The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-08-01

magical touch, the democratic party OF the
North and Northwest disappeared. Only
thirteen democrats were elected TO the
House of Represe entatives in that year from
all the non.slaveholding States, California
and four OF that number, almost
oDe-third. were from the State OF Illinois,
II required years Of constant effort to satisfy
the Northern people that the Kansas. Ne.
braska act was not an act of Southern ag
gressioD, but an act for csrrying into effect
the principle established by the compromise
measures Of 1850. The undersigned do not
mesn to palliate Q miscoDception so gross,
but merely to relate on disputable fact
Our leader in these eventful contests, now
the candidate Of the democratic party for the
Presidency of the United States, did, almost
without exaggeraticn. travel from Washing. |
ton City to Chicago. in 1864, by the light Of
his own burning etigies.
1t was after such disastrous consequences
to the democratic party, and with hearts full
Of apprehension, that our delegates from all
the States, North and South, assembled at
Cincinnati, in June. 1856. to consult with
reference to public affairs. Confident in the
justice OF our cause, and appealing to the
sober iud gment of the people, the Demo
cratic National Convention, by unanimous
vote, endorsed the Kansas Nebraska act,
and resolved to abide by its principles. The
result is well known. The nominees OF that
convention received q sufficient number OF
electoral votes to secure them in the Presi
dency and Vice Presidency of the United
States. The fact was developed, also, that
in other OF the Northern States, New York,
Ohio and Iowa, at least-the black repubIi.
cans had prevailed by mere plurality, and
in opposition to clear and definite majority
of the popular vote. At no time since has
the black republican party attained power in
the States OF New York, New Jersey, Penn.
sylvnnia. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, by its
own strength, but in every instance, by some
combination with the remnant Of the Ameri-
can party in those States ; a remnant oppos-
ed 10 the administration of Mr.. Buchanan,
but never satisfied to cooperate with ubol
tionists in Presidential election.
KANSAS NEBRASKA BILL.
The Kansas Nebraska bill was compro-
mise OF conflicting opinions within the dem
ocrotic party some Of its supporters belieV.
ing that Congress had constitu tiona author.
tv to prohibit the existence of slavery in the
Territories others, that while Congress had
not, each Territorial Legislature had such
power and yet others, that neither Con.
gress nor a Territorial Legislature could
prohibit slavery, but were both entrusted
with the power, coupled with The duty OI
maintaining and protecting that relation
To hurmunize, in support OF the bill, such
various opinions, and thus unite the demo.
e.;
and final basis OF action, Was the task to
which Stephen A. Douglas addressed his
intellect and il fuence. Democrats who
believed that Congress had power to prohibit
slavery within the Territories, upo the one
hand, or, upon the other, to maintaiu slavery
egreed to delegate the entire exercise OF such
: authority, whatever its extent or nature
might be, to the Territorial Legislatures, as
, the agents and substitutes OF Congress for
that purpose " hilst those who believed thal
the Territorial Legislatures had inherent
authority over the subject-au,hority moi
delegated by Congress-, but arising from q
right Of tgovernment-conc in @
, solemn declaration that the action of every
: Territorial Legislature should be subject 10
the prohibitions, limitations and principles
) expressed in the constitution OF the United
Suites. And in order to provide convent.
} ent method Tor attestipg the Cunsii!utnnaliiy
: of any act which Territorial Legislature
might adopt, whether Tor the prohibition or
. maintensnce Of slavery, in case any citizen
should feel aggrieved by euch legisI tion
the right of appeal 10 the Supreme Court oI
} the United States was SO enlarged by the
ninth and tW eDty.seventh sections OF the
] bill as to include "all cases involving title
. to slsves," decided by the Supreme Court o
! a Territory, "without regard TO the value o.
? the matter, property. or title in controversy
and also, all cases decided by the court last
named, or by any district court OF Terrific
{ ry, or any judge Of either OF the said courts
upon any writ Of habeas corpus Involving
the question Of personal freedom" The
plain object CT these provisions WIS to ban
= ish all discussion OF the subject of slavery
i within the Territories, except the enforce
!. ment of the Fugitive Save oct, from thu
Congress of the United States, and thus 10.
h calzp, as fnr as possible, every controvers!
;, to which that subject could give OCCASION
e If, as in the case of Kansas, q Territoria
o Legislature should exclude slavery or, q
d in The case OF New Mexico, should protec
and maintain it., those who desired to contes
y the authority of the Legislature, one wa
n or another, could resort to the courts of JUS
% tice with their claims, and, by the decisio
}. of the highest appellate tribunal-namely
J, the Supreme Court Of the United States
l. all such claims would be determined.
:. was foreseen, as an argument for withdraw
s. ing the authority of Congress, even admit
d ting the existence of such authority, tho
o slave labor would seek only those region
e where it could be proitably employed an
!. wherever it could be so employed, as in Ne,
d Mexico, including Arizona. it would be SUI
,r ficiently protected by local legislation. Th
l. result has shown that slavery now prevail
10 almost exactly where it would have bee
% established if the Missouri compromise lin
o had never been repealed, but had been, q
g the South demanded from 1916 until 1861
l. extended to the Pacific ocean that PORTO
l. of the I erritory OF New Mexico north of q
10 deg. 80 min. being an equivalent for tt
8, arid egious OF California south Of the sam
g line.
y, Practically, therefore, the whole dispul
at has been settled so that when Senate
in Brown, OF Mississippi, demanded, at the ses
it sion OF Congress just concluded, that II
e. laws of Kansas prohibiting slavery shou
Ii. be annulled, his demand was only second'
C. by Senator johnson, Of Arkansas, and Ser
n. ator Mallory, Of Florida and upon the 9th
he hand, when the black republicans propose
be bill for abrogatiRg the laws Of New Mex
be CO in favor OF slavery, all the democrat
's, representatives in Congress, South at
n North, as we'll as all the Southern opposite
or members, sgreed in resisting it. The ia
to is notorious, also, that by the assistance
u. Ms ThauaR. of Maasac chlsaffa. and ofhaEa