The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-07-20
The Administration view Of the Douglas
TaffaP

The following editorial article appears IN
Saturdays Constitution It may be regard
ed as the Administration comment upon the
Presidential letter of Senator Douglas
We publish to-day, in another column
letter written by Senator Douglas TO gen
tlemar in Iowa, in answer to an inquiry
whether he would permit his name TO be pre-
sented by his friends to the Charleston Con
yention for the Presidential nomination Inc
character of this letter, and the position MI
Douglas occupies before the country, rehder
it proper that we should accompany ITS pup
LEGATION by some words of comment.
Ordinarily, the reply to an inquiry sucn as
that to which Mr. Douglas responds Would De
guided by two controlling circumstances: nrst
the effect on the country and on the party
which the permission or refusal to use ms
name would likely to produce and, second,
the inferior or personal question Whether IL
Would accord with his own private interest," or
convenience to allow his name to be USED. In
such cases. every prominent member OF
marty assumes that the action of his party In
Convention will be such as he will approve,
and that the principles it will adopt, and the
candidate which will deserve and receive his
hearty snnport and hence it is that the ques-
tion Of allowing his name to be mentioned in
connection with Office is one personal judge
ment in reference to what he considers due
to himself and to the party. To prescribe
terms to a Convention, either as to doctrine or
candidates is to ignore the very purpose for
which Conventions are held. Conventions are
composed of the representatives OF the party
from all sections of the Union, and their pur
pose is to reconcile conflicting opinions, and
agree TO platform of principles on which
ali can stand, and to nominate candidates to
sustain those principles whom all can
support. Every reader Of Judge Douglas
letter can easily determine how far he has de-
partedfiom that usual course.
He says, before he can determine whether
he will allow his name to be used as candi-
date cit will be necessary to understand dis
tinct1y on what iHssses the eanUaSS is to be
conducted" The history of the Democratic
party affords no precedent for the assumption
of so arrogant position by any aspirant for
Presidential nomination. Andrew jackson
did not impose any such condition precedent
to his acceptance of the nomination. Van
Buren,, Polk, Cass, Pierce and Buchanan made
no such condition +; nor did Judge Douglas
himself, on two memorable occasions, in 1862
and 1856 when he sought the Democratic
nomination for the Presidency, follow the course
he now adopts We seriously doubt that
even General Jackson, with all his power and
influence, and all the prestige that surrounded
his great name, would have been tolerated by
the Democratic party had he presumed to
| dictate the terms on which he would consent
1 to be their nominee.
The Judge states that eff the Democratic
party shall determine, in the Presidential
| oil &c 1910 10 adhora 10 fha
embodied in the compromise measures of 1850,
and ratified by the people in the Presidential
election of 1852, and reaffirmed in the Kansas
4 Nebraska act of 1854, and incorporated into
the Cincinnati platform Of 1856, as expounded
by Mr. Buchanan in his letter accepting the
nomination, and approved by the people in
his election" he will permit his name to be
presented to the convention. 1t is certainly
not to be expected that the Democratic con-
venton would recede from the principles de-
scribed in the foregoing quotation from the
letter of Mr.. Douglas. 1t isobyious, however
that Judge Douglas intends TO give Ret1 read
ing to tile Cincinnati PLATFORM by substituting
his peculiar notions of squatter sovereignty fol
the doctrine of popular sovereignty, as held by
President Buchanan and the Democratic par,
ty of the Union. The language of the Cincin
natl resolution, which we had occasion to no.
tice some days ago, is distinct and unequivo.
cal. We quote the resolution again
RESOLVED, That We recognize the right o.
the people of all the Territories, including
Kansas and Nebraska, acting Thorough the le
gally and fairly expressed will of majority O
actual residents, and whenever the number o.
their inabitants justifies it, to form Constitu,
ton with or without domestic slavery, and be
admitted into the Union upon terms of per,
feet equality with the other States.
