Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-14
MR.. DOUGLAS AND HIS LETTER,


The short letter of Senator Douglas stating
the conditions on which he will or will not &C.
cept presidential nomination at Charleston,
seems to many careful persons no better than
a knavish hieroglyphic. They insist with
evident reason that he aimed in that letter to
produce certain effect on the democratic par
ty by means of language that would cheat lib
eral minded members of the party and mistify
Republicans. He has succeeded. The Chica-
go Press and Tribune says :-'No other doc
ument within our recollection, of an equal
number of words, has taken so many distin.
guished gudgeons." There is, however, some
reason why the gudgeons were caught SO east
ly. The letter had seeming boldness, a war
tone, not usual in those who question any
purpose of the slave-power. 1t was not unrea-
sonable to suppose that the man who spoke in
that way meant that somebody should be scar
ed, or that something should become wreck.
Since that letter was written, various words
and circumstances, originating with Mr.. Doug
las or his friends, have pointed out its actual
meaning and purpose. Immediately after it
appeared we were told by telegraph and 9TH
erwise that he will support the Charleston
nominee on any platform, and with any profess
sion of political faith. This very plainly con-
tradicted the seeming war tone of his letter,
and intimated that the purpose of the document
was not such as did him much honor. Then fol-
lowed general show of the fact that his army of
Southern supporters fully understood and ap-
proved his purpose in writing the letter.
Such men as Senator Green of Missouri, the
drill sergeant of slavery and border ruffian-
ism, and such journals as the Washington
States, support him staunchly, and find moth
ing to censure in his political faith. They en-
joy the advantage of his private explanations,
and know very well how little cause the slave
power has to find fault with him. In their
views of his political position, we find the
"knavish hieroglyphic" clearly translated.
Read in their light, the letter means nothing
whatever against slavery. He supposes The
adoption of platform resolutions at Charleston
which he and all concerned know very well
will not be adopted or proposed. Even the
Charleston Mercury does not propose to put
such things in the party platform. These
slavery propagandists never do say party,cise,
beforehand, one half of what they mean
Therefore, Mr.. Douglas was quite safe in his
cunningly constructed suppositions. Look
closely at that letter, and it will be seen that it
does not contain a single political statement
which the most fanatical supporter of slavery
cannot endorse "for the good of the party"
rlor
slavery is really most in its favor He
says he will not accept a nomination,
If the party shall interpolate into its
creed the doctrine that the Constitution of
the United States ever established or prohibit
ed slavery in the territories beyond the power
Of the people legally to control it as property"
Not legally exclude and prohibit it, but illegally
control it" That word control" may be inter-
preted to mean that territorial slave code
shall be furnished. All that South Carolina
does with slavery is "to control it legally, ''as
property" just what Mr.. Douglas demands for
slavery in the territories or, at least, just what
his Southern supporters can say he demands.
Mr.. Douglas upholds the bred Scott dicta,
and his friends tell plainly that his eei;tie.A
creed has nothing, in it contrary thereto.
Those of us who have supposed otherwise
have been mistaken. He is the man
who moved and carried repeal of
the Missouri Compromise, and who has
done successfully more bold and unscru-
pulous work in behalf of slavery propaganda
ism than any other man in the free States 1t
tcas rather inconsiderate to suppose such a man
capable of acting frankly Oh the other side
Let the error be corrected. Those who warn
the Republicans not to "claim" him, may be
entirely at ease. He has been foremost in
perPetrating those political crimes which
have called into existence the Republican
party. Is he not the repeater of the Mis-.
souri, Compromise, and the author of that
atrocious squatter sovereignty juggle which
was designed to establish slavery in the terri
tories He intends to be the next democratic
president; and the principal mischief to the
party meant by his letter is that if the Char
lesion Convention does not nominate Stephen
A. Douglas, its nominee shall be beaten, and
the party be made eager to nominate him as
the strongest man in 1864 Unlike some
Northern aspirants for the nomination, he feels
strong enough and bold enough to say this to
the party managers ; but he is not bold enough
to deal frankly with the people.
NJ