The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1860-08-20
A RICH TREAT.

production without feeling convinced that the
nomination of Breckenridge and Lane is a dis
union Increment,
PARIS, July a, 1860.
GEORGE ID. PRENTICE, ESQ, AND OTHERS:
GENTLEMEN Your note inviting me to be
present and to participate in the proceedings Of a
public meeting TO take place yesterday evening
\ in Louisville, to ratify the nominations for the
| Presidency and Vice Presidency, made by the con-
vcntion ofthe Constitutional Union party at Balt
more, was duly received. | could not be with
| you, but there was actor there who is more de-
voted and steadfaSt 60 our great cause, and lis
peerless representatives, John Bell and Edward
| Everett, than am. And now on this annver-
| sary day of the Independence Of our country,
again pledge to 'the Union, the Constitution, and
| the Enforcement of the Laws" and to the able
md fit statesmen nominated to uphold them, all
| have Of heart, soul, and reason
For some years past the Democratic party has
arTogantly assumed to be the only national party
whilst it was constituted VI two incongruous src.
| tional factions, the leaders of the Northern one
being deadly hostile to slavery, and the leaders of
that South its fiery supporters and propagators,
Hesdmcn Of the two factions have long known
the principles and ultimate designs of each other,
they have heretofore held their suhalterns by "the
cohesive power Of the public plumber and their
masses by esprit dH corps and by scnscless shouts
for party victories, to 4 united action, when there
was no community of principles among them.
Each class adhered for present spoils and Office,
f., l.. Al. 4
give them the dominating power. But their res
pccti.e camps had become so crowded by ac-
ccssious of free captains and mcrccrary soldiers,
men who had neither fixed principles nor fidelity
10 any cause, but who fight for pay alone. and
who will desert the greatest and most sacred cause
for higher pay than they are receiving, that it
became impossible To satisfy or to hull the impa-
ticnt craving for spoils of their hungry lcgions
The veil with which this heterogeneous monster,
modern Democracy, has so long covered itself, is
at length rent by intestine strife, and. reveals its
| Northern and Southern scgmcnts engaged in Fan
iFr'pfcsabe conflict growing out of principles
and objects which cannot live together; and
Stephen A. Douglas and John G Breckenridge
are the chosen chicftains to bring the two scgre-
gated hosts 10 the onset. Each faction claims to
be- tn National II mocratic party, and dcnounccs
the other and lis chief as rebels.
! ]; lis dug to tn" country that cv5ry party which
makes even profession of patriotism, should pre-
sent lis best men fer office But the Democratic
party has never acted upon this principle; and it's
recent disregard Of it, and 10y both of its factions,
| Is rs ilagitious as Il any former time Who is
| Stephen y Douglas, that hc should be placed in
| an Office that fashioned and vested with pow
crS for men of the mould Of Washington Where
are monuments Of his craftsmanship When
has he shown profound knowledge of and regard
for great constitutional principles What wise
and useful measure of legislation has he devised
| or supported with great ability during his long
rarcrI in thc two Houses Of Congress He pro-
posed the Nilmot ProyiSo AS an amendment to
;lr' joint resolution for the admission of Texas,
into the Union, as to all county North Of IS deg,
~ min; and h. reproduced it in the bill establish
| ing the territory Of Oregon. HI has often alyo-
catcd the principle Of the Ms,oul Compromise
linz. Under the auspices Of Mr.. Clay, lac sup
ported the compromise measures Of ESQ, and
particularly az inaity of the whole slave subject.
And yet, in = fw short years. he rrpud.ated the
the principles of all these measures. He stole
Dickson's thunder, and embodied the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise in the Kansas-Nebraska
bill; and thus created the Back Republican par
| ty, and brought it bon-monster, with tecmino-
numbers and fanatic energy, into the field of po-
| litcal conflict. And to sustain himself at home.
he proclaimed to the people Of Illinois from III
stump, that this kanSas-Nebraska BILL to the sun
port of which he cajolcd the South, was the best
abolition measure that Congress could pass. He
Is hold, ambitious, rcckl, S. tai, ntrd dcmagogue,
without any fixed principles or true craftsmanship.
lie opposed the Lecompton constitution, because
1t was necessary to secure his reelection to the
Senate; and upon the same condition, nc would
have supported II with all Englsh's shameless
proiiigacy. lie has been nominated by the free
State wing wholly upon his squatter sovereignty
hcrrsy and this recent and daring innovation,
he and his faction are striving to intcrpolate into
the constitution, VI rather to establish il as great
primary principle overriding the constitution
itself This sectional reckless political adventurcr
viii not get an electoral vote in a slave State; and
he should never have been thought of in conncc-
ton with the Presidency
But the Southern faction have done even worse
The men who led the seceders from the Charles
ton convention have been for years opened and
avowed disunonists But the movement of
South Carolina in that direction last winter met
with so stern a rcbukc from the States to which
she made her reasonable appeal, as to bring them
To more cautious policy. Some years ago they
sought to mauguratc disuuion movement under
the guise of Southern Commercial Convention.
but 1t received no support except from few rest
less spirits scattered over the Southern Atlantic
and Gulf States Even John Browns raid did
not enable them to prosclyte many to the opinion
that dissolution was a remedy for any existing
evil. Their numbers were too few and too local
for an open strike They must have other States
to take position with South Carolina; or, at any
rate they must enlist strong party of sympathi-
zrrs in all the slave States Their efforts to pro-
duce these results had failed and therefore they