Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-10-24
Mr.. Badger Regrets the best and most Patriotic
-R~ Act of his Public Life.

Act of his Public Life.
At the recent Know Nothing, Opposition mass
meeting in Salisbury, Mr.. Badger is represented as
having said that he looked back to a place in the
past where he had differed with John Bell as one Of
the great errors of his life. He now believed that
he ought to have voted as did Mr. Bell against the
Kansas-Nebraska BILL"
Now, no one knows better than Mr.. Badger does
that the compromise measures" Of 1850 substan-
tally repealed the Missouri restriction and establish
ed the doctrine of intervention. Mr.. Badger
a decided advocate of those measures, while
Mr. Bel! if he supported them at all, did so coldly
and reluctantly. In 1854 the Kansas. Nebraska act
was pissed That act repealed, in so many words,
the Missouri restriction. 1t opened all the Terri
tories north of thirtysx degrees thirty minutes to
the slaveholdng States. 1t was an act of simple
justice to Mr.. Badgers constituents; and OF the
reasons, as he well knows, for direct and unqua-
fed abrogation of tine Missouri restriction in 1854,
was that the Northern States had never respected
the line referred to- but had endeavored, on various
occasions, by the application of the Wimot Provso
to exclude the South from all the Territories as well
south as north of the line. No Senator advocated
the Kansas-Nebraska bill with more zeal than Mr.
Badger did. Side by side with Stephen A. Douglas
he exposed the injustice Of the Missouri restriction
and urged the Senate to repeal 1t. Mr.. Douglas
commanded in the great intellectual conflict which
resulted in the triumph Of the friends Of the Con-
sttutional rights of the slaveholding States Mr.
Badger acting as his Lieutenant. Mr.. Badger
went so far in his zeal for this measure as to commit
Mr.. Bell to its support, as Mr. Bel at the time de-
al
a rather acrimonious discussion in the Senate be-
tween Messrs. Bell and Badger in which the former
charged that the latter had spoken for him without
authority while the latter in substance accused Mr..
Bell with having acted in bad faith. Now Mr. Badger
declares that lone Of the great errors Of his fe"
was in not acting and voting as Mr.. Bell did on that
occasion! He regrets that he voted to remove an
unconstitutional restriction, which touched not only
the rights but the honor of his constituents. He
would blot out if nc could the best act of his pub
lie life. And wherefore? Can it be possible that
Mr. Badger has been influenced in his course by the
fact that Mr. Bell, who voted against the Kansas
Nebraska bill, is now his candidate for the Prcsi
dency? Would we have had this solemn rccanta-
ton but for the circumstances by which Mr. Badger
is surroundedf Mr.. Badger is very magnanmous
at times, but his magnanimity is always on the side
of his party. He will make almost any admission
concession to advance his party interests and on
this occasion he has gone so far as to humble him.
self as public man, and TO regret his own deber-
ate and well.consdered action as Senator in order
to add what strength he can by such course to his
candidate for the Presidency.
But if Mr. Badger sin yesterday and repent
to-day, what assurance his followers have that
he will not sin again tomorrow? Who can place
confidence in such politician? In 1850 he decar-
cd that the Union could not be preserved by force
but expect to hear him announce, before the ex-
praon of the year 1860, that the force doctrine is
indispensable to the preservation Of the Union, and
that Lincoln ought to be allowed to send troops over
our soil TO suhjugate sovereign Southern States
Look out for regrets also this subject Mr.. Bad
ger mends his ways and keeps up with Boyden and
others of that stamp by series Of handsomely ex-
pressed regrets.