as this question is now in
volvcd occupies equivocal position, and is "sor-
ter so So and sorter not So" yet, upon the prin-
ciple that man looks to the consequences Of his
own acts, he is $50 &" all the Time and now occu
pies the unenviabe position of not having the moral
courage to carry out the honest convictions OF his
oft expressed judgment
II, in this attempt to sail between the two shoals
he should find himself stranded up'n both, let him
not complain, 1.-THE thorns that prick him are Of the
tree he planted" They have and will pierce him,
and he must and will bleed
There is third party, which may be dcnomina-
ted the Democratic party proper. ("f the ""Pposi-
ton party do not speak, for as they have no open
Irrational" organization and exist only in name, it
would be uncharitablc in the extreme to npute SEN
timents t. them which they did not hold and par
ticularly so to that portion Of them in North Caro-
lima, for if Understand their recent programme"
there is nothing Objectionable in it. for it is Dem"c
racy in the commencement in the mid lie. and in
the end-DemOcracy all the time. The only thing
l regret is, that gentlemen respectable, pari
Otto and so intelligent should not have perceived
that in the South. at least VIC arc all embarked on
board Of a common bottom that We are assailcd by
a common enemy, and that too upon a reak point,
so far the future administration Of the government
is concerned; that in percciving this they should
be the least di<posed to risk even the probable con-
sequences Of division among ourselves.
No time for mere party chickering's now; for the
Trojan horse in the shape Of territorial sovereignty
nay, than this--the Trojan horse eviSccratrd-
the ''irepressiile conct" has been presented. and
the Greeks are at very doors. knocking for ad-
mission but enough of this f,igreSsion.) But Of
the Democratic party We have the right to speak, for
we are of the original pannel ami claim the right
from prescription, from usage. from time immemo-
rial and from the further fact that from the earliest
manhood down the "sere and yellow leaf" through
all the phases of party We have never given single
vote (when discretion was allowed us assailing IN
the main. the ti1nehonorcd principles of our party
Yes. with the Yancev's the Fishers the Saunders.
the Strange's the Edwards the Reds. Graves and
BOunts, we have always been in the thickcst of the
fight; in subordinate position it is true. but in
the very one hest calculated to test our uninching
devotion to the principles of the party.
The Democratic party neither now, or ever have,
claimed that the federal Constitution gives either
the power to establish or to prohibit Slavery and
JudsslBlack spoke nothing but the trut! when he
saii that as far as he could comprehend the opin-
ions held BY the great body of the Democratic party
THAT the federal Constitution does not establish
slavery any where in the Union," but leaves both
the slave, as well the free negro in the original
condition in which it found them,-slave If slave,
and free if free
Starting out, then, from this point we will meet
the question fairly and squarely. With slavery per
Sc Congress has nothing to do directly indirectly
She has not even the power, SHOULD the ultimate
end OF the black Republicans be graticd to confer
citizenship" upon free negroes even though they
Should all be n'annmitted by the respective States
so that We need have no fea,s that "Cuffy" will
ever present himself representative IN an Amer
can Congress- so long the existing state of things
continues.
We will first attempt to make COOL this position
ior 1t Is crroborative OF the conclusions at which
have arrived, and from its reflex effect sustans thu
very principles (when rightly comprehendcd) which
We now contend for.
We know full well that State, and State alone
can confer and restrict the elective franchise hui
that constitutes not "citizen." We know thai
the federal Constitution, in speaking of the qualii
cations of the Electors of the representative brancl
c"yo l"s TIC LectoIS IN elc0 State shall have tn
qualifications requisite for the electors in the mos
numerous branch Of the State Legislature" but tina
constitutes not "citizen." And, finally, We know
that to Congress belongs the power and right o
naturalization, and that this power attaches necessa
r.y and from the very nature of the case to ever,
alsnct independent political organization that eve
mad ex,ste &c. 1t is founded upon self-pro.ectiou
upon the right of each to manage its own institu
tons IN its own way and 10 control its own intena
ponce. Yet, Knowing all this We do contend, an,
IN SO doing we think We are fully sustained no
only ny the concurrent history of the country, bu
from differences rresistibly deducible from the Dire,
Scott case that the trainers Of the Constitution neye
could have intended that the government they wer
then creating should confer the power Of "citizer
ship upon any of the African race
In the case referred to, the defendant in the plead
ings denied the jurisdiction Of the Circuit Court q
the United States upon the ground that the plair
TINS acre stares, and such were not citizens
missouri and as such had no right to sue in tn
Federal Courts, and they dismissed the proceeding
for want of jurisdiction.
In this case, it is true that they were slaves: b
the Court, in assigning the reason sehy the Circu
Court had not Jurisdiction expressly mt II unon ~