The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-09-13
Sumner Reviewing Douglas,
The Sguatter Sovereignty SDindle Erpo.
sed. -s&

At the Massachusetts State Convention,
which assembled at Worcester, August 29th
Senator Sumner made a speech on "The Is
sue and the Candidate" in which he gives
the pro-slavery dodge Of Douglas called
Sluatter Sovereig ty, a terrible raking. We
publish that portion of his speech:
Last in the order of the alphabet is the
Douglas party, whose single cry is popular
sovereignty" last also in character; for who
can respect what we know to be deceit p
The statesman founds himself on principles;
some times it is his office to frame expedient:
but popular sovereignty, as now put fowarl
is not principle--oh, no ? not even an ex.
pedient; it is nothing but a device, pretext
an evasion, dodge, a trick, a locus pocns,
in order to avoid the commanding question
whether slavery shall be prohibited in the
territories. That is all.
All hail to popular sovereignty in its true
glory This is that grand principle first
announced in the Declaration of Independ-
ence. which is destined to regenerate the
world. 1t is embodied, in these famous
words, adopted by the Republican Conven-
ton at Chicago; that among the inalienable
VI Ill HiCiI, uiC ilC, dhA tHS
pursuit of happiness: and that to secure
these rights governments are instituted
among men, deriving their Just powers from
the consent Of the governed. These are sacred
words, full Of life giving promise.
All existing governments, at that time
even the local governments Of the colonies
stood on pouer, without limitation. Here
was new government, which, as it took it's
r,fann lo hat -
was founded on right Such, again, is the
popular sovereignty of the Declaration In
dependence.
And, yet, this trancendent principle is now
degraded into dodge, and the sacred name
Unpopular sovereignty is prostituted to coy.
er claim to enslave our fellow men. 1t is
urged that handful of s1uatters rightfully
decide this claim and the timc-honored, ira.
ditional power of Congress in the territories
is denied, or voted down. To protect this
''villainy''-as John Wcsly would call it
the right of the people to govern themselves
isinvoked, forgetting that this divine right
can gveno authority to enslave'' Others that
even the people are not omnipotent--and
that never do they rise so higi as when re :
cognizing the everlasting laws ofright, they
stoop 20 the behcsts of justice.
But though bearing the name of Mr. Doug
las, and now pcddled through the country by
him, this contIivance is rot Of his invention
1t comes from an older head. 1t first show
itself in the Nicholson letter OF lS4S, by
which General Cass. as Presidential candi-
date, sought to avoid the Wimot proyiso.
Laborious, studious, exemplary in private
life, and fertile in pretexts, this venerable
functionary has afforded the formula by
which men have voted for slavery
whlGle making profession for freedom. He is
the author of the contrivance- rejected by
every lover offreedom, whose eyes are open
which, under the nickname of sauatter SOW.
ereignty has been the device of doughfaces
enabling them sometimes to deceive the pub.
lie and sometimes even to deceive themselvs.
Owing to the peculiar condition Of opinion
at that time, not yet stiffened against the
compromise ofhuman rights, his very vacil
alton put him in harmony with the public
and gave to him commanding POSITION
Once for the Wilmot proviso, which asserted
the power of congress over the territories and
then for pretended popular sovereignty
which denied this power, he became the
pendulum between freedom and slavery, and
thus swinging, impaired motion to sham
democracy.
The device next showed itself on the pas
sage Of the Kansas and Nebraska bill, and
here it became trick, as appears by the
open confession of one of the parties to it.
and trick il has continued ever since. II
was proposed to repeal the old prohibition Of
slavery in the Missouri territory, established
as a part of the Missouri Compromise. But
instead of doing this openly and precisely
saying in so many words that this provision
was repealed language was devised by
TO mystiiy the whole question. Then ap
peared that "stump speech in the belly o