This language is in harmony with the deci.
sion of the Supreme Court, with the action o.
the Democratic party in the last Congress
with the Inaugural of Mr. Buchanan, and with
his celebrated Silliaman letter.
If, therefore, Judge Douglas means that
the Democratic party will retrace its steps
on this subject for the purpose of meeting his
peculiar views, his expectation will undoubted-
ly be disappointed.
In the closing paragraphs of his letter, he
states that fit shall become the policy of the
party to 'interpolate into the creed of the par,
ty, such new issues as the revival of the Afri,
can slave trade, or a Congressional slave code
| for the Territories, the doctrine that the
| Constitution Of the United States either es-
tablishes or prohibits slavery in the Terrific
ries beyond the power of the people legally to
control it as other property, it is due to cando1
to say that, in such an event, he could not
accept the nomination if rendered to him.
Nobody knows better than Judge Douglas
that the Democratic party are decidedly oppo-
sed to revival of the slave trade or to the
enactment of Congressional slave code
for the Territories. 1t is rather remarkable
that Judge Douglas should lend himself to the
repetition of this Black Republican SANDER,
when he must know that the Democratic
conventions recently held in several Southern
States have expressed their determination to
adhere implicitly to the Cincinnati platform.
We regret, therefore, that he has thought
| it necessary to introduce the subject in the
form Of defiance to the convention. 1t would
have been more becoming to have trusted the
convention ON these and other topics. The
assertion, that, should the Convention de-
clare that the Constitution Of the United States
either establishes or prohibits slavery in the
| Territories beyond the power of the people
legally to control as other property" he
would refuse to permit his name to be used,
amounts to nothing more than an ambiguous
announcement of the doctrine which he is I'M
derstood to have maintained in Congress and
in Illinois, namely, that the first inhabitants
| of Territory have right, "by unfriendly leg
islation," to destroy the rights of the citizens
of the slayeholding States, as guaranteed to
| them by the Federal Constitution. We have
observed that this doctrine is opposed to the
decisions Of the Supreme Court, and the doc
trine Of the Democratic party, which is, that
that question can only be determined when
the incipient State forms its constitution, and
seeks admission into the Union.
These are our views with regard to the
contents of this remarkable Understandable
not only for the Opinions it enuneiates, but
| for the peculiar manner in which it is commu-
nicated to the public. 1t purports to have
been written to gentleman in distant State,
but it was actually written, not for the benefit
of Mr.. @. Dora, but for the purpose of being
laid before the American people in all the
newspapers. 1t bears date the ed Of June,
and on the 23d it appears in the leading OPP
position paper of this city, and in number of
other distant papers to which it was commu-
nicated by telegraph. 1t was manifestily in
tended as public declaration of Mr.. Douglas
position.
We intend to acquiesce in the decision OF
the Charleston Convention, and we have an
abiding faith that all true Democrats will do
likewise. But we cannot find one single
word in Mr.. Douglas letter which indicates
similar purpose on his part. Indeed, we
cannot see how he can support any other NOM
inee of the convention after he has declared
that he could not accept the nomination.
1t gives US no satisfaction thus to interpret
Judge Douglas letter. We are anious for
the harmony and Union of the entire party,
would believe that it will succeed in 1860,
and we should like to see every friend of
Democratic principles support it,
CAPTURE OF SLAvERs ON THE AFRICAN
CoAsT.-Letters have been received in Savan-
nah, Ga, from the U. s. sloop-of-war Marion,
Capt Brent, to the 18th of May. The Marion
was then at st. Pauls de Loanda, but would
leave on the 18th for Porto Praya, Cape de
Verde Islands.
She had captured three slavers in Congo
river. two of which had been sent to the Uni
ted States, on board Of which were Lieuts
Dallas, Weaver and Campbell, with Boatswain
C. w. Smith.
LET NO NURSE OR MOTHER neglect
the first symptoms of the presence of worms
in the delicate viscera of young child. In
nine cases out of ten commissions, the terrible
r. 4.