, 1860-01-20

led with this iguomiuous exploit. But the ne
.esslties OF the Popular Sovereignty doctrine /
10 not stop there. After hariag tried to ex-
plain away the fundamental principles under
sing this Republic, which are hostile to slavery
and iss extension, lit. Douglas fnds It exceed
ngly inconyeuient TO encounter facts, which
prove, beyond doubt, thatthese principles. from
4 mere theoretical existence, ruse to practical
realization. Popular Sovereignty, which il at
war with the doctrines Of the Declaration Of In
demands thaaa!aughtcr of the O:di-
nance Of l7s7. and Mr. Dousias is up to The |
task. lsc does not stop at triaes- And here |
we must return to the HIrp:r-I I1}a-ine maui- |
festo. He leads us through q century of col |
onial history IN order to show that the people |
Of the colonies clai,ned The right to leglslate
on the subject Of slavery. And, remarkably
tendency adverse to the peculiar institution.
alr. Douglas then proceeds to discover the
germs Of his Popu lar Sovereignty doctrine in
the hrst Congressional legislation concerning
the Territories. lwill not undertake to criticize
that singular historical essay, although some Of
its statements are such US to make the fresh
men Of our colleges smile. The Statesman
Douglas does not seem to be aware that
the ability 10 read history ought to prccede
the attempt to write it. Loud Laughter and
cheers. LIE leads us back to the Congress Of
l7si. Mr.. Jefferson and his colleagues have
wrsterr ,sr-;to-S snd ~ sa7"n ~, NJ 1,.;sos"
~ chairman Of n comm;ttea Then suhm;,x q -
s.plan for The temnoraTv ..overnn.nt ~ shs ,sr.
"rlsories ccded or to BE- ceded by the individual
Estates TO the United States Mr. Douglas
proceeds to describe how the territorial govern
ments were to be organized, what rights and
powers were put into the hands Of the people.
ind how they were IN b.. exercised. md af,4r
having demonstrated that the term "new States
meant the same thing WHICH il now ,es;,.nafed
By Territories" he comes to The couc;usiou
that the spirit peryadius that plan vas ia exact
eighty" Mr. Douglas ostenta,ioust1 calls this
'.tlc JctItrsonian plan" at vas" saws he.
"the first plan Of government tor the territories
fever adopted ia the United States. It was
".isawn by the author Of the Declaration of In
"depeudeuce, aud revised and adopted by those
"uho shaped tie issues which produced the
Revolution, and formed the touudatiors upon
(which our whole system Of American govern
'+n,cns res,s.' Hut Sir. Douglas skins rather
ninstly over the significant fact that ihe same
'uuthor of tie Declaration Of Intepeudrucc'
put into that plan j proviso, +rckadiay sIdrtry
,fre1n tie territories. Was that mere accident.
Mr. Jefferson showedthereby conc1usisely thai,
in his opinion, the exclusion Of slavery by con-
.Tessiooal legislation was by no means ircon-
sis,eut wish the spirit Of popular soyer.
eiynty' which Mr. Douglas discovers IN the plan
Of lsA, but this does not disturb Mr. uou: las.
''Thc tiltll article" SAYS lie, "relatug TO The
"psohibition Of sluyery, having been rejected
"by Congress, perer became part Of the JEFF.
''fersonian plan Of government for tue terrific
"ries, as adopted April o3d. 17s4." Although
with large numerical ,nsiuritv III its favor tl6
to ~, this article did indeed full to obtain con
sti'utional majority, the vote Of New jersey not
btIn counted in con e,f,tence of there being but
one delegate from that State present: vet it had
been drawn up by Nr. jefferson, introduced By
Nr. Jefferson, aud sustained by Mr. Jefferson j
sote. Nevertheless. Dir. Dou .las persists in
calling PLAZA from trAieh the Peculiar -LJtrsoa-
iaH feature h1d been struck out, The - ~..5ertoaian
pLla." THIS is the PLAY OF Hamlet with The
character OF Hamlet omitted. fLau.,tter.l !
This charter of compact proceeds Mr. Doug
las, with ITS fundamental cnnditioIs which
''were unalterahle without the joint consent Of
''tFe prop!e interested! in them, as well as Of
1.-The United States then Atood upon tl- statute
"the 18th day Of Mar, l.s77, the federal cou rem
''tiou met u. Philadelphia" Does Mr. Douglas
not know that ou the 18th Of siascb. 1875, pro.
,,nsiaion was inyl oduced in Congress by Kufus
King, to exclude slavery from the States des-
crhrt in the resolve Of April ed, 17s4, and 10
lshcd by that resolve? Does he not know that
this provision, restoring the JelItrsonian tea-
tu,e to the 'Jeliersonian pEan," was commit
trd hy the vote Of eight Staies against fur.
Dnes he not know that the MAN Of l,S4 never
went into practical operation. lut was express.
Iy set aside by Cun.rrss in 1.s.> Ines he nat
Know that tl,.. UrJiuance Of IL. was the first
legislative act ever practically orsauiziug a ter.
tii.ry Of the Cnit-d States md that one Of its
most nromiueut Ieatures vas the proyiso ex-
cludiu. slavery from, ull the territories then in
pos.essieu If The United States.
Mr. Douglass historical recoliections Of the
ordinance Vi l7s7 seem to be very indistinct.
Indeed, be deems it only worthy of an occa-
>io5lal passing, almost contensptuous not,ce
lie *peaks OF it as 1.-THE ordinance .. the la:h
of Ju1y. l,S;. which WAS p1a:eJby the remnant
ut ,he Cou.re,S nj tho cnnft.deraiion >ittiu.. IN
New York. while its most eminent members
were ut rh1ladcphia, as delegates 10 tl,r Fcde-
raj Convention" For thr.c-uuarters Of cen.
lury nror,l,. wtrc in 1l,t. habi, ot thas;n.+ Tint
The urdinspce Of 11s7 was IN act Of the highest
order OF iuporiancv. but VIC now learn. that it
VII, u rather Indifferent affair. passed Gu an iu-
different occa,inn l,y IN +xcer,liurIy indifferent
srt Of irllows. wlils lie plan Of i7s4- n mere
abstract programme. completely orerruled by
subsequent Ir:i,lat,on, is repressn,cL us the
true "(ury of tic are. liuv is ,hiss The rea-
son Il Obvious. Mr.. Douglas belongs to that
class Of historians who dwell upon ll1os. facts
which suit their convenience. utl uucr1cmopi-
ou>;y trup the rest. l once heard Ut u Jesuit
college where thry used te xt.b book Of history.
in wli;ch The French revolution was never men
toned. while the Emperor Sa7o.eon figured
there univ US 4 modest marquis l:opaparte. who
held II commission under Lunis XVIII. u,.I
,m,rbt rrr,t battles FIR III. .-lorv of ,1u Catho.
liz chuicl,. Laughter and applaust.1
50 it is with Nr. Douglas und the history Of
tits country. He Ignores the universal priIuci-
nl.s of lie Declaration Of fnIrncuteuc,.. and
represents the great founders Of The Eeauh:ic,
a, mrrciy nxyi,f,, Tho way fur Iii, ..ureat princi.
ME-" while few Village. politicians re, M an
:lbusive os,1s,,a.c. adverse to the general ten
dvucy Of things. But rs tllose .]c,uits never
could preycu, their students from, perpt.iut Of
their coIIy.e windows into the vide world.
wasre thrr perceiyeJa a ycry different state ii
things, 50 Mr. Douglas cannot prevent us from
tray.iny out Of Iii. yt.Iuw COVERS OF N1rpsfs'
.N,ou-,nt. into III. oucu records OF bisiu.v.
where We tiud Mr. Jet;srsou's anti-,layery
clause. although lost ia 1854. s,renuous!y in-
sisted upon Ly I'll. Ie.Jiu. spirits Of The IT,
mbI:,.. incorn1ra,r.l in III. ,,r.at net nf rs.
soln,,v r.. ';I;rne t,v ,,,e trsi rnn~rrs. un,ifr
the constitution Of lie ,eo,,l. Of one Of the
territories. ;Chcers1 Til, is the truc .Jettr.
so.ian n.uu.' The pIai which Jefferson f,at1cJ,
vvtrl for. a,,,. which WAS carried nut in spir;t
nut ,l,at u,an.Icd ,cport If 1854. which Mr.
;,Il terr,,r1ai royern,, nt l,ecxu. 81 HISTORICAL
ucr,tsu, l,a,prns 10 coincide With his schemes.
That irue tctlesspniau III IN rc>.el. INDEED. on
The prirci,,ie 1T popuar sovereignty. bu. it Will
be c.l,cvdsd. that Nr Jefftr. o,,s ::reat 1riuci-
pie WI, u, widely different Irtsn, that Of MIR.
Douglas ui tl,e ordinance Of IT'S il different
from ill.,. Nebraska Li.1. While Mr. jefferson )
noton Of un,u1ar soyerciy:.ty spruu. frot1 1!,a
;j.a ,,.,t man as certain iutirnah,,, r;"l,s..
wI;ir1, ,l,c ,,,;,ritv shall mt ,rcrnach linn
Sir. lhu"1as's t,ocfrine rests mon The idea that