Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1860-10-11
NUMBER II.

into al the Territories; that under it any in
dividual has a right to carry his slaves there
,cithout any law, and that laws must be pas
sed by Congress, as they may become need
iul for the purpose of protecting it.-Tho re-
suit, therefore, of the election of Mr.. Breckin-
ridge is that there will he a perpetual struggle
in Il e Congress OF the United States by per-
sons who desire to carry negroes into the Ter
ritories, and do not wish to do so until they |
are protected by law, to secure the passage
of laws by Congress to protect them there
There is not tho remotest probability that
such law can ever be passed through both |
Houses Of Congress, 1t is therefore, in its
very statement, an element of perpetual dis
cord, of perpetual strife, of perpetual aliena-
tion, perpetnally tending to widen, still fur
ther apart the two portions of the Union,
until possibly on some great day dissolution |
may follow in the heated state of the public |
mind under some casualty of the moment.
What are Mr.. Douglass opinions? They |
have been variously stated by himself in his
wide circuit through the country yet take
it that fer his purpose there cannot be any
great difficulty in describing them with accu-
racy. desire to do him no injustice. |
merely wish to inform my constituents what
are tue things which politicians try to con-
ceal. Mr.. Douglas has shown. with great
emphasis and great point laterly, in speech, |
that the Constitution does not carry slavery |
into the Territories. OF course it would be
beyond the control of the people of Territory
exactly as any provision of tbs Constitution
applicable to State is beyond the control of
the people Of the State; but Mr. Douglas O.
pinon is that the inhabitants of Territory
have themselves the absolute right to intro
'luce and allow slavery, If they see fit
Whether they have this power, by reason of
some inherent right, or by reason Of the acts
of Congress organizing the Territories, his Ian
guage is doubtful; sometimes he seems to say
one thing and sometimes another. At any
rate he contends that they may pass what law
| they please in reference to slavery, and may
make their domestic institutions to suit them
selves
Tho great struggle in the Democratic par
| ty, and that on which it has gone to pieces in
the great Storm is which of the two opinions
is the orthodox doctrine of the party Now,
whilst I am very unwilling to undertake to
decide questions of party history or of party
law for the Democrats rather fear that my
friend, Mr.. Douglas, has the better of his an
tagonist as question of political history
| rather fear he is not merely the regular
nominee of the Democratic party, but that he
| likewise is the representative of the regular
Democratic opinion. | rather think that if
there has been change, the change has been
from him, and not By him from his compan-
lions | rather think that it his great speech
in the Senate towards the end of the last ses-
sion he arranged an amount of authority which
ought to have satisfied, or at least rendered
strongly to satisfy my mind, aud probably
satisfied good many others, that under the
ambiguous phrase "non-intcrvsnton" was
couched the very dogma that he himself pro-
claimed. And certainly it looked AZ If he
rather had his enemies on the hip when he
quoted the language of tho Kansas Ncbrask,,
act, sit being the true intent and meaning
"of this act not to legislate slavery in any
. "Tefritory, nor to exclude it therefrom but
"to leave the people thereof perfectly free to
REGULATE their domestic institutions in Their
Gown way subject only to the Constitution
Of theUntcd States | take it that these
words will scarcely bear any other interpre-
tltion than that the people of Territory, lie.
} fore they become State, have right, accor-
: ding to the views of the gentleman who drew
aud passed that act, to Introduce or exciud,
r slavery rather think that he had the
} cold public functionary' on the hin wher
: he went further and quoted from his letter o
, 1856, in which he said that the people of q
, Territory, like the people Of a State, had s
right 10 regulate the question of slavery fol
themselves.
Whatever may be the truth between thos,
two divisions OF the Democratic party, | dc
!, not desire to cast any more confusion int,
| their midst than is there. Laughter.
| l. h,u Wi ha ,la .,
solve the great problem as to what are theil
opinions unless they shall bring an action il
the U. States Court on wager and carry i
!. to the Supreme Court and have it thore deci
dcd. TLaughtcr1 or if the spoils should ev
! er be divided again, there should be sui
brought in equity, to determine which of tn
two portions is the real seceder and which
!: is entitled to the whole of the property
T, Laughter. That is problem that | do moi
mean to touch; it is controversy in which
have no interest; the further and bittcrer it !
wagcd. the better probably for tho country
: thing that Judge Douglas has done in his life
: Having lent himself to the extreme Southern
): norton OF his party, to do their work, whel
his turn came they would not lend them
selves to him, they thought they had Doe
IL
J been dealing with master, aud they deter
. . mined to break him, and he reciprocated th
u compliment by breaking up the Democrat
party. [Applause.]
n There is another good thing that b
has done - The doctrine of Mr., Brcck
, inridge to which have referred; it i
r claimed; rests upon the decision of tn
" Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case
e although Mr.. Rcverdy johnson, who ar
: gued that case, said that really the Su
% prcme Court never passed upon any sue
question; and it is difficult for any on
d who knows any thing about the lega
u points really involved in the record, be
# fore the Court to surinise how it was pos
n sible for them even to have gotten at it
J.. yet this theory, bolstered up by the per
p p petual assertion of political men, ha
~ ~ been adopted by the great body of tn
il Democratic party at the South, and som
At of our friends are gradully gliding int
IN it, until suppose it will come after
re while to be a great piece of treason
r. the South "a great invasion of Souther
q. a. rights something dangerous to her in
- ternal condition, to venture to moot
~ question which is only ten years old, an
Of and to say that you not believe in an
b. such legal absurdity as that the Const
is tuition (Which says nothing about slavcl
to in the Tcrritories) having extended
It to the Territories, - an opinion as al
y surb as that Congress cannot establis
A. slavery in Territory if it see fit.
It's The Democratic party has lived upon it
boosted orthodoxy for the last twent
he years. 1t has been "out at the elbows
he in everything else; its reputation is a
Il gone, for everything, except impuden'
n orJ ,nd,n;ty. hut kv holdiou ;feolf n,