The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-09
NEGRO DEsPoTIsM.p

We beg our Southern friends not to charge
this new term of reproach to the " Black Re
publicansr We find it for the first time in the
central organ of the Maine Democracy, the
Age, paper which has waged relentless war
against the Republican party from its organi
cation to the present time. An angry contro-
versy has arisen in the ranks of the party in
that State, upon the true intent and meaning
of the Cincinnati platform. The more depend
ent portion Of the party, whose leaders subsist
upon Federal bounty, insist upon understand
ing the platform in its legitimate sense, as IN
terpreted by President Buchanan since his cleo
ton. This true sense, as our readers know,
fixes Slavery upon the Territories irrevocably,
by utterly forbidding Territorial legislation for
its exclusion. This Southern view of the ques
ton works remarkably well in practice south
Of Mason and Dixon's line but, north of it,
the champions of Sham Democracy have found
it to be an intolerable load. So thoroughly dis
gusted have the Democratic masses in the free
States, and those who aspire to lead them, be
come, that they are rapidly falling back upon
the doctrine of popular sovereignty as it was
first proclaimed, unencumbered by the bred
S oft decision. They insist that the people Of
the Territories have the unqualified right to
establish or abolish Slavery-thus going far be-
yond Judge Douglas who, as an endorser of
the bred Scott decision, only claimed that the
Territories might adopt unfriendly legislation.
This new wing Of the Northern Democracy
would seem to have absorbed the whole party
in Maine, with the exception of the Federal of
fce-holders and the subsidized press. 1t as
sumes ground in favor of ultra popular sover-
eighty, with strong leaning towards free soil.
The tone and temper which pervades it may be
inferred from the following extracts. The Au-
gusta (Maine) Age says:
81 Has the Supreme Court decided that Ter
ritorial Legislature cannot consttutionally abol-
ish or forbid the introduction of Slavery within
its limits?
"The advocates of Negro Despotism assert
that the court has so decided. We affirm that
it has not. Every man Of common sense, who
is familiar with the political and Legislative his
tory of the country, and the duties and powers
of the Judiciary, knows that is utterly impossi-
bic for the Supreme Court to have made any
such decision"
The phrase Negro Despotism occurs re-
peatedy in the same paper from which we make
the foregoing extract, and we find in it similar
sentiments extracted from other " Democratic"
organs in the State
The Southern Propagandists of Slavery pro-
tess to regard popular sovereignty as the
worst form Of Abolitionism." They may rest
assured that popular sovereignty" or Repub
licanism, will carry every Northern State De-
mocracy," as it is understood at the South, can
never again make even show of fight in that
section. The five thousand Administration
votes cast in illinois during the late contest be-
tween Douglas and Lincoln was about equal to
the best achievement that downright Lecomp-
tOnism will ever make outside of the slavehold-
ing States