Daily national Democrat., 1859-05-15
The Notorious Political Back-Acting
Crawiish.

The Gwin organ of this city completely
hacks down on the Non-Intervention ques-
tion. 1t is entirely opposed to any present
LEGISLATION by Congress on the subject of sla-
very in the Territories 1t recognizes the
full right and power of Congress to 50 legis-
late, but thinks it is not necessary now A
whole column ofstereotyped Lecompton cant
it devotes to proving that whatever Davis
and Brown and Mason and Hunter and Gwin
and all the leaders of the Lecompton party
may say about a slave code, still it, the Ex-
press, is not committed by it nor is the Le-
compton party at large. One would suppose,
according to this, that the Express was going
to lead Gwin and Brown and Davis and the
rest and dictate TO them the course they are
to pursue. But, the true state of the case is
this:
The Express and the entire Lecompton
press Of this State are in favor of Congress
sional Slave Code for the Territories, but
they are such arrant hypocrites that they
studiously conceal at present, their real SEN
timents and prudently refrain from advoea-
ting what it is now dangerous to avow. In
order to bring the Express out on this ques-
tion, we now apply a test to it in the shape
of an iuterrogatory. which we call upon it to
answer ifit ddres This lodging around the
bush and ridiculous ha'ckiRg and heming and
staD,D,erinq over the question of Non-lnter-
vention is sickening, and we are determined
to extract straightou out answer from that
journal, if We have to pull out the last eye
tooth that it has in its head A column and
a quarter of twaddle about "the g-r eat prin-
ciples of Democracy" won't do. We demand
to know whether that paper is for the con-
strueton of the Kansas Nebraska Bill which
is put upon it by Stephen A. Douglas, of Hi
nois. That construction is briefly this: The
Territorial legislature is invested by that bill
with the power TO legislate on all domestic
questions, subject only to the Constitution of
the United States; and the Courts, not
Congress. are to determine whether this Ter
ritorial legislation is constitutional or no.
Furthermore Congress has no right, under
this bill, to legislate in the Territories at all
Now, we ask the Express the direct ques-
tion-Do you subscribe to this construction Of
the Kansas Nebraska Bill or not ?
If you do. then you differ with your great
puppet master, VIM. NJ. Gwin, who declared
that he was teeth and toe nail opposed to Mr..
Douglas construction. The next thing you |
know he will pull that string under your coat
ails and make you dance to his own tune.
1t is, in truth, the very height of absurdity
or the Express to undertake to make any |
body believe that the Lecompton party is not
ully committed to this Congressional Slave
Code Policy. All the great leaders of Le-
in the Senate have SO declared
md their speeches have been published to the
world. 1t is idle to deny it. We perceive,
dearly, however, that the Lecompton party
10 not intend to avow their opinions on this
question in the coming campaign in Califor-
Tia. They played upon the public credulity
o we'll before, by pretending to be friendly
o Douglas, that they suppose they can do
equally well again by pretending not to be
in favor of Congressional Slave Code for the
Territories. We shall see how such transpa- |
rent hypocrisy will work.