The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-08-03
The Douglas Campaign In the North
Hot Work For August.


speech Of Mr.. Douglas at Concord and the ex-
traordinary speech Of Gen. H. S. Foote, the
other evening to the Douglas young demo
cracy Of New York, assembled at Saratoga
Springs.
In the main. this speech Of NJ. Douglas re.
minds us of famous speech on the slavery
question, delivered in Congress many years ago
by Mr.. Mcdowell then q member Of the House
from Virginia. An outsider, who had been
among bis listeners, seized the opportunity Of
the adjournment to express to a colleague Of
the orator very high opinion of the speech.
ooh, yes was the response, II always did ad-
mire tina. speech of the Governors" But al
though upon popular sovereignty this speech
of Mr.. Douglas is the old story there are some
points in it which make it almost as good as
new He tells us something Of his momentous
conversation with the President on the Le-
compton difficulty, which was followed by the
fatal anti-Lecompton rebellion Of the Senator.
He tells us that the President, in that CONVEX
sation, admonished him that if he resisted
the administration the administration would
resist him. This was fair warning;
and If the President has fulfilled his promise,
the Senator, we presume, has not been disap.
pointed. He has found the President man Of
his word. which is more than we can say of
many other men. even Of some note in the
world
Mr.. Douglas next. in pleading bis plea OF
Territorial popular sovereignty over the slavery
question tells us that all the great lights of the
democratic party in 1856 advocated the same
doctrine, including Mr.. Breckenridge aud Gen
Lane. But that was in 1856, accompanied with
o general understanding to leave the question
to the Interpretation of the courts. That was the
democratic Old Testament; the New Testament
was proclaimed in 1857. in the bred Scott de.
cision Of the Supreme Court, which, in the
clearest terms, repudiates this thing of popular
sovereignty in the Territories as heresy, aud
which quite as clearly afHrms the equal right of
the people Of all the States to go into the com.
mon Territories of the Union with their pro
perty of every description, slaves aud all,
and their right to the protection of said pro.
perry by the local and federal authorities, until
the Territory shall have passed, or is passing,
from its minority, "a a mere ,hild of the general
government, into its independent manhood as
sovereign State.
The great error, then Of Mr.. Douglas. Is in
persis,ing in the Cincinnati platform of 1856,
when it has been superseded b. the platform
of the Supreme Court Of 1857, "the supreme
law Of the land Breckenridge aad Lane stand
upon The platform of 1867; and this very point,
at which the trouble with Mr. Douglas begins.
is the very point at which he stops hi. defence.
In other respects this speech of the indomitable
Senator sustains bis high reputation as AZ ac-
complished and powerful stump speaker az the
man among a thousand to talk to the people.
But how shall we describe or il wha. cate
CORY shall we place. this extraordinary harang,e
Of Gen. Foote at Saratoga Springs. We are
sorry to say that II betrays the soured aud dis.
appointed politician. Gen. Foote is , man OF
talent, education. experience Industry cour.
age aud perseverance. He has been O member
Of toe United States Senate Governor of Mis-
sissippi and loves distinction; but of late years
he has been left high aud dry among the drift.
wood thrown ashore by the winds aud waves Of
the stormy sea Of politics. He was fre-eater,
be was a compromise man. he has been Know
Nothing; but he now appears ready for almost
anything that will defeat Lineoln and Breckin-
ridge. or kill Of the black republicans ani
punish Nr. Buchanan at the same time
Bat, with this double mission OF biz hands
The labors OF General Foote are worse THAI
useless He foments diseord where be should
preach harmony Does he imagine that he ia
working 70 defeat Lincoln Ia denouncing Mr..
Buchanan a. another Tiberius. aad his admins.
tration as an "intolerable despotsmi" Or can
he suppose that the cause OF Nr. Douglas ia
strengthened by denouncing Caleb Cushing "a
"the synonyme Of treschery and Corruption
"as corrupt man rs the world has ever seen;"
and John Slidell as "a low manager IA tsiekster
in ofice?" II Is evident that the personal
grievances Of General Foote as a politician are
too much for bis discretion as an advocate, and
that like Governor Wise. Of Virginia, though
terrible as an enemy he Is not safe as friend,
from his habit, whea least expected. Of dying
OF the handle.
AZ oil events our readers. from tie speeches
IN question, will perceive that the Douglas
-amPaeh III 'ne NVAtH naAe, hOt hlu pu1geuti
hat the politicians concerned are beginning to
ell tales out Of school; and that the prospect is
hat before our Douglas democrats and Breek.
nridge democrats will have settled their little
differences among themselves. "Oid Abe Lin
,oln" will have chopped of all their heads
within his reach, from Cape Cod to California.
Then we shall, perhaps, have q new shulle Of |
he pack and resonstructIon Of pasiesi vh;h !