Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-07-13


treaty, upon the ground that it pledged the
faith of the United States in all time, never
IS annex, colonize, or occupy any portion
Of Central America.
Senator Douglas has declared himself in
favor of the acquisition of Cuba, when that
island can be obtained in a manner consis-
tent with the laws of nations and the honor
Of the United States
As chairman of the Committee on Terri
tories, FIRST in the House and afterwards in
the Senate, he reported and carried through
the bills organizing the Territories of Min
nesota, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah, Wash.
ington, Kansas and Nebraska, and also the
bills for the admission into the Union of the
States of Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Min
nesota and Oregon. He early took ground
touching the slavery question as involved in
the organization of Territories and the ad-
mission of new States. He held that Con-
gress should not interfere one way or tho
other. With this view, he opposed the
"Wilfhot Proyiso' in 1847, when it passed
the House as az amendment to the So ,00O.-
600 bill for the peace treaty with Mexico,
and afterwards in the Senate. when intro
duced as an amendment to the bill for the
organization of the Territory of Oregon. In
August, 1913. he offered an amendment to
the Oregon bill, extending Che Missouri
Compromise line-86 deg, 80 min westward
to the Pacific Ocean, in the sense in which
it was adopted in 1920 and extended through
Texas in 1915. The amendment passed
the Senate, having the support. of all the
Southern and several Northern Senator'S
In the House it was defeated by an almost
sectional vote.
In the month of January Of the session Of
lS49-5O Mr.. Clay offered his celebrated
resolutions, which became the basis of the
subsequent legislation of that session, known
as the Compromise measures,
On the 25th of March Mr.. Douglas.
from the Committee on Territories, reported
to the Senate two bills--one for the admis-
sion of California as State, the other for the
establishment of Territorial Governments in
Utah and New Mexico, and for the adjust
ment of the Texas boundary. On the 10th
of April, on motion Of General Foote. of
Mississippi, committee of thirteen was an
pointed, of which Mr. Clay was made chair
man, and to which was referred all the sub
jects pertaining to the question of Slavery.
On the Sth Of May, Mr. Clay, from the
Committee of Thirteen, made an elaborate
report. accom- panied by a bill generally
known as the Omnibus bill" By refer
ence to the original bill, as reported by Mr..
Clay, and as it now appears on the files 0.
the Senate, it will be seen that, instead of
preparing new bill, the Committee ofThir-
teen took the two bills reported by Mr..
Douglas, on the 25th of March, and CONVEX
ted them into one by putting waters between
them. -
No sooner had this report been made by
Mr.. Clay than it was 6ercely assaled. The
discussion proceeded at great length upon
the question whetherthe Territorial Legis-
lature should have the same authority over
Slavery as on all other matters effectine
the internal policy of the Territory, when,
on the 31st of July, Mr. Norris, of New
Hampshire, renewed the motion of Mr..
Douglas, which was carried by vote of So
to 10; thus establishing, as the fundamental
principle of the Compromise measures of :,
1885, the doctrine that the Territorial Leg
islature was to have the same power over
the question Of Slavery that it possessed ON
all other matters of domestic policy.
Mr.. Douglas, in 1854, introduced the
Kansas-Nebraska Bill, declaring, as its fun
damental principles, that cit was the true
intent and meaning of the Act not to leeis-
late slavery into any State or Territory, nor
to exclude it therefrom> but TO leave the peo-
pie thereof perfectly free TO form and regu
late their domestic institutions in their own
way, subject only to the Constitution of the
United States y His speech in the Senate
in support of the bill and against its adver
saries: was regarded as the greatest speech
of his life"
After the passage Of the Nebraska bill,
Mr. Douglas was 6ercely and savagely de-
nounced for advocating the principle that
the people of Territory mighthave slavery
if they wanted, and should not be compell-
ed to have it if they did not want it. lie
was burned and hung in eAigy in every
town, village and hamlet II the United Sta
tes were an Abolitionist could be found
When he arrived in Chicago, be was met by
another mob, more numerous than the one
which greeted him in 1850, when he made
his great speech in defence Of the Compro-
mise measures. Mr.. Douglas gave notice that
he would address the people in defence of
the principle involved in the Kansas Ne
braska bill. .t.-r
On the day Of the meeting, the flags of.
the shipping IN the harbor were hung at half
mast, in pursuance of a previous arrange
ment by the abolitionists IN their Know
Nothing lodges: and the church bells were
rung as signal for the mob to assemble
They did assemble, ten thousand strong,
armed with clubs, brick bats, bowie knives
and pistols, and organized into companies.
with their leaders, ready for violence or tu-
multi at the given signal, When Mr.. Doug
las appeared upon the stand, he was greeted
with TIE most unesrthly howls; when he
commenced to speak they threw eggs, stones
and clubs, and fred pistols, to create tu-
mutt and break up Che meeting. He main
tanned his position for four hours-some-
times appealing to them--then ridiculing-
then denouncing their cowardice in comb.
ming to put down with force and violence a
single man, who used no other Weapons than
truth and reason. His efforts were futile
The mob grew supreme; and having held
them at bay from eight clock in the even
ing of Saturday till past twelve, in the midst
of their imprecations and violence, he reti
red, pursued by the mob, to his hotel.