The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-09-20
L prOsesc---An Important ao-
iisicai Document.

ably written protest of certain Democrats
against the Wicbliffe reso ution adopted By
the Baltimore Convention, and which va
specially indorsed by Mr., Douglas in his t.
ter ofacceptance, from which we IN K. the
=. following extracts: ....... ...
The undersigned Democrats Of the State
of Ohio. in view Of doctrines recentlv AZ.
nonncod and Incorporated into p'affvm'.
both State and National, claiming tn be Dem
ocrati,, dao,n it 70 he our duty, rs citizens ~
Il sovereign State. to enter orr most solemn
and unqualified protest arai1st inncvltinns
so dangerous and anti-Dnmnc~atic a. have
been proposed in the name of Democracy
for ratification. . .. . . .....r ~
I We refer espccil'lv to the resolution ndon'-
cd At Baltimcr,. and re affirmed 1T Columbus
on the 4th of July $40, ple1 ing the Dem
ocratic party TO abide by and Uphold the d.
cisions OF the Supreme Court, or a question
! involving the original and un1clcgIted pow
4 ere Of the people This extrHort'i larv re~"-
! lntion may he said in spccif terms 10 en-
tirelv cxtirruish the great and vital principle
1 Of Popular Sovereignty, suhi~ctinr it in IN
! equ;vocai terms to the decision O. the III.
| premc Co',rt. virtually nladoinr tho ra"tv T.
1 abide bv such decision when naie--if not
already nada--and to carry il OFT in every
department Of the General Gov ornmant.--
I Here is the resolution -
! "Resolred That It is in accordance with the Ct,
cinnati Platform that during the existence o the Ter
ritorial Governments. the measure of restric'inn.
tion on the power Of The Territorial legislature
the sub Of the domestic relations. ssthe has
been shall hereafter Re ffnav Diet errninal by the
Supreme Court Of the United States. sholh re re-
spectcd hv all good citizens. and enforced with rrompt
ness and fidelity by erery branch Of the General Gov
4 ernment." r ... r. ... ... ..-..
! We call special attention u the lancrace
here employed Every branch Of the Gen
eral Government certainly includes Con
! grcSs: and why that branch Of government
Shonld not. if acting in accordance wi h such
n resolution, contribute to the enforcement
BY LEGISLATION in thn form Of SIavn cole
would seem difficult II determine And how
that could be done and ve. the principles Of
/ non-ntervention, and Popular Sovereignty
be saved. would seem still more inexp'irabl'
And vet these stranre contradictions are eul-
bodied and inlor<ea in the sorn platrorr =
An unchangahla principle. and IN so vital
that the party has stsked is sacr d honor
and its very existence up7n It's maintenance
is to b. let 70 the decision Of nIne mortal
mn, who may annihilqta It tomorrow, If
> they have not done 50 already.
I In one breath we are nlcdred to the prime
4 PIE Of non-intervnntior rs the oul~ eorna
and safe solution of the Slavery quc<'ion-in
the next we are pledged t, leave the whole
, question to the solution Of the court. and If
that rronounccs cur cherished princin'e TO
he hereSv. we shall be bound to cll It =
heresv also. and if need be If the rnopl, of
anv Territories shall ever attempt after such
I,o'riCr 70 ,nal:vn nr fhc.o rrc-,f+- of
self government which we have promised
them, and which we are still promising them,
: in the name Of the Democratic ra~tv--we
viii he bound by this rpSo'ution 10 fp,fiit our
= Pledges, to deny the principle np1n which the
| Struggles of the Revolution were fought. and
upon which our government is founded. and
it will become our duty to crush ont with al
the force of The general government acting
through IFS several Departments. the last
spark of Ponular Sovereignty, and reduce 70
absolute suhjection any people who may dare
, assert It,
Against this resolution W. nroto-' as b.
; inc plain contradiction to the pIiocirles
held and acted upon bv the Democratic par
+ ty from the earliest history down.
The prntestants 81 into a review nf the
party from the organization of the federal
government down to the FORMULATION b.
Douglas, at Frecport, # the doc'rirc of"Un-
f-ierdy legislation" quoting his language
in fun on that subject, and then adds -
Mark the language, It matter not what
nav b, the decision of the Sunrcme Court :
If that tribunal decide that Slav arv exists in
the Territories by force of the Constitution,
) beyond the power of the people to prevent i.
the 1oeople Of such Territories a7W still bGpe
the right and the rocf'nI means 10 err1v9s 10
They can control il by their Legislation and
by force Of their local police powers. This
right of the people to assert and carry out
their own views on the subject Of Slavery
whatever mry be the decision ofthe Court
"Is a RIGHT PERFECT AND COMPLETE vNpER
! THE NEBRASKA BILL
But what becomes of the control over the
question of Slavery thus conceded to the neo-
pie of the Territories. il, according TO this
Baltimore resolution, it becomes the duty Of
all good citizens to respect the decision OF
the Court on this subject and the duty of
the General Government. in all ITS depars-
meRtS. to enforce it What If the decision
is against the people? No matter It will be
the decision Of the Supreme Court--a tr bu-
: nal which is recognized by this res ,lution as
having power to bind the Pc ple of the Ter
ritaries in all cases whatSo ..yer--and the
Democratic party will he baund to adept its
decision. and abandon the people! And
Democrats are not permitted te stop here +:
Abandonment is not enough - they are
baund to see the decision enforced bv the
: General Governments, until all legislation ad-
verse 10 slavery shall Be annulled, and the
people utterly suhugatcd.
"Whdt prospect for "pnpslur s1rereign
4 tg" as here presentedi What high incen.
tives to people struggling to maintain their
) bfrthric hts-''inalienahl when formed into
political communities be told BY the
American Democracy t. whom they are 10 k
ing fer support, that all good citizens are
aeainSt them, Gad that az is the duty Of Tia
General Gorernmcat TO crush out their san
friendly legislation" and their alienable
rights Nth prompttu3e and .Jfdeltyi
1t cannot be avoided; the resolution re-
quires this, and Democrats must abide by IT,,
or repudate the resolution. There is no
middle ground. Non intervention is on en-
side; Intervention is On the other. Bctween
them is an impossible gulf.
Can Democrats hesitate which side to tax es
But we may be told II npr rehansions ore
groundless, because no such decision will b.
+, or can be made. We 10 not know this On
the contrary. we know that decision hiss
been made which is Claimed bv consider
able portion of the Democratic party to be a
final settlement of the question. Mr. Bu
, chanan says it has been fully and fairly set.
, tied, The Attorney General Of the United