The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-02-14
DoUCG,sANDP PoPULA RsoVEREIGS STY

DOUGLAS AND POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY
Il SPEECH hy CARL ScHURz. of UiScoa,
SIN. ar Hampeien Hall, Spring feid,
Massachusetts, January An, 1850.
When great political or social problems,
difficult to solve and impossible to put aside,
are pressing upon the popular mind, 1t is a
common thing to see variety of theories
springing up. which purport to be unfail.
ing remedies, and to effect speedy cure
Men. who lock only at the surface Of things,
viii, like bad physicians, pretend to re-
move the disease itself by palliating its most
violent SYMPTOMS, and will astonish the world
by their inventive ingenuity. no less than
by their amusing assurance. But a close
scrutiny will in most cases show that the
remedies offered are but new forms of old
mistakes
OF all the expedents which have been
invented for the settlement of the slavery
ques ion, Mr.. Douglass doctrine Of popular
sovereignty is certainly the most remarka-
bic, not only by the apparent novelty OF
the thing, but by the pompous assurance
with which it was offered to the nation as
a perfect and radical cure Formerly.
compromises were made between the two
collecting systems Of labor, by separating
them by geographical lines. These com
promises did indeed produce Intervals of
comparative repose. but the war commenced
again, with removed acr,mony, as soon as a
new bone Of contention presented itself
The system of compromises as whole
p.oved failure Mr. Douglass doctrine
of popular sovereignty proposed to bring
the two antagonistic elements into immedI-
ate contact, and to let them struggle hard
to hand for the supremacy on the same
ground In this manner. he predicted the
slavery question would settle itself in the
smooth way of ordinary business. He
seemed to be confident of success but hard
ly is his doctrine, in the shape of law for
the organization Of Territories, put upon
the statute book, when the struggle grows
fercer than ever, and the difficulties pen
into crisis. This does not disturb him.
He sends forth manifesto upon manifesto,
and even during the State Campaign oi
last fall he mounts the rostrum in OHIO, in
order to show what he can DO; and Ike q
second Constantine, he points his finger at
the great principe Of popular sovereignty
and says to his followers In this sign
you will conquer" But the tendency oi
events appeared unwilling to yield to his
prophecy. There seemed to be no charm
in his command there was certainly nc
victory in his sign. He had hardly de.
fined bis doctrine more elaborately than
ever before, when his friends were routed
everywhere, and even his great party i:
on the point of falling to pieces. The fail
urc is magnIfcently complete.
There certainly was something in hi;
theories that captivated the masses. | Dc
not speak Of those who joined their polit
cal fortunes to his, because they saw in hin
man who some day might be able to scat
ter favors and plunder around him. Blu
there were a great many who. seduced by
the plausible sound of the words popular
sovereignty" meant to have found there
some middle ground, on which the right.
of free labor might be protected and Sc
cured without exasperating those interes
ted in slave labor. They really did think
that two conflicting organizations of society
which are Incompatible By the nature o
things, might be made compatible by legis
lative enac,ments. But this delusion van
ished No sooner was the theory put to ;
practical test, when the construction Of th,
Nebraska bill became DO less matter o
fierce dispute than the construction of th,
Constitution had been before Is this pro
slavery, or is it an,i-slavery it was asked
The South found it in the right 10 plan
slave labor in the territories uncon3ltjon
ally, and the North found it in the right {,
drive slavery out of them. Each section
Of the country endeavored TO appropriat,
the results of the Nebraska bill to it.ei.
and the same measure, which was to trans
fer the struggle from the halls of Congress
into the Territories, transferred 1t from tn
Territories back into Congress; and ther
the Northern and the Southern versions O
the Nebraska bill fight each other wit
the same fury with which the Southern an
the Northern versions of the Constitution
have fought each other before What doe
the Constitution mean in regard to slavery
That question remains TO be settled Wha
does the Nebraska bill meano This oues
tion depends upon the se,,lemen, of tn
former
Of all men. Mr.. Douglas ought to be To
first to know what the true intent an
meaning of the Nebraska bill and the prir