St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-09-27
':As Much; Opposed to Slavery as i
- !. 80. u AnybodY.'' = \: ;: -.

Four out Of every five Democrats who may
be, met in theistreets In the Northern States
will declare themselves .ras much opposed to
slavery as anybody" They only differ from
their Republican neighbors in their method of
opposing it. A large majority. Of them signify
is this class Of Democrats whose attention We
wish to call to q portion Of Mr.. Douglas Sedi-
tion Law speech delivered in the Senate on the
2Sd Of January, 1860. 1t is as follows: Aa1s
''Sir, i hold the doctrine that wise states
man will adapt his laws to the wants, condi
tions and interests Of tho people to be governed
by them. slavery MAYBS VERY ESSENTIAL IN
ONE cLiNArE AND TorAlLY USELESS N ANOTHER.
IF WERE A CITIZEN OF LOUISIANA I
WOULD VOTE FOR RETAINING AND MAIN
TANNING SLAVERY, BECAUSE BELIEVE
THE GOOD OF THAT PEOPLE WOULD RE-
QU1RE 1T:"-[Congressional Globe, 1895; !;
page $50. ~ - :i"l~s ~s.e
In one Of the joint debates between Mr.. Lin:
coin and Mr.. Douglas, in 1853, the former said
that his competitor was the only prominent
man in public life in the United States, who
had never declared his opinion on the question
of slavery in the abstract-the only maj, who
had never said whether he regarded it right
thing or a wrong thing-the only man who had
never said whether he was for it or against it.
Mr.. Lincoln was correct at the time he made
his statement But Mr.. Douglas has made
important progress since then. He now says
fatty that # he were q citizen of Loulsiana, he
''would vote for retaining and maintaining sla-
very" ,: = .s-..%- :: 'i'.' IL. - 80
j There is but one other utterance in our rec
ollection, from the mouth Of Northern man,
more impious than this; and that is also QUO
tation from the public speeches of Stephen A.
Douglas. In his speech at Memphis, on the
Goth Of November, as reported in the Ava-
lanehe, ofthat city, he said: .. . :.;,
1.-THE Almighty has drawn the line on this
continent on one side of which the soil must be
cultivated by slave labor That line did not
run on thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes,
for thirty six degrees and thirty mihiiies runs
over mountains and through Valleys But this
Slave line meanders in the sugar fields and
plantations Of the South-Tthe remainder Of
the sentence was lost by the confusion around
the reporter. And the people living in the
different localities, and in the Territories, must
determine for themselves whether their middle
bed is best adapted for slave or free labor
If this be not q plain straightforward state
ment that the Almighty requires the existence
and perpetuation Of slavery, We do not read it
Alright. Blasphemous as the thought is no
other construction can be given te it.
After perusing these passages from the more
recent utterances of Mr.. Douglas, hardly any
one will pretend to say that Re is ssas much op-
posed to slavery as anybody" On the contra
~, he is as much in favor of slavery as any
body, fortreither Calhoun nor Jeff. Davis ever
declared in more, direct terms their ,beliel in
the righteousness Of the institution. Neither
Of them ever asserted more roundly their be-
lief of the agency Of Almighty God in making
merchandise Of His children !--1+xe Auerican
- =