The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-05-28
THE PR ES S.
CINCINNATI, SATURDAY, MAY IS.
The Question of 1850.

Speaking of the diff culties of the Dem
ocratic party in respect to doctrine, in
view of the coming Presidential election,
the Charleston Mercury says that There
is wide and irreconcilable difference
between the Democracy of the North and
the State Rights Democracy of the South"
in respect to the protection Of slavery in
the territories, and the rights of terrific
rial legislatures to abolish it. This is
probably true. The difference is wide,
and to all appearance irreconcilable and
what is more, the estate Rights" Democ.
racy seems to be increasing in numbers,
and in influence. 1t has in its interest,
journals in all parts of the South and in
cludes the ablest and most active Suthern
politicians. What is to be done?
The usual resort in such cases is to en-.
act platform admitting of as many inter
pretations as there are opinions, and let
each faction suit itself in the matter Of
construction. This process has been suf
feient in past times, to secure the neces-
sary degree of harmony; but against
repetition of this experiment, the Mer
curry, in the name of the State Rights De-
mocracy, enters its solemn protest:
Southern statesmen have declared in
unmeasured terms her (the South 81 de-
termination to be no longer cheated by
interpretations put upon equivocal and
contradictory clauses" and so forth and
SO forth. There must be something done.
The North and the South must under
stand each other A compact to last only
until after the day of election will not an,
swer the purpose; and any attempt at
such an arrangement will be resisted.
BY a justice at once practical and prov
idential, Douglas is the bugbear of these
State Rights gentlemen. Once their idol,
their champion, sort of household deity
"a cross between Puck and Priapus-he
has now, in their disturbed conceptions,
become invested with all the attributes
which country people are wont to bestow
upon the Devil. In their fear is his
strength, and but for their apprehensions
he would cease to have any significance
As it is, they are in constant terror of
being circumvented, choused, OF blown
sky-high by means Of some plot that he
has invented, or some magazine that he is
upon the point to explode. owe now
hear" means the Mercury, "that new
coalition has been made, new compro-
mise concluded and a grand reunion of
the Democratic party accomplished. And
what is the basis on which this extraor-
dinory achievement of party diplomacy is
alleged to stand According to its terms,
Mr.. Douglas and his northern democracy
are to yield nothing except the conde-
scension of acting again with the demo
cratic party. He and his squatter sove-
reignty adherents are to be free, beth in
speech and conduct, to deny and assail
the rights of the South in the common
territories"
This, of course, the South is not pre-
pared to stand if it can help it. Who
would But here is the point That
terrible Douglas - at once giant and ma
gician - devil and Michael Scott, Apoll-
yon and Friar Bacon, Talleyrand and
Three-fngered Jack - skilled to plot and
potent to ravish and appropriate; what is
to be done with him? Shall the South
tamely sit still, suck its fingers, and per-
NIT itself to be whisked away bodily at
the tail Of this political Congreve rocket,
as old women are carried off by unhal-
lowed broom-sticks, to the loss of some
thing more than their responsibility &?
By no manner of means. But the dues
ton recurs; What is to be done And
that is the question. 1t is question that
it will probably require all the time be-
tween now and the Charleston Conven-
tion, and all the skill of the coolest heads
of the party, aided by good deal of
folly on the other side, satisfactorily to
answer.