The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-01-26


revenue, not the exclusion or destruction OF
property. Had he stated that slavery could
not be permanently established ia Territory,
nor excluded from it in defiance Of public opiu-
ion, and there rested his case. he would have
uttered a truism which few imagine, would
c1ntIAlict But his opinion ifcorrect would
permit the jw who may to-day be sole iuhabi-
tauts Of a. Territory. and control its public O
p;nioa and legislation, 10 enact laws to pFaci,
cailyto exclude that migration to it, which, had
it been Permitted, its regular, unobsiructed
chaunel would Tomorrow reverse the majority
reverse pnll;c opinion and legislation. The e:rur
ol his opinion consists in its recognition Of the
right ofpa,lic opinion to call 10 its aid legiSla.
tSe enactments subre.Svo of the constitutional
rights Ola minority. The majority govern with
US, but within constitutional limits. r. II
atteurpt to exceed those limits the minor
ity say 10 i, through The courts, "thus,
far shalt thou 60, but no further" The Su
prcme Court has decided that a tcrritoriai leg
stature cannot prohibit slavery. The correct
ness AMI force Of this decision Mr.. Douglas is
not understood to question; yet his "uuiicnlly
legislation theory would permit the legislature
IN violation Of a known maxim Of law, to do
that indirectly which they have not the right
10 do directly. Public opinion may be one
thing, AMI its right to procure legislative acts
TO enforce its policy quite another. For ex
ample, public opinion in cur State seemed in
1854 to d1mand a Maine law, ard the dominant
party in the legislature enacted it. The mi
noriiy opposed it in advance as unconstitutional
and after its passage appealed from the lcsi>la-
ture to the courts, aud the law was annullcd.
Tho temperance men never commit d greater
Llunder than in asking tho legislature to en-
force their policy. As soon as they did so their
cause. from being one Of pablo opin on ofm9r-
MS, as thay called it, became one Of consttu-
tonal law, and when their law was anntl ed
their cause was dead. The Kansas controversy
in our party was commenced by the senator
whose mans have mentoned--anl the men
ton OF his nlmo unavoidable because of its in
innate come xion with that controversy has been
there have been passages between US, but Iney-
er can look back to them with otler than The most
friendly feelings toward hin--the controversy
was commenced By him, by his aSsailing the
President and his friends. In such haste did
he appear to attack the Presidents annual mes
sage that he scarcely awaited the reading OF its
last sentence by the Secretary Of the Senate
before splinging to the floor to announce his
opposition to it In such haste was he that he
commenced his assault upon it before he knew
its contents For this we have his own almis-.
sion, as in the opening Of his principal Kansas
read, he stated as will be seen by reference to
that speech, that he had earthly read the mes
cage the evening previous, and that it contained
no such recommendation relative to Kansas as
he hal supposed on hearing it hastily read at
tho Secre tary's desk. Then the incpcnt con-
,troverSy should have ended there, as by this
admission there was no cause or occasion for
any issue between him aal the President. The
whole matter having by the latter been submit
ted to the wisdom and discretion Of Congress,
the only controversy which could arise relative
to it, to which the senator could be party
would be between him and such members OF
Congress as dissented from his views; and none !
clud properly arise even betWeen them for /
some weeks, for the Kansas constitution was .
not then before Congress and could not be fer .
nearly a month. In that interval himself and
his political associates in Congress could as is .
customary, take mutual counsel AMI devise .
some plan OF action satisfactory to him, TO the .
entire party and the country. lie appeared ap-
rehenSive some conciliatng and satisfactory plan
would be adopted he delayed his declaration
of war Had he not been Predetermined to |
make an issue with the administration, and, to
the extent Of his ability, create dissensions in
our ranks, where all was then harmony he
would Ave permitted the interval before pre-
sentation OF the Kansas constitution to be used
in devisng some mutually satisfactory plan ior
meeting the question it presented; blt with
such predetermination, it was not difficult TO
find reasons for carrying 1t out; ana lnmell'
a.cly after assuring at least one senator that nc
should say nothing which would create any dit-
ticulti or to which any democrat coIll take ex-
captions, sprang to his feet and commenced his
.causeless, unprovoked and unfortunate warfare
upon the President and his friends, dcnouncing
them as parties to cheat and swindle; and
when those thus assaIled defined themselves, ne
pronounces hmselfa prosecuted man and mai-
tyr to the cause ofpOpular sovereignty! have
consumed more time than was my intention.
What had designed as brief has proved u
discursive review Of the late struggle in Con-
gress and the principles it involved. With the
recent result in Illinois, the immediate object
attributed to the author OF all the mischief a.
rising from that struggle has been attained, aud
may We not hope for restoration Of That har-
mony which has ever hereto Iore rendered us
iasincbc? | hope, sincerely hope, there VIII
be no occasion for further discussion IN The
Senate or elsewhere, OF Lecompton or anti lc-
COMPTON. but confess to fears upon the sub
iect. fear me the end IS not yet, but that,
embodencd by success, the originator Of the
dissention will throw off the mask and lead on
TO open schsm in our ranks. Let not the ini-
tial in such schism bs taken by any democrat
willing to stand by the u;ageS organization, and
PRINCIPLES Of his party. | have heard anti L2-
compton or Douglas men say they would not
vote for any administration democrat. | trust
mono OF the latter have said or will say the
same Of the former. No such distinction should
be permitted to exist among those who remain
q within the party organization. 1t will only
create the division which our enemies desire as
their only hope Of debating US. The division
in New York in 1913 lost Us that State--per
haps never to be fully regained. Mr.. Hale OF
New Hampshire, while protesting to be good
democrat in every other respect created division
in that State upon the one issue OF Texas; was
elected to the Senate on that issne; soon forgot
his professions ofdemocracy, and passed over
to tho opposition. We have never recovered
New Hampshire shall. What the pro.
yiso did in New York, and anti-Texas anncxa-
y ton in New Hampshire, shall anti Lecompton
do in the West?
There were to govern my action as one oi
4, your senator's on the one side adherence 10 a
principle avowed by the party with which !
had ever acted, a principle le-nonintervention---
had advocated throughout our State; adhe-
renee to q majority oimy political associates in
Congress and to an administration We had but
recently placed inpoTer; on the other side
plausible prctexts--reason fyou choose so TO
call them which were echoed by the republic
~ cans and favored their designs--reasonS which
/, had they governed my action, would have ar
rayed me with that party against lifelong po-
litical associates. Could hestate2 Would
you have had me do SO? Were party obligations
pnlitical associates, and principles to be sacri-
4aal ~ y,n,liaucy mr. handonnd IN fnar of an