The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-02-16
No. 10.

the sigulocaus facs. That the same author .!
the Declaration Of Independence put into that
plan a proviso. ereixda.s slavery from tie
Territories. Was that . mere accident -
Mr.. jefferson shows thereby. concirsively.
that in his opinion, the exclusion of slavery
by Congressional legislation was by no
means inconsistent with the spirit OF popular
sovereignty which Mr.. Douglas discovers IN
the plan Of 1884, but this does not distarb
Mr.. Douglas. The fifth article, says he.
relating to the prohibition Of slavery. hav-
ing been rejected by Congress. never be-
came part of the jefersonian plan of gov
ernment for the Territories. as adopted
April 25l. 1884 Although with large
numerical majority in its favor. (sixteen 10
seven) this article did indeed fail 10 obtain
Constitutional majority. the vote of New Jer
sey not being counted. ia consequence OF
there being but one delegate from tha, State
present. yet it had been drawn up by Mr.
jefferson. and sustained by Mr.. JeffeIson's
vote. Nevertheless. Mr.. Douglas persists
IN calling plsn. from ,chieh the peculiar
Jefersonian feature had been stracI oet, the
'Jetfersonian plan This is the play of
Hamlet with tne character Of Hamlet omitted.
i Laughter. This charter Of compact pro-
ceeds Mr.. Douglas. with its fundamental
conditions, which were unaiterable without
the joint consent of the people interested in
them. well Of the United States, then
stood upon the statute book unrepealed and
irrepealable. when. on the l4th day of May
1887. the Federal Convention met at Phils-
delphia" Does Mr. Douglas not know
that on the 16th day of March. 1855, prop
, ostion was introduced in Congress by Rufus
King. to exclude slavery from the States de-
scribed in the resolve of April esd. 1891.
and 10 make this provision part of the COM
pact established by that resolve ? Does he
not know that this provision, restoring the
Jeffersonian feature to the Jetfersonian PLAN
was committed. by the vote Of eight States
| against four Does he not know that the
| plan of 1884 never went into practical ope-
+, ration. but was expressly set aside by Con-
yress in 1857? Does he not know that the
ordinance Of 1877, was the first legislative act
ever practically organizing territory Of the
/ United States and that one Of its most prom
inent features was the proviso excluding sla
very from all the Territories then in pos
session of the United States?
| Mr.. Douglass historical recollectioas of
the ordinance of 1897, seem to be very indis-
tinct. Indeed, he deems it only worthy Of
an occasional, passing, almost contemptuous
!. notice. He speaks of it as the ordinance oil
/, the l2th of July, 1887, which was passed by
the remnant OF the Congress OF the Coincide
, ration, sitting in New York. while its most
j eminent members were at PEiiadelphia as
/ delegates to the Federal Convention. For
,three quarters Of a century. people were in
| the habit of thinking that the ordinance Of
1897 was an act Of the highest order OF im-
tportance, but we now learn that n was rather
au Indifferent affair. passed on an Indifferent
Occasion, by An exceedingly Indifferent set
Of fellows. while the plan of 1894, a mere alb
stract programme. completely oyerrulsd by
subsequent legislation, is represented as the
true glory of the age. How is this! The
treason is obvious. Mr. Douglas belongs 10
that class Of historians who dwell upon those
facts which suit their convenience, aud un-
tremendously drop the rest. ! once heard
{of Jesuit College where they used a text
ibook Of history, 10 which the French Revo-
luton was never mentioned, while the En-
iperor Napoleon figured there only as mod
lest Marquis Bonaparte. who held com,niss
lion under Louis XVII. and tough. great bat
iles for the glory of the Catholic Church -
Douglas and the history of this country.--
He ignores the universal principles OF the
Declaration OF Independence. and represents
she great founders Of the Republic as merely
fpaving the way for his great principles
while few village politicians get up an OBJ
tscure ordinance. adverse TO the general ten
dency OF things. But IS those jesuits could
mot prevent their students from peeping out
tof their college windows into the wide world.
where they perceived q very different state
of things, SO Mr.. Douglas cannot prevent us
travelling ou. Of the yellow cover Of Harper's
Magazine, into the open records Of history,
where we find Mr.. Jefferson's anti-slavery
iclsuse. although accidentally lost in 1884.
spirits Of the Republic. incorporated ia the
great act of 1877, solemnly rs-sfiirmed by
1.-The first Congress nnder the Constitution, and
firmly maintained even against the petition
/ of the people Of one Of the Territories
f[Cheersl This is the true 'Jeffersonian
.plan, the plan which Jefferson. framed, vo-
Ted for, and which was carried out ia his spir-
iit not that mangled report of 17s4. which
Mr.. Douglas wants US to take as the founda-
ton of all Territorial government. because an
historical accident happens TO coincide with
mis- schemes.
The true Jsffsrsoniau plan rested. indeed.
! on the principle Of popular sovereignty. but
| il will be conceded that Mr.. Jefferson's great
principle was widely different from tina:
of Mr.. Douglas the ordinance OF 1877 is
different from the Nebraska bill. While
Mr.. Jefferson's notion Of popular SOW
ereigoty spsuog from the idea that man has
.certaiu inalierabls rights which the majority
shall not encroach upon. Ar. Douglass doe
trine rests upon the idea that the highest de-
velopment of liberty consists in the rights OF
one class of men to hold another class of men
as slaves. if they see 6t to do So Applause. ]
While Mr.. Jefferson excluded slavery from
the Territories. IN order to make room for
true popular sorereienty. Mr.. Douglas invents
his false popular sovereignty IN order to make
room fos slavery. The ordinance Of 1897.
. the true "Jsdsrsonian plan," was indeed no
mere accident, 10 mere occasional act oil leg
isIa.ion. It sprans fson the idea. ~ Madi-
son expressed It. that ''rspublicsn institutions