Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-03-10
DOUGLAS IN THE SOUTH.


/
Stone" He will be remembered as having
been recently nominated for Public Printer in
the House of Representatives by General Bon
ham Of South Carolina. Mr. Bethune, in the
last number of his paper, appears TO have be-
come disguised at the cruel and scnseless war
waged OH Douglas by heated partisans at the
South, whose zeal ontruns their discretion, and
comes TO his rescue in an able and spirited
article. We make room for the following ex-
| tract
"But 10 Douglas lie is to-day the strongest
man in this nation. That is he has more in
dividual, personal strength; he is the first
choice of more men tlnn any other one man.
First, because he is Democrat; second, be-
cause he has, so far as the power OF Congress
over the subject of slavery is concerned, always
stood square up to the South third, because
he is opposed TO the Black Republicans fourth,
because he believes in the doctrine of Squatter
Sovereignty; for while this is the great objec-
tion 10 him at the South, it is nnquestionably
nm element of strength at the North.
".And what is squnttcr sovereignty? II il,
in our opinion, an exercise of power by the
Territorial Legislature which is unwarranted
by the Constitution, perhaps il is unfortunate
that it is so. Apart from the fact that every
violation of the compact is demOralzing, our
opinion is, that its only practical value is to
furnish politicians a subject to quarrel about.
We have no idea it would ever make one slave
State, more or less it would carry negroes TO
Nicaragua, if we had ii just as it will keep them
out of Kansas.
"Of what value is it TO the people of the
South? What are they going to make out of
it2 Last year every body was trying to see
who could get ahead in abusing the odious
doctrine of squatter sovereignty, and now they
don't exactly know how to get away from it
We hear men abusing Douglas with the great
est bitterness, who are in the same breath laud-
ing Fillmore to the skies, for regretting the re-
peal of the Missouri compromise. In the same
breath they are denouncing Douglas for hold
ing that the people of the Territory shall decide
the question of slavery, (this they denounce
as unconstitutional and destructive of Southern
rights and laud Fillmore to the skies for
holding that Congress has the right to pass
Inv which did not even permit the people of
the South to have a chance to make the ques-
ton in the Territory. And Southern Demo-
Gratis, too, who supported Mr. Polk in and de-
Tended him for sanctioning the Wilmot Proviso,
and denOuncing Douglas as a traitor.
"Last year, too, almost every press and every
politician of both parties were in contest to
see which should be most imperative in de-
handing Congressional protection for slavery
and which should threaten most strongly To
dissolve the Union upon the election ola Black
Republican President. Now the contest is who
shall be the strongest Union man. Then they
were all for the South; now they are for the
Union.
"The Charleston Convention meets in April
Our opinion is that it will nominate Douglas,
and the great mass of the Democracy of the
South will support him, of course and SO will
great many of the Opposition.
at is a great piece of folly generally for
those who belong to party to say in advance
they will not support this or that man if he is
candidate. In these days men belong to
party either from interest or fear. We speak
Of leaders; the great mass of the people have
prejudice and passion mixed up in it. The
same feeling drives them into obedience. Men
whose hopes and fears depend upon party,
soon lose all sense of independence of thought
and action.
.If Douglas should be nominated we shall
see before fall many man driven in and work
ing in the traces most kindly, who now swears
there is no difference between him and Seward.
We expect to look on and see the fight, and
perhaps striking blow occasionally for amuse-
ment."
ALABAMA,
The subioinud article is extracted from John
IIar,ly's paper, the Selma (Ala.) Sentinel, and
is only specimen OF The reaction going on in
favor of Judge Douglas all ever the Southern
country
0The political friends of this distinguished
gentleman have cause to congratulate him. the
Democratic party, and, as we believe, the coun-
try, upon the emincntly patriotic and states
manlike position that he now occupies ms n
United States Senator. His late services in
the Senate have strengthened him in the good
opinion of his friends, and so interested the
people in the defence of his reputation, that
poiticians-ikc those of the Yancey stripe in
Alabama-are learning lesson, which cannot
be administered any too soon for the good OF
| the party and the country. The South will, IN
time, make the anti-Douglas fire-eatcrs do
penancc, and those who insist on slave-code
| platform, and threaten to bolt convention IN
which Douglas is nominated, may bolt to find
their places filled by better men.
"That Abotionists and Black Republicans
should revile Douglas is natural enough. lie
| is the embodiment of Democratic sentiment N
the North and Northwest, which, in every Vi
cssitude, has boldly battled against fanaticism
! demanding that all constitutional requirements
| in behalf of the States, should be maintained.
| without him and those patriotic men who &C
knowledge his leadership, the free States, as a
whole, would be Sewardized, Lincolized, Gree
levied and Abolitionized. Hence he is the
most formidable antagonist which political
caut in the North has to overcome, in its war
| fare on the Constitution and the Union. Hence
/ he is hated hence he is feared; feared even
worse than hated, for Black Republicanism can
have no peace until it has killed off Douglas,
or through him humbled and enlighted into 0
reputation of its self-righteous and meddle-
some heresies.
0Extremists revile Douglas. Both extremes
rcyilc him, because, in their enmity to the
peace Of the country and to each other, they
| fear his nomination will secure his election
tranquility reign, and no political emoluments
or comfort be in store for them. Some politi-
clans in the South revile him only to deieat
his nomination in behalf of other favorites
Others malign him, as we have above indicated
knowing he is the only one who can defeat
Black Pepublicanism, desiring that the SUGGEST
of this priest-ridden party shall precipitatt
| disunion.p
VIRGINIA.
The Lynchburg WAY Repubican-anothel
reliable Democratic journal-also comes to thu
defence of Senator Douglas 1t says:
"The violence with which certain politicians
pursue this distinguished gentleman, is calcu'
lated to advance instead of injure his Presiden'
tiul prospects. The plea that politician Of
Judge Douglas ability and public services shall
be pursued with bloodhound ferocity, and t
The very death, simply because he has com
mitted one political sin, is too monatrous to re-
ceiye the sanction of the honest masses of thu
people. Now, Judge Douglas is not our frs
choice. We think we are entitled to q Sou
thern candidate, and we do not endorse ont
peculiar view held by Judge Douglas.
nFor those reasons we are for another Bu
we do not hesitate to declare, as we have here
tofore repeatedly declared, that il Judge Doug
las is nominated by the Charleston Convention
VIC shall support him most cheerfully, and W,