Daily national Democrat., 1859-09-14
Not Killed Vet.

/
field of conflict with Nr. Terry Cate Judge.
and has prospect, however small. of recov-
ering from his wound. Whether he Will now
be left unmolested or not we cannot say
But, probably, he will not. 1t is no more
than likely that he will be challenged by
other parties, should he be restored to life
and health and, being more brave than pru
dent. it is to be feared that he will accept
every challenge from respectable source
which may be sent him. With such odds
against him, it will indeed be miracle for
him to escape death.
We consider him under no obligation tn
accept another challenge from member OF
the Lecompton party. The war has been
made upon him by host of enemies, and TO
be required after meeting representative of
the whole army, to fight regular and unin-
terrupted succession Of ofantagonists. would be
preposterous. The chances would be too des-
perate for any honorable man to take. Such
men as Mr. Broderick are valuable to the
country, and much the more so in that hon
est men are scarce in the arena Of politics and
we need them in the councils of the Nation.
There are those who think Mr.. Broderick
ought not to have fought at all, but these are
men who are conscentiously opposed to duel
ing. Yet even to them we would say, that
Mr. Broderick's situation wss peculiarly ag
gravating No man, within the limits Of this
State, has been so villifed, slsndered and
hunted down, since his memorable differ
ence with the President Of the United States,
as Mr. Broderick From every stump and
tripod of the Lecompton party in the State
he has been met and followed with such emp
tied sewers Of vituperation, that the smell of
it has disgusted every decent citizen in the
land. Not satisfied with this, they have had
the unqualified impudence to question, or af
feet to question, his well-tried courage as q
man. Thus followed up by every mode of
vindictive persecution, he has no alternative e
but to turn around, like lion at bay. and
meet his enemies upon their own ground. To
their taunts he has replied with tauAts as Bit
ter. Where they have struck him with
poisoned arrows he has answered with sledge-
hammer blows upon their bare heads. They
have had no advantage of him, with the
keen weapons Of satire, before the people
He has met them in every shape in which
they have attacked him,-at least 80 far as il
became gentleman to do,-and greatly to
the disappointment Of many, has held himself
responsible for his declarations.
His determination to thus hold himself re
sponsible may be carried too far, and the de-
termination of his enemies to follow him up
too, may possibly he carried too far. Indeed,
there has already been, in the late campaign
and before, too much Of disposition on the
part of the supporters Of the Supreme Poten
tate at Washington to hold men personally
responsible for their positions on the issues
of the day, and to deny them the right OF
exercising, free from insults of the grossest
character, the common privilege of American
freemen, to-wit; of thinking for themselves
This should not be the case But if il comes
to the pass, despite of all that can be done OF
said, that political questions in this State are
to be determined upon the field of blood, and
men are to answer Nth their lives, to the up
holders Of the Administration for their politi
cal opinions; If we are to fight for the
right to promulgate our views and sentiments
on those Oreat ouestions of which IL has been
thought every free born American was privi-
legged to speak freely and at his will, it is
time that the press should proclaim it, and
let it be generally understood by the people.
so that every man can arm himself accord
ingly, and prepare to argue his political opin-
ions with steel and bullet
True, the issue between Mr.. Broderick and
Mr.. Terry was something of a personal ma
ture, but no one can doubt that it grew ORR
ginnlly out Of the political differences in the
State. And the people simply look upon the
fight between Mr.. Terry and Mr. Broderick
as a contest in which the whole Lecompton
party is interested in seeing Mr.. Broderick
made away with.
p. S.-Since writing the above, We have
received the dispatch in another column,
from which it will be seen that, last evening,
no hopes were entertained of Mr.. Broderick's s
recovery. A later private dispatch express
chance for his life.