The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-09-13


will he be honest enough to concede that
according to his own proposition in bis
New Orleans speech, slavery exists 10 The
Territories By virtue of the Federal Con.
stitutionl He will neither be bold enough
to do the first, nor houest enough to do
the second; he will be cowardly enou gb
to do neither. [AppIause He is 10
the position of that Democratic candidate
for Congress in the West, who, when ask
ed, "Are you Buchanan or Douglas
mani" answered, II am" [Great laugh
ter and cheers.] If you ask Mr.. Doug
las, "Do you hold that slavesy is the cres-
ture of local law, or that a STAKEHOLDER
has the right to introduce bis slave prop.
erty where there is no local lawl" he will
answer, 81 do" Continued laughter
and applause
Such is Mr. Douglass doctrine Of pop
ular sovereignty. But after having given
you Mr.. Douglass own definitions in his
own words, see you puzzled all the more,
and you ask me again: "What is it!"-
l will tell you what judgement will be
passed upon it by future historians. who
may find it worth while to describe this
impotent attempt to daily and trife with
the logic of things. They will sag: ut
was the dodge of a man who was we'll a.
ware that, in order to be elected Presi-
dent of the United States. the vote of a
few Northern States must be added to the
united vote of the South. Knowing by
experience that the Democratic road to
the White House leads through the slave
holding States, he broke down the last
geographical barrier to the extension of
slavery. So he meant to secure the
South. But in concediDg undisputed
sway to the slaveholding interests, he saw
that he was losing his foothold in the
Northern States necessary to bis election;
be availed himsolf of the irresistible pres
sure of the Frees State movement in Kan.
sas, and opposed the Lecompton Consti-
tuition. So be saved his Senatorship in
Illinois, as the champion of free labor
But the South frowDed, and Immediately
after bis victory be went into the slave
holding States, and admitted in bis speech
es that slavery Uay go into the Terrific
ries without special act OF Territorial
legislation Believing the South Salts
fed, and seeing his chances in the North
endangered, be wrote bis Harper Maya
zine essay. assuming that slavery can ex-
ist only By virtue of local law. The
South froWuing again, he endeavored to
make his peace with the Shareholders BY
declaring that he would submit to the
Charleston Convention, aud instructiag
bis nearest friends in the House to vote
for the Administration candidate for the
Speakership. So be endeavored to catch
both sections of the Union successively in
the trap of double faced sophistry,-
tried to please them both in trying TO
cheat them both But he placed himself
between the logic Of liberty on one and
the logic of slavery on the other side
He put the sword Of logic into the hands
of his opponents, and tried to defend
himself with the empty scabbard of "uu
friendly legislation" Applause Un-
friendly legislation, which in one case
would have been unnecessary, in the 9TH
er Observation-Disclosures invention of a
mind without logic, and of heart With
out sympathies; recognised on all sides
as mere subterfuge. behind which the
NOR al oowardice Of Presidential candi-
date entrenched itself. Cheers.
Such will be the verdict Of future his
torians. They will indulge in curious
speculations about the times when such
doctrines could be passed off as sound
statemanship--a statemanship, indeed,
the prototype of which may be found. not
in Plutarch, but in Aristophanes - but
they will be slow to believe that there
were people dull enough to be deceived
BY it. [Applsuse.
Leaving aside the stern repudiation
which Mr.. Douglass popular sovereignty
has received at the hands of the people
at the last State elections all over the u
Mon, il is a characteristics sign of the
times. that even one of his political friends,
an Anti Lecompton Democrat, recently
went SO far as to declare, on the floor ot
Congress, that he would not vote for Mr..
DOUG las, if nominated by the Charleston
Convention, unless clear and unquivo-
cal construction were affixed TO the reaf
frmatiou of the Cincinnati platform. A
wise precaution, indeed! But whatever
construction might be given to the Gin
ciunati platform, what will that gentle
man do with the double faced platform
which Mr. Douglas has laid down for
himsclfl What will the abstract pledge
Of Convention be worth to him, if Mr..
Douglass principles pledge him TO moth
ingl What will be do with man who,
when pressed to take an unequivocal po'
sition, is always ready to sneak behind
superior authority, declaring that "these
are questions to be settled by the courts!
Laughter and applause.
Mr.. Douglass situation is certainly a
very perplezing ono. On one side, be Is
ostracised by the Administration Demoo.
racy for his illogical and unconstitutlonal