The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-04-04
Dourln. In georgia.

ge ff 81
One Of the most extreme yet honest pro.
slavery men 10 the South i' James N.Bs.
thuue. the editor ofihe Columbus (GeOrgis)
Corner &One. He will be remembered as
having been recently nominated for public
printer In the House Of Representatives by
General Bonhsm, Of South Carolina. Mr..
Bethune, In the last number Of bis paper,
appears to hsve become dlsguSted at the
cruel and senseless war wsged on Douglas
BY heated partizans at the South, whose zeal
outruns their discretion, and comes on to his
aid 10 an able and spirited article. We
make room for the following extract:
But to Douglas. He is to-day the strong.
est man in this nation. That is, he has
more individual, personal strength I; he is the
| first choice Of more men than any other one
man. First, because he 10 q Democrat !;
second, because he has, so far a. the power
OF Congress over the subject of slavery is
concerned, always stood square up to the
South third, because he 10 opposed to the
Black Republicans fourth, squatter sover.
eighty for while this is the great objection
to him at the South, it ia uuquestionably an
element Of strength at the North.
And what is squatter sovereignty II is,
in our opinion, an exercise Of power by the
territorial legislature which 10 unwarranted
by the constitution, perhaps il is unfortunate
that it is so. Apart from the fact that every
violation of the compact is demoralizing, our
opinion is, that it's only practical value is to
furnish politicians subject to quarrel about.
We have no idea it would ever make one
slave State, more or less /; it would carry
negroes to Nicaragua, il we had il, Just as it
will keep them out Of Kansas.
or what value is it to the people OF the
South? What are they going to make out
Of it, Last year everybody was trying to
see who could get ahead 10 abusing the odi.
GUS doctrine OF squatter sovereignty, and
now they don't know exactly how to get
away from it. We hear men abusing
Douglas with the greatest bitterness, who
are in the same breath lsuding Fillmore to
the 1kies, for regretting the repeal of the
Missouri compromise. In the same breath
they are denouncing Douglas for holding
tina: the people Of the territory shall decide
the question Of slavery (this they denounce
, as unconstitutional and destructive OF South.
err rights,) and laud Fillmore to the skies
: for holding thut Congress has the right to
: pass a law which did not even permi, tha
people OF the South to have chance to make
slavery question in the territory. AND
/, Southern Democrats, too. who supported
> Mr.. Polk in and defended him for sanction
ing the Wilmot proviso, are denouncne
: Douglas as a traitor.
Last year, too, almost every press nnC
: every politician OF both parties were in g
. contest 10 see which should be the most In
perative in demanding congressional protec.
ton for slavery, and which should threaten
most strongly to dissolve The Union upon
the election of a Black Republican Presi.
dent. Now the contest is who sh4ll be the
strongest Union man. Then they were ali
} for the South; now they are for the Union.
The Charleston Convention meets ia
April. Our opinion is TINT it will nominste
Douglas, and the great mnss of the Democ
racy OF the South will support him, o. course
and SO will great mary Of the Opposition
1t is great piece OF folly generally tor
those who belong to the purity to say in ad
vance that they will or will not support this
or that man il he is a candidate. In these
days meme 0be4ong to party either from in.
terest or fear. We speak OF leaders the
great mass Of the people have prejudice and
passion mixed up in it. The same feeling
drives them into obedience Men whose
hopes and ears depend upon psrty soon lose
all sense of independence of thought ant
action.
Il Douglas should be nominated, We shall
see before tall msny a man driven in and
working in the traces most kindly, who now
swear there is no difference between hin
and Seward. We expect to look on md see
the fight, and perhaps strike a blow occa-
sionally Tor amusement.