The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-26
GLOOMY PROSPECTS OF MR.. DOUGLAS.

Mr.. Boyce, member of the House of Repre-
sentatives from South Carolina, who belongs tc
the class of moderate men in that State, in
a letter to the Columbia Sentinel, dated May
18th, uses the following language:
81 utterly repudiate Judge Douglass idea
that Territorial Legislature may discriminate
against Slavery, and nothing could induce me
to support for the Presidency any one standing
on this platform.
al consider it as clear as a mathematical
problem, that the South hare right to be pro
tected aoiM their STARE property an the Terrific
rieS, and that Congress, or their instruments,
the Territorial Legislatures, should afford this
protection. AS question of practical action, /
would not at this time have originated this is
sue, but, having been raised, as a Southern
Representative / shall demand the fullest meas
ure of our rights"
1t is now quite clear that no man occupying
the position of the Illinois Senator, in regard
to popular sovereignty" can come within bow
shot of nomination by the Charleston Conven-
ton. Mr.. Douglas must abandon all hopes of
the Presidency, or recant his political creed, as
laid down in his Freeport speech, and frequently
reiterated since. The Southern ultras will not
tolerate for a moment the idea of "unfriendly
legislation by the Territories, and will not be
satisfied with anything short of direct legisla-
ton by Congress for the protection of Slavery.
This ground, first assumed by Governor Wise
of Virginia, in letter to the Illinois "Democ-
rscy," has since been almost universally adopt-
ed by the Southern wing of the party. The
Gulf States, together with South Carolina, with
one voice demand Congressional legislation
for the protection of Slavery in the Territories,
and the partisans of the new theory are numer-
GUS, if not in the majority, in all the slavehold-
ing States. The Opposition " in Kentucky
has also contributed to give Importance and
strength to the new dogma, by adopting it as a
part of their platform. They were instigated
to this act of unparalleled apostacy in conse-
quence Of a blunder made by the Democratic y
nominee for Governor, who ventured to express
himself in favor of non-intervention by Congress
with Slavery in the Territories. The "Oppo-
sition candidate, with the instincts of a dema.
gogue, Immediately avowed himself in favor OF
Intervention for the protection of Slavery. The
result has been, that Magofin and his friends
have been compelled to back down, and Ken.
lucky stands committed by both parties in the
State to the most ultra and offensive demand
yet made upon the Federal Government by the
slave oligarchy.
If the Kentucky democracy find it i'm
practicable to stand by the position of Mr..
Douglas, that of no other Southern State can !;
and the Senator who repealed the Missouri
compromise, and performed many other Hercu
lean feats in the cause of Slavery, will be suffer
ed to fall into the obscurity which he has de.
served by his faithlessness to the North and to
Freedom. He has Henry A. Wise, Jefferson
Davis, Toombs, and, in a word, all the strong
men of the South arrayed against him, and he
may as well hang his harp upon the willow.