Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-09-04
soua1ter Sovereignty aud federalism.

i II,
TUESDAY,, SEPTEMBER 4. 1860.
Saualter Sovereignty and Federalism.
Many calls have been made upon us lately
for the Republication Of Senator Douglas
"Dorr letter." in which the writer informed the
Democracy Of the Union that he would not &C,
cept Presidential nomination, at their hands,
except upon an ont and out sguattcr sovereign.
ty platform.
The following is copy of the letter in ques'
ton:
WAsulNGToS, Wednesday, June %, 1859.
MY DEAR SlR:-I have received your letter
inouiring whether my friends are at lib
erty to present my name in the Charleston
Convention for the Presidential nomination.
Before the question can be fully determined,
il will he necessary to understand distinctly
| upon what issue the canvas is to be conducted
II, us have full faith they will, the Democratic
party shall determine, in the Presidential cleo
ton OF 1860 10 adhere to the principles ernbo-
died in the compromise measures OF 1850, and
ratified by the people in the Presidential cleo.
ton of 1852, and re.afiirmed in the Kansas
Nebraska Act of 1854, and incorporated into
the Cincinnati Platform in 1856, as expounded
bv Nr. Buchanan in his letter accepting the
nomination and approved by the people, in that
event my friends will be at liberty 10
present my. name to the Convention, II
they sec proper to do so. II, on the
contrary, it Shall become the policy Of the De-
mocratic narty-which cannot anticipatc-to
repudiatc these, their time-honorcd principles
on which VIC have achieved so many patriotic
triumpls, and il, III lieu Of lhcu,, the C"nven-
ton shall nterpolatr into the creed Of Tie par
ty such new issues as the revival Of the African
slave trade. or Il Congressional slave code for
the Territories ar he doctrine th"f The Con-
stitut;op "f Ire iniicd .Stofss tithrr rsi6htish-
es or proibit, ,i'rPry IN tie Territories, he-
yom Ms po~er 81 the people irgalig 10 control
il as other property, it is due to candor TO say
that, IN s"rh Il" ,'rat, ! co"ii mt drc"Pt me
hominni;on IL trmdrrei Ia ms. Trusting that
this answer will bc deemed sufficiently explicit,
| am. very respectfully,
lutIr friend,
S. a. nOlHLAS.
To j. T. D"lE ESP, Dubuque, Iowa.
Thus it appears, that in June, 1852, Mr..
Douglas MAS 50 rrIltiy attached to squatter-
sovereignty, that he was (avowedly) unwilling
to Weld IN inch TO the entire Democratic par
ty, should the party refuse to endorse his
dogma.
When it CAME to the pinch, however, in
June. 1850, We find Mr. Douglas so entirely
accommodating that he is willing TO stand
either on the Democratic doctrine OF equal pro-
lection, N -" tic Biarl RepnJlican doctrine
J Congressional I,r"hibHion, provided only
he shall bc rnjniucd to tlG so, not by the De-
mocratc party, 10, by the popular voice, how
ever expressed, not by tho protest of sovereign
States, Ito none Of which will he give the slight
est heed 6"t o"ly c-hcnerera si"gie braheh of
the Federai Gorernmeht ShaN require his
submission. Witness the following essential
article of the platform npon which he now
agrees to accept 4 nomination:
Resolved That it is in accordance with the
Interpretation Of the Cincinnati Platform, that
during the existence Of the Territorial Govern
ments the measure Of restriction, whatever it
may be, imposed by tho Federal Constitution
on the power OF the Territorial Legislatures
over the subject Of the domestic relations; as
the same has been, or shall hereafter be, finally
determined by the Supreme Court Of the United
States should be respected By all good citizens,
and enforced with pTomptness and fidelity by
every branch Of the General Government.
Immediately previous to the Offering of the
foregoing resolution, in the rump convention,
it will he remembered, the Cincinnati Platform
had been adopted by the same convention,
without decision as TO the yexed point Of inter
pretaton. Senator Douglas, a firm advocate oi
squatter sovereignty, had been nominated for
the Presidency, and Senator Fitzpatrick, con,
sistent and unyielding supporter of the oppo-
site doctrine Of Congressional protection, had
!! been nominated for the Vice Presidency.
In other words, the ticket and the platform
were each accommodated with I" forked
tongue"
1t WAS necessary that something desperate
; should be done towards "harmonizing" the
discordant elements Mr.. Wicklife, of Louis
ana, applied the sticking plaster in the shape
of the foregoing Bue-Light Federalst proviso,
pledgng both the candidates to accept any
sort Of opinion which the Federal Govern
m:nt shall hereafter dictate-eren though the
doctrine recommended should be Identical
with the leading tenet Of the Black Republican
party.
In the whole Bump Convention, there was
! but one man found to protest against this inl
quitous "compl olnise" That man, we are
proud to say, was delegate from Virginia.
"Mr. Davis, of Va, thought the subject o.
aplatiorm was already sufficiently complicated
lie did not want Fitzpatrick sacrificed by the
Introduction of that resolution, particularly as
it did not mean anything ut al.
,, Yes, it did, Mr.. Davis. 1t meant something
much worse even than squatter sovereignty.
'fc was for the Cincinnati platform alone.
He said:
"lf we can't get what we want, let lis have
nothing but the Cincinnati platform, and abide
hy that and wait onr time.
"Ey and hy the Democratic party will give
protection, believe, and that is the reason why
was elected as protective man. aIn pro
tcctivc man here to day. think wei have got on'
protective rian on the ticket. II not all
terribly deceived. ! don't want him sacrificed
by the Introduction of this resolution. fot
won't hear mc tonight. stand ready to re
J flute the fallacy Of Squattcr or popular soyer
eighty whenever can be listened to. All
will say here then is that this resolution com
plicateS the subject and ihr0ires tie