Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-06-18
THE VERMONT DEMOCRATS.

Always, at the approach of a presidential
election, the democratic conventions increase
in size and spirit; and this is true particularly
of those democrats who have not even the
ghost of a hope of carrying their own States.
We have been told that there was large at
tendance of delegates at the recent Democratic
Convention in Vermont, and that there was
snirited hattie between the Douglasites snd the
administration men, the former winning the VIC
tory, whereat they were very jubiant The
Vermont democrats have started first and ap-
pointed the first delegates to the Charleston
Convention; and the Douglas influence
has begun a movement which is likely
to be successful in most of the free
States, for the Administration is unpop-
ular everywhere: and as Douglas has some
strength in the other States, he is like
ly to have powerful and perhaps controlling
force at Charleston. He is likely to give the
party its next candidate for the Presidency
either in his own person or in that of some
such man as Vice President Breckenridge.
Mr.. Breckenridge has managed his relations
to the belligerents with most commendable pru-
dence.
The Democrats of Vermont might as well
have nominated the "Old Man of the Noun
tain for Governor as Mr.. Sake; for they
would be quite as certain TO elect him.
But this circumstance did not trouble their
dreams, nor have any perceptible effect
on the buoyancy of their spirits. They re-
solved as carefully as if their words were to
decide the fate of all the candidates for nomi-
nation, even praising Mr.. Buchanan's admins
my. And on the slavery question, they re-
peated their lesson as follows :-"Non-interfer-
ence by Congress with slavery in State or
Territory, or in the District of Columbia )" but
this is an old edition, When they have prop
erly consulted the last oracles, it will be re-
vised, although they are nowise likely to tell
either themselves or others the whole truth in
regard to the Douglas view of noninterven-
ton. They are not likely, for instance, to
dwell much on the fact that according to the
Douglas doctrine, slavery is already establish
ed in the Territories by the Federal Constitu-
ton itself, this being his reason why Congress
must not interfere.
Everybody understands that authoritative
expositons of the Democratic platform do not
come from Vermont; nor from Massachusetts
nor from Pennsylvania; nor even from Illinois
The oracle is farther South, and when it speaks,
its words are commands, and its utterances
must be accepted as the fnalities of the mo-
ment At the present time, this absolute ora
Gle accepts the doctrine that the federal consti-
tuition establishes slavery in the Territories,
but adds that Congress must so far interfere
as to provide each of the Territories with a
slave code. Those who remember the Demo
cratic days previous to the famous Nicholson
letter" of Gen Cass, will find it useful to mark
carefully the downward progress by which this
trines on the slavery quesuoh PREVIOUS Il
that Nicholson letter nobody questioned the
right of Congress to legislate for the Territories
and Gen. Cass himself expressed earnest de
sire to vote for the Wilmot Proviso, and would
have done so, if he had not been prevented by
the interference of an untimely and unfortu
nate speech. 1t is not now in the Democratic
party as it was when the country lost the edi
ficaton of Gen Cass' vote to exclude slavery
from the territories.
The difference between Douglas and his Blu
chanan antagonistsis much less than it is custo
mary to say. Both parties believe, or pretend
to believe, that slavery is authorized in the
territories by the constitution; both maintain
that Congress cannot rightfully interfere with
it there; and if Douglas objects to having
Congress provide a slave code for the
territories, it is because he has more quiet
and cunning way of reaching the same end
The Douglas episode was most effective
stroke of policy. 1t saved him from defeat in
Illinois and it postpones that complete de-
moralization and wreck of the party which is
at hand and cannot be very long delayed.