Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-17

understood that the people ola Territory. like
those of State, should decide for themselves
whether slavery should, or should not, exist
within their limits, undertake to say, that
wherever / went that year, his cause was
advocated on that principle, as laid down in
his letter of acceptance. The people of the
North at least understood him to hold the
doctrine of self government in Territories as
we'll as in States and as applicable to slave
property as we'll as to all other species of
property. / undertake to say that be would
not have carried one half the Democratic vote
in any free State if he had not been thus
| understood. and i hope my friend from
Mississippi had no allusion to this letter.
when he said that in the nen contest, he did
not desire to cheat or be cheated. : -
While Mr.. BUcHANAN's letter of acceptance
was thus construed everywhere in the free
States to mean that the people of Territory,
while In a territorial condition, and through
their territorial Legislature, might rightfully
if they chose, exclude slavery. it was every
where construed in the slave States by the
Democratic leaders and organs in totally
| opposite sense, namely, that the words, '.the
people of Territory like those of State"
meant, and was intended by Mr.. BUCHANAN
to mean. that. in forming State constitution,
and not until then. the people of a Territory
might exclude or admit slavery as they saw
fit. The Northern Interpretation would not
have done for the Southern Democracy. nor
the Southern Interpretation for the Northern
Democracy; yet both interpretations were in
dispensably necessary for securing Mr.. BUCH-
ANAN's election-the squatter sovereignty in
depreciation to secure the support of the
Northern Democracy, and the arah-squatter
sovereignty Interpretation to secure the sup
port of the Southern Democracy. With one
or other of these conflicting interpretations
and there could be but one that was honest
and true-whichever that Iaight be, Mr.. BUCH-
ANAN's defeat was inevitable. So, the old
game of two opposite interpretations, the
one for the North and the other for the South,
was again resorted to, and with success. But
it results. that either the Southern or the
Northern Democracy were cheated into the
support of Mr.. BUCHANAN, by erroneous re-
presentations on the part of their organs and
leaders. as to the true meaning and intend
ment of his letter of acceptance. And the
lacL is unuenlaDle tnat ue owes MS election 10
a cheat!
This Democratic game of cheat in the mat
ter of slavery in the Territories which, for
years past, has been played and for the most
part successfully, has at length come to an
end. Mr.. BROWN, by compelling show of
hands, has completely broken it up, and set
the northern and southern confederate players
by the ears-the players of each section pref
ty strongly intimating that they have been
cheated by those of the other section. 1t is
the people, particularly the honest, confiding
Democratic people of the South, that have
been cheated-not the players.
Happily, the recent exposure will effectual-
ly prevent the renewal of the game, and De-
mOcracy having thus lost its main stay, must
go into state of gradual but sure disintegra-
ton. AS party organization. its DONNA
ton will cease i'll course of the next year,
never again to be revived.