The Van Buren press., 1859-11-04
For the Van Buren, Press.
Democracy and Douglas.
NUMBER ~

Mnr EDrToR l have just been readin,
F" Observations on Senator Douglas view
OF Popular Sovereignty" I have no doub
it is great hoax such stuff was neve
, written by any member of the Cabinet a
Washington city. The next thing we shal
md that Attorney Gensral Black denie
being the author. It is very clear thai |
was written. not with the expectation of re
futing Mr.. Douglas position upon the sub
ject OF Popular Sovereignty. but for tn
purpose of goading him into the taking O
an important step. Reckoning upon tn,
impetuosity of his temper, they expect te
make him overact his part-to make him
render himself ridiculous in the eyes of hi,
most sober and reaecting friends. 1t i.
likely Black is in the plot. and that that i.
the design of the aippant medley, there
can be no doubt no intelligent, democrat.
ic politician has any idea that tho demo.
cratic party can succeed upon grounds an
tagonistic to those taken by Senator Doug.
las. The great object is to put him down
The people north or south have no such
desire, but there is sprinkling of politi-
cans in both sections, who have kept up
such deadly hostility against him-that
they know If he gets in, they get ouf, hence
they leave no stone upturned, no mean trick
untried to bring him down and would
not be surprised. if nothing else will do,
If they will try dueliny. l do not think
Mr.. Douglas will condescend to answer the
observations" No intelligent democrat
can read it twice without discovering the
legerdemain of the writer Some of it re-
minds me of how an atheist will knock
about the faith in one God. The writer
has no faith in our political first principles.
The democrat that views his doctrines-or
what else you may call it-from that stan
point, cannot fail to see the monstrosities
Of the thing. Let us take for instance the
principle That governments derive their
first powers from the consent of the govern
ed, why should the thirty or forty thous-
and people by moving from the states into
an unoccupied piece of territory, loose
their right to the enjoyment of this first
principle This principle-like every
other first principle upon any subject gains
its strength from the fact that there can lie
other principle in lieu of it-(at least in
this country)-that is SO practical or so
much in harmony with common sense.
Mr. Buchanan in his % letter of acceptance
reiterates this truth as first principle, i. e.
as a fact which everybody knew and felt.
The writer Of the " observations f" seems
to think this first principle, that is that
self government would work right unless it
was done in State. He reminds me of
the aforesaid atheist (who don't believe in
first pri neiples) who goes ciazy for fear our
globe will strike against some other globe,
or that it will some day split open. The
- observation man thinks that if the peo-
pie of the territories are allowed to do thro'
their legislation, what they have done in
the States they came efrom-prohibit among
them the establishment of slavery-they
may also do very monstrous things contra
ry to all their notions of social right, to
wit " take every kind of property in mere
caprice or for any purpose of lucre or NAL
ice without process of law, and without
providing for compensation. Thus the
the working of our :" first principles - he
doubts if there is stability enough, or uni
formity enough in the tastes and pursuits
Of his fellow -citizons to render it safe or
wise to depend upon them, when in Ter
ritory, SO as to give them the privilege of
fixing mp their own government in their
own way"
He is anxious that citizens shall not, by
moving from State into Territory, lose
this property. Good-no one desires that
but he is extremely desirous that such a
| move shall work forfeiture of their rights.
OF self-government.
This man, like all the rest of his stripe,
begins at the wrong end whom discussing
the rights OF a new people, as to no q gov
ernnient for them shall be brought into ex-
istence he wont allow that they can or
shall make one for themselves, but that they
shall. in spite of them, be governed by
some other government. This community
has ways of its own, why not let them 90
ahead as the people did in the Arkansas
territory through their legislation and make
those ways their law, and be governed by
them Why not, democrat with regs1d
to slavery, the new counties must be slave,
or what is called free soil what is the other
policy that is better or more practicable
In settling this matter than allo wing the
people themselves to settle it for them
selves You may say why not let slave
labor go along with free labor ? All. there
is the rub. Anti-slavery. upon religious,
moral and ecomical grounds is one Of the
oddities, if you please, of more than hal
Of the people of the U. s., and CORES.
ponding proportion Of them get into some
Of the territories, and they wont agree to it
This notion, sentiment. prejudice, fanati.
cism. or what else you choose to call it.
right or wrong-is great living fact, and
what are you going to do about it ? dc
not know of any tribunal that is authoriz.
ed to decide whether the anti-slave senti
ment is right or wrong-the south. think
will not leave it to the majority in the U
S.. or to the whole Caucasian race For my
own part believe that negro slavery il
right. aud only becomes wrong in the at
\ tempt to force it upon . community Mr.
Cobb and other eminent southern men hav,
very emphatically affirmed the same senti