Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-09-23
VOICE OF THE SOUTHERN PRESS
Fran the New Orleans Daily Delta.
Mr. Douslss' Short Cut 70 Black Republicanis,n.

he declared them to be short cut to all the
ends of Back Rcpublicanism. Whatever may
be the object of Mr. Douglas programme, lis
results. if carried into effect will be TO deprive
the South of all her rights in the Territories,
and to subject the common property Of the
States ~ the absolute control of an anti.slavery
majority No argument can be required to
convince the South Of the fallacy Of PROPOSE
tons, and the injustice Of doctrines, which lead
to such consequences. Our long struggle for
the maintenance "f our rights in the Terrific.
res, and irr sectional equality in the Union,
will have been vain and frutless the moment
We per,!il ourselves 10 be deluded by verbal
formulas. and glittcring sophslns into yielding
up tfp whole ground IN controversy. The
simple iu~,,ion is. whether or not the citizens
of the .iayc!"l,hns States shall exercise pre-
cisely the ssnc rights and enjoy the same pro-
tcctioH IL ,nu Territories, as arc exercised and
enovs.! Is The citizens Of the Northern States.
\ tli.c-v phch leads to inequality, and which
subjc:rs tie rights of any portion Of the Union
to the y Ill =. hostile majority, whether act
ing through rirc Federal Government or
; through the local authorities, must be funda
should and will resist, without regard to the
! y
sion may br connected together. We can not
be argued ont Of our rights, any more than We
can be bullicd nu, Of them. The one will be
! Just rs difficult = task for Mr.. Douglas as the
other has been for his Abolition and Black
Republican predecessors. Revolutions, as Mr.
| Bovcc say-, are born, not created. On the
other hand, though they may be suppressed
by force ticY can not be checked by logic
Il 1 ~f u, ln, lac. .l.aI
by the Courts of Westminster, could not have
stiilcd the resistance Of the American colonies.
( All the diSuusitions Of the Sorbonne could not
have delayed he s,orming Of the Bastle for
single hour Sentiment and conviction are
stronger ,!an logic and argument Wchave
thousand tiiaus more to fear from the rooted
antisiav'ry rrciuiicei of the North than from
q whole library of summers speeches, or Doug I
las essays We must rely, in the last resort !
far more o'i he nborn patriotism and deter |,
mination Of our people than on the skill Of
our wri!crs, or the cloquence Of our orators
There are certain rights so palpable and SO :
rooted III men c convictions that to surrender I
them is degradation, and TO submit them to ar.
gumcnt is to commence their surrender. The !
right Of equality. in the Union and in the Ter ,
ritorics. iS r.h, Of this kind. 1t admits Of
no arbitra'ncUt anl can he justly settled only
BY lis absolute assertion on the ono side, and
its absolute concession on the other.
1hc South might. therefore refuse to argue
this question with Mr.. Douglas or anybody
else Nevcrthlcss, We have never evaded the
discussion. W. hrow that, in this case, logic
supports our c!ailn.. and reason comes to the
assistance vt conviction. We believe, more
over, after 4 carcf.il examination of Mr.. Doug
Loo in
it is, in all RESPECTS. the weakest document we
have ever read from him, or from any person
of equal reputation and pretensions. 1t is
lngcn;nll, and labored. no doubt but the in
gcnliiy and laborIou.ncss it displays are like
the ingenuity and laborousness avished on the
limitations gcnlS that glitter in the shop win
dow they shine brightly enough but every
body anous them 10 be only pieces Of quartz
rocL, in spite Of their being labelled "Callfor !
MIA diamonds. II ntounds with authority and ,
illustrates. but the authority is destitute Of
relcyaI.rr ard tho illustration is barren Of an
alogy " It's very outset he mis-states the
position "f f'' nlvcrsaries. He proceeds to de-
moli.ll their conclusions, after imputing to
them premises which not only they never AS
sumcd, bu, whicl, ihey have consistently and
emphalical!v rcpudiatcL. In classifying the
differences Of opinion in the Democratic party !
on tie Territorial question. nc describes the
Southern State Rights view to be that Of 'those !
who believe that the Constitution establishes !
slavery in the Territories and withholds from
Congress and the Territorial Legislature the
power to control it : and who insist that, in the ,
event tlie Territorial Legislature fails to enact |
the requisite laws .or its protection, 1t becomes
the imperative duty Of Congress to interpose |
its authority and furnish such protection
This description does not embrace the sup ,
portcrs of the Southern State Rights view, who
are pot represented in Mr. Douglass classiti-
cator at ~, They do not contend that the |
Constitution .i'!iShrs slavery in the Terrific
rlcs any nioic ,n.n j; establishes slavery III the !
States. nn the contrary they repudiatc the
doctriiir.a fsyorite one with the Black Re-
publicans. and to which Mr.. Douglass Chicago
organ saws hc has rcturncd--that slavery, or
anv other propcitY right, is the creature any
where Of local law. ~ Of Federal law, Of State
Constitutions. or OF the Federal Constitution
They believe il Is right Just as sacred and in
yic!abr as any other right: that Constitutions
are simply tie guarantee Of rights. and laws the
I in. lruneuis for their protection. They believe
thst the ri :ht to carry slaves into the common
territory ot the Union and to hold them as
property has the same foundation as the right
to carry any other species Of property into the
Territories, and that neither the one nor the
other is created by the Constitution, or is de-
pendent IN either locnl or Federal law. Like
all other rights the Constitution recognizes it,
and the duty OF the law is to protect II.
Mr.. Douglass doctrine as proclaimed by
himself is that Of those who believe that the
Constitution Of the tnited States neither estab-
lishcs nor prohibits slavery in the States or
Territories, beyond the power Of the people
legally To- cOnt:o! il, hut leaves the people there
Of perfectly free to form and regulate their do
mcStic institutions in their own way, subject
only to the Constitution Of the United States.
Wi;hou, following him through the labyrinth
Of bis incnnyru0,Is illustrations and Irrelevant
authorities. wc NAV say, briefly, that, as the
reader will perceive in the above extract, he as
siniilateS Stale powers with Territorial powers,
anil, under lhc general term Of local authority,
embraces all which is not purely Federal
What he call; the dividing line between Fede-
raj and Local authority" separates Federal pow.
cr, not from Territorial power, not from State
rights or State authority but from oil authority
! that is not Federal in its nature. Thus the
States and the Territories are placed upon a
common level as To their original powers; the
difference, ;f any exist, being in favor Of the
Territory. stree the States, by entering the
! Union. have crcnouuccd the exercise of portion
oi their sovereign rights, and delegated others
to the General Government while the Terrific
r.cs rc,ua,n in iuil possession OF sovereign at
tributes. On Mr. Douglass theory, the act
of organizing Territory confers on it all the
powers possessed hy State, without imposing
any corresponding duties or obligations. 1t is
not pretended tia, such powers arc possessed
bya Territory while it is yet unorganzed. We
are no; told what its status with relation to the
Federal Government and the States may be at
that time; bu, tho reasonable deduction is that
curing that period it is entirely subject to fed-
eral control. All that would be necessary then,
in order to establish the Southern theory, ana
To harmcnize i;with Mr. Douglas vie~s,wo
u. 20 refuse 10 organize the Territories at all |