Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-26


Mr.. DOUGLAS, in a recent speech in Boston, an
nounces that the issue now before the country and
the only issue, is the settlement of the slave CUES
ton in the Territories and says that the only way
settle the question sis to remand it TO the people
of each State and each Territory" and thereby
'banish it from the halls of Congress"
Mr.. DOUGLAS says it is not a new question, that il
dates back as far as 1850 and 49, and has been in
Wing platform, &c, &c. The difference between a
statesman and politician is illustrated by Mr
DIS view of this great question. Without pretend
ing to offer any broad or general ground reason
for his supporting this revolutionary doctrine, he
is satisfied with prophesying that it will be banished
from the halls of Congress; not attempting defense
of it, he prOnounces his remedy for it, in the quack
language of the day, "a cure'em all balsam." Mr.,
DOUGLAS is exceedingly unfortunate in his making
this his peculiar medium, while he owns to having
heard of it as far back as 1850 But being none the
less quack nostrum, its taking the first place in
politics is owing altogether to the position of parties
not to Its value-to a certain emergency of politics.
not its age-tO great exigency of government, not
its paternity. The conclusion to be come to- then,
is that this patent remedy is valuable alone in the
hands of Dr. DOUGLAS. In Mr.. FHLMoRE's hands it
is powerless; but Mr.. FILLMORE was perhaps no Doc
tor. Would it be believed il it was asserted that
this national disease this question that Mr. DoUG-
LAS talks so ppantly Of that to be banshed from
the halls of Congress" by this allcuring balsam of
his as old as the Constitution and nearly old
the Confederacy; and that this remedy that Mr..
DOUGLAS now boasts of being ten years DID, seventy
SIX years od Would it be believed that the ordinance
oc 10, hale
Rights, and onehalf of Squatter rule and that it
took three years to fix the exact portions of the in
gradients? That was settlement of the question"
and it remained settled until aroused by fanatic
zeal, and supported by ambitious politicians, "reck
less of what becomes of the Government of Rome,
that they rule her affairs" Would il be believed
that Mr.. JEFFERSON opposed the of this specific"
in 1884 in the Congress of the Confederation, when
he moved that the Estates" hereafter formed from
this Territory should be exempt from slavery, as
condition of their full admttance into the UniOn that
the people of the Territory should settle the ques
ton for themselves when they took the response
bilities and duties and the obligations of cOequal
sovereignty and not till then? Mr. JEFFERSON yield
ed to the theoretical application of the specific only
when it was mixed with a sufficient quantity of
States rights to make its practical application by
means of the proviso attached, of equal force and
effect with his proposition of three years previ-
Gus.
The question under the Confederation was an open
question, and was subject to being quacked and
hostrumed; but the question under the Constitu-
ton is foreclosed question. 1t snot to be allowed
that because disease which local in its char
acter and partial in its viruence, in of its
worst symptoms alleviated by specific, it can be
cured now that it has got to be terrible epidemic,
and RACES throughout the entire body polite, by
the same specific. Mr.. DOUGLAS has advertised
his specific through the best mediums, but only
lately has he endeavored to establish the fact that
greater Doctors than he have favored its use. The
charlataury that employs famous names as means
of recommending its wares is none the less empiri-
cism-and the use of the names of the Wing party,
of Mr. CLAY and Mr.. CAss ct ID onlfe genus, together
with his advertisementin Hdrper'S Magazine not
cannot put his name as a State Doctor higher than
those who have used the same means to illustrate
the virtues of their pills. their hair-dyes and
'em- all-basams.
Mr.. DOUGLAS need not have denied that he was the
inventor of this specific. He would however. have
blessing on suffering humanity, if he
had told the world how it was to be applied. and
how it would work and how operate. Mr.. DoUGIAs
sometimes admits that if it works wrongly the Su
preme Court will apply antidote which it holds
under the Constitution and in various ways he gives
the public mind hint that he has not the greatest
confidence after ALL in tie radical effects of his nos
trum. If the reason is searched for, why Dir.
DOUGLAS rides this hobby just now it viii be found
in the appearance that it has of leaning to the su
perior population of the North, its advantages in
settling Terrtory-trSl and suPposing that por-
ton of the people of the Northern States
will be satisfied by this " tub thrown to
the whale" and that they will swallow
it eagerly-while he counts or-o- did count
on the exceeding desire of the South that the ques
ton should remain where the Constitution and the |
action of the Government placed it, asking for no
Territory that Northern constitutions would seek, |
and submitting to wrong rather than to do wrong |
He has calculated on the North being all tnctured |
with this disease. He has found how much he has
been mistaken in the Soath; he has yet to find low
much he mistakes the North The error he has
made has been made often, since it was first made
on a certain mountain, in the memorable words,