The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1860-10-06

him. did not prevent the charge from being un
blusllingly made and stubbOrnly persisted in A.
in the case of Mr.. Van Buren,, we were told that
it was safer TO tIust Northern man than one OF
ourselves, although that Noi hem man had pub
licly thanked God that he lived in State wher,
slavery did not exist, and was moreover the au.
thor or inventor of the doctrine Of Squattcr Soy.
ereign,y, which the Breckenridge Democracy
now profess to hold in such dctcsaton, but which
they never made it convenient to understand unit
it became necessary to uSe it a means of de-
tcating Douglas, and br, aEing up the democratic
organization.
| will not 90 as far as Gen Cass did, and say,
that no n IN with a thimblrfull of brains had any
excuse for doubt or miscuncrpton in regard To
that doctrine prior To l-J0, for up to that time
certainly misImd,i stood it myself But | have
never misund rstool il since, and the leaders of
the southern Rights democracy did not miSUHdcr-
stunt before Gen IS testified in omen Sen
al" that hr had fully and'clca ~ explained the
Nicholson letter 10 Mr.. Mason of Virginia. Ma
! Davis of Miss, and uth', southern Congressman;
and if they could support him in lo.iS, with that
knowledge, confess myself unable to unG rStaud
wE;t principle prevents them from supporting
Mr. Doug as now. II the doctrine Is so prrnicolls
a. to Justify their Withdrawal from party Con-
vcnt'on in 1850. what excuse have they to render
for allowing it 10 pass unqust STONED in I-Is-for
lending their aid 10 its cooperation in the Kan
sa>-N, brasEa bill of lSJl, and urkin" il lcadup
principle of the tincnnatiplaloTm of ISj6 Then
it was practical question. Then there was a
Territory who's" political status might be- affected
| by it, anil HcHHCy UeTe silent. Now .licrr is no
territory into which slavery can go, and he doc
hinc ha, no present application. If it is under
stood now for ia" hisi time thc knowlcdg, comes
too lat, and ihcy ar but iaithc,- s,ntin,Is who
| only give warning 10 he nation after the mis-
| chiefs accomi lish,d.
Ii may hc tia. the Truth ha, Just d:wnrd upon
them. II may b" that th,y overlooked Mr.. Bu-
| chapaus lc.f'r ofacccptaucr-Mr BIccki.uil,e,'s
lIrprca,.oc Speech, and Mr. Cobb still more eX-
Pile, declaration a; Portland. II may be- that all
/ the Arguments and al! thu acmon,tranc,s address
ed TO them failed 10 open th,r eyes. History is
not without examples Of similar halIucnaiion,
and all Of us ut some timc bad occasion to observe.
tina; the politician, Ike The fanatic
.Oucc welded fast
To some dear ftl,rhood hugs il to the last
But in acknowledging the dclu,on and exercising
the error which j. lis uti>pr4g, it is nevertheless
| a duty ot patriotism to suatph the r.H5 Of govern
| n, ut from hands Unfit 90 hold fhcm
In - hr game OF ~, ~, and l. was rem, W
! cd. This time Winfield Scott was the suff Ter.
! lie was southern man, and the fame he had al
ready Acquired made it impoSsibl, for him 10
truHplc on the Constitution, since the act would
convert an immortality hardly won into an infa-
my without example. But even that shield was
'til'lN iiilli-
1t i, one of the curses attending th,, wicked ar
itation that men are taught not Only 20 ignore
probabilities, and di>Ir' and all the rules OF fair
dealing, but 10 forget also lie gratitude due for
distinguish >crvIc,.s and patriotism In tL,ir
zeal To secure The defeat of Gen. Scott. reckless
patI>anS forgot that tom his earliest youth when
ever his county called, his sword had leaned
from the ScJbbud thu lightning heap, f.oin th
cloud-tEat from Lundy', Lam To ia" Civ ct the
Mont zunia, hi, mach had been from triumph to
tIumph-that his gallant brow WIS c,Nrr,d all
over with aufciS Won tht batti. ti Il of Ghcr-
iy-O! rather, th;; h. was hmscfa living laurel
who's vigorous life and glorious b,auiy had at
tract Il the WONDERING" admiration of oth.E lands
than ours, and bid fan To bloom with q fIcshrr and
lovciirr vcr!urc through the long age, to come.
he honest Plidc which every American ought to
have taken IN his gra acli.l em,uts was lost
sight OF, ami the whol" pack Of party clr, went
y"'pin% a ong She pathway %. the veteran h,lo.
inspired bi,a naIigIiity mnr, r.moisrl,, - than thr
instinct ofshr blood hound.
IL had no political record upon which to fix a
charg" Of abolition, but with thu ,rt OF H lial tLrv
found n,ins to prrp!rx ihc common SENSE of the
na'ich. They said L' was no >tat,sH all-tIat he.
was igroraI' Of the duties which would drvnlv,.
up' II INN If rlrc"S!, and would submit hiu-rIftn
tn" guidance Of VIM. II. S-wald The old sol
".-.. w"o had been accustomed all his iii. TO say
Ike the Centurion, 10 tho>. about him. $50" or
come, ana 10 scc hi, orders obcycd without ]
question, Was suddenly Transformed into :hr p!i-
ant, submi>>i.r tool If cIiuging coward like. iL
New York actator, and m,n in abundance were
found I" crru.t Inc mor>tious abSlrdity
am w'l aware tha; am telling Won nothing |
which l. not already familiar. These things am |
SURF ar rs Vyidly painted upon your mcnur,s
as upon MIN. but it may BE- That you have not
hen t"i"lr .o"k.d at thrm insth. light they ar
now P'>i.,.7L an the political. rs IN Tie actual |
world, events ar daily trm,pilng whose con,,- |
4utnc's we never think of calculating, but when |
they are pointed ont we wonder at our blindness |
III not obscI1 ng them before. In his connection |
allow IN" to dH'ct your attention 10 the fact ,hat
IN every nStanc" the candidate against whom the |
charge OF abolition was preferred was southern |
man by birth and had been familiar with the in
Sutution OF slavery From infancy. On the o;h,r |
hShd, thTec IN four candidates of the democracy |
were N"IiIaTn men, whose earliest education hal |
hSiitI INF" their minds the strongest prejudice,
AGAINST SiaNcly-WLo sill, believed il To- BIZ 4 |
"lINnl> SIN IN ;h" iglt of God and man. and la |
m'nttd us "yl-tncr among us. The selection of |
~urh iuri to driId slavery Interest, was ci,L,ra
gross iYlY, "r 1t WIS an acknowledgement tina. all |
IT'S tendencies alr evil, and THOSE who knew b.asl
about II c"u!" hc h.St trusted To- maintain il |
lh'Ic can h. NO c-cap" from ;hi, diiruma If |
southern men by biti. by residence. and by IN |
"'''t were hostile +" slavery, it could only BE- be-
'"'S' II Is wrong ~ principle 81 drIctcrious in |
f''''' - W ''i Ilbi 40 10 mat Of |
votes IA" At iRr North.and dat 10 obtain those
votes S"uti'IH mru weTr wi Inc TO paud,r 10 |
Northern Pnjudiccs. That Argument will not |
answer, because the democratic candidates were
subjected To precisely the same inAunccs Mr. |
Van Iu1'n wanted NohcIn votes as badly ~ |
G'n. Harrison, and there is nothing in |
his history to justify the belief that hc was more
7cIupu"us as To the means of obtainiur them.
- ct Folk and Clay-of Cass and Taylnr-aud |
81 Pierce and Scott In every instance the |
W. lght Of character and evidence OF patriotic de-
l"!"n to liberty and the country ,y,u. ON |
The side of those against whom thu, charge |
was made. Ia every instance but ON, the demo |
cratic candidate Northern man. and had |
either openly avowcd OF in SOM other way |
manifested the strongest prejudice, against the in |
sttutlonS he was elected to defend Yet such is |
the blindness Of party Spuit that We believed the
Improbable tale and thereby became the endorscrs
81 a caiuhrny upon southern honor and southern |
fidelity.
Let it be understood that am not Speaking in |
the spnit of the Pharis-c who thanked God that |
he was not as other men. ! acknowledge nv |
share OF the guilt. | claim no exemption from |
political c1ors. | am conscious of having COM |
mitted many in the past, and that consciousness |
teaches me 10 be less positive and dogmatic than |
younger or more experienced Inrn arc apt to be- !
L % M,