New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-18


any jur sdcton over the question of Slavery n the
characteristic prudence, before venturing to an.
nounce publicly this new discovery in constitutional
law, confdential,y circulated his letter for weeks
before it's publication among Northwestern and
Southern Democrats, and it was not W til he had
obtained for it the sanction of the greater part OF
those TO whom il was communicated that he ven
TURF on its publication. At that time what the
s'aytbolders dreaded was the application of the
Wilmot proviso to all the territorial possessions
acquired from MEXICO. large part oil the North
ern Democrats had, like Gen. Cnss committed
Themselves TO that measure. In this position OF
things. this idea Of Squatter Sovereignty was
looked upon with favor, as an exPedent for
enabling these Northern Democrats to withdraw
from commitment which had excited so much
alarm at the South; and upon the strength OF the
il vtntion of this doctrine, as set forth in the
Nicholson letter, Mr.. Cass IT ceived the Presi-
dential nomination in 1913, having been from the
first ballot the favorite candidate of the Southern
States. ........
So again when Mr.. Douglas himself brought for
ward this Squatter-SoTereignty doctrine in 1904
az n cover and excuse under which Northern
Democrats might vote for the Kansss-Nebraska
bill and the repeal Of the Missouri Prohibition,
the Shareholders sustained it, and assisted in incOr-
porating it into the BILL under the belief that this
Sauatter Sovereignty principle would inevitably
result in the introduction of Slavery into Kansas.
Both Northern and Southern Democrats for
purposes of their own, and with secret view to
the interests and extension of Slavery, concurred
in giving to this doctrine of Squatter Sovereignty
conspicuous and leading position in their party
creed-and if in attempting to cheat the North,
which was all along the real object in view, the
Northern and Southern sections of the party have
finally got into bitter and dangerous quarrel 1t
is no more than q righteous retributiOn for the
frauds which, By this means, they attempted to
perpetrate.
MIR. Douglass speech, at least if he can be con-
.dered az utteing the sentiments Of his friends IN
the late Charleston and future Baltimore Conyen'
ton, must be regarded as putting an end to any
hope of compromising the point in daPnte by
means of a set of double-faccd resolussns to BIO
interpreted by each party to suit itself Either the
Convention must rest satisfied with denying any
power in Congress to interfere with Slavery In tho
Territories, or it must come up to the ultra South
ern mark of insisting upon Congressional slave
code 1t must choose between throwing aside all
chance of carrying any Northern State and the
final secession of q certain number of its ultra
Southern adherents.
Even after the question of n platform is settled,
there remains the still greater diffculty-ying at
the bottom in fact of the trouble about the plat
form-of agreeing upon candidate. 1t will be
found even more difficult to dispose of Mr. Douglas
than it is to dispose of Squatter Sovereignty. He
and his friends will cling to the nomination with no
less tenacity than he himself shows in clinging to
the party in spite of all attempts to shake him off,
The steady front which his adherents showed at
Charleston, and the airs which he now begins to
assume in the Senate of one entitled to speak for
the party indicate as little disposition to yield upon
this point as upon that of the platform. We do
not find in Mr.. Douglass speech any intimation Of
readiness to yield ispersona claims for the sake
of harmony. When he speaks with such decis-
ion about his determination not to be read out OF
the party he seems to intimate at the same time
resolution not to be shuied out Of the candidacy.
Hitherto Mr. Douglas has had to struggle against
all the weight of Executive influence brought to
bear against him. His success, notwithstanding, in
securing so strong party in the Convention, gives
him now power, in view of the future, quite
equal to that Of the Executive ITSELF On the other
hand, the secessonists appear to have gone too far
| to yield. With Douglas, or a nominee of Douglas,
as President, they would have little to expect.