Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-04-05
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

senator Douglas 10 the Republican party's Presi-
dental nomination, IL 1t be determined, for expe-
dencys sake to go without their strict party mes
to find candidate of greatest availability" to
them General Webb In the same article, makes
it plain that the Republican party can not and
will not support Mr.. Bates Of Missouri, because
to him in chief do they owe-according to General
VS. showing from the record-the defeat Of FIRE.
mont. His idea is that Douglas will of course
fail to receive the Charleston Conventon's nomi.
nation and will gladly receive that Of the Chicago
Convention, In that contingency. The General
further contends that the course Of Douglas the
Lecompton question has immeasurably strength
ened the Republican party's cause in the ap-
preaching election; and therefore, that to him the
Republicans owe debt Of gratitude, despite his
recent attitude of hostility to them, such as they
owe to no other public man outside of their orpa-
nization. He argues further, and with convincing
force, that, for all practical purposes Mr. Doug
lass squatter-sovereignty theory is best for the
future ends and aims Of Republican partyism's
claim for power in Congress TO legislate directly
to prohibit slavery In the Territories Of the United
States that II carried OUT 1t cannot fail to accom-.
plish the anti-savery purpose Of his party and In
a manner, too, that will surely prevent the South
from resisting the results of its operation.
The argument Of Gen. Webb is indeed apropos
to the condition Of the times. Parties on all hands
are changing their relations to public men, and
public men, theirs to parties We who remember
50 well the personal relations existing between
Senator Douglas and the Republican party leaders
at the last and the previous session of Congress
and the vigor with which they rivaled each other
In dealing lusty blows against the Democratic
party and Its cause, see ip this movement of Gen
James Watson Webb but natural consequence
OF the events Of those times for to this very hour
Senator Douglas has emphatically refused to WELD
an inch Of the heterodox (politicaD ground on
which he stood when his advisers and fellows in
close alliance were Mr.. Seward, Mr. Hale, MIR.
John Serman, and John Covode To be sure. his
followers gable about his willingness to leave
the soundness of his squatter sovereignty scheme
for aboitionizing the Territories to be determined
by the Supreme Court-denying, Of course that
that tribunal has already decided against its
soundness The latter is the position Of the DEM
ocratc party-that the Supreme Court in the
bred Scott case, did affirm the lack of power in
Territorial Legislatures to discriminate against
slavery by Douglass darling mode of fixing up
the busness-by s. unfriendly Legislation"
The correctness Of this position Douolas con.
tinues to deny, maintaining that the point has
yet to be decided by the Court. Daily his parti
zans are even now proclaiming through the
newspapers, In the South at the North. that
the South must accept the doctrine of Douglas
OF the right Of the frstgOing horde of agents of
abolition emigrant aid societies to exclude slave
ry from United States territories by action of their
agents in Territorial Legislature assembled as
the only alternative for the triumph of Seward;
together with Its author, Douglas-of course
The South will do no such thing. She will not
choose between any such parties for the accom-.
mediation of her own plunder-mongers of all
parties, who have rallied under the DOUGLAS
banner. She sees by no means as much danger
to her institution In the election Of her open enc
my-Mr. Seward-against whose violations of
her constitutional rights-if they be assailed-
she can surely rally all her citizens Of all parties
with inconsiderable exceptions, as she sees in the
certainty that if Stephen A. Douglas be nomina-
ted and elected with her acquiescence, she of her
own voliton 80 fortihes the cause of anti-slavery
throughout the South, as that it will be folly
afterwards to seek to resist the march of the
northern esprit Of the age" though playing
into the hands Of which it is alone claimed that
Douglas is stronger at the North than Dickinson,
Lane, and Seymour, who have sternlv onnosed
It's cHCroacnments from first to last
The SMELLING CoMMIrrEE-The STYLE in
which the majority Of MIR. Covode's committee
are discharging their duties, is in fair KEEPING
with that inaugurated by the never-to- be forgot
ten =" Hiss committee" Of the Massachusetts Leg
islature. Washington is full Of jokes concerning
the way In which Mr. c is peeping under the polit
lcal oeds ne 1ahcles he comes across, and peering
into the contents Of what he mag he finds there
So far, however, he has found literally nothing
In finding it, he has exhibited to the world the
fact that his purpose is not to seek for truth but
rather for some god-send Of malevolent gossip ont
of which he hopes to be able to manufacture some
such dirty charge as Hiss was looking up when
noseing in the dormitories Of the religious house
in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His questions
sked yesterday Of Collector Schell were as silly
as impudent. Yet it is fortunate that he asked
them; because they prove that he is already aware
that he has SO far discovered nothing whatever
Oh which to base plausible charge against the
President, or his political opponents at large
APropos: The Philadelphia Eren,ng Jouruay
shows how proper man Mr.. Covode really is for
the conduct Of such an investigation as that with
which the House has charged him, in explaining
that for years past he has been the confidential
agent Of the Republican party in Pennsylvania to
disburse the immense amount Of money that ba,
been expended in that State for their partizap
political purposes; not less than hundred thou
sand dollars having passed through his own hands
In that way since the opening Of the canvass of
lSoO all VI which he used according to that Jour
nal, with degree Of unscrupulousness that would
well nigh make an honest man flee his country
Though the practice is as old as the hills, we see
no reason to imagine that in thus ''settng rogue
(politicaD to catch rogue" the Republican
organization will make more out Of the oper
atoms of his committee, than those usually do
who venture to work with "stool pigeons, for
their tools.
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION CERTAIN TO
ASSEMBLE AT Charlottesville Democratic Ma
tonal Committee, at a meeting this morning, at
which twenty-;hree States were represented, unan-
imously passed resolution declaring it inexpe-
dient under existing circumstances to change the
place Of holding the Democratic Convent;o on from
Charleston to any other place.
The WRATHsR.-The following report of the
weather for the morning is made from the Amer
isan Consolidated Telegraph Line to the Smith
sonsn Institution. The time Of observation IL
about o'clock.
APRIL S, 1860.
Baltimore, Md. clear, pleasant
Washington, d. Co... clear, wind 8
Richmond, Va............ clear, SO.
Pe'ersourg, va clear, pleasant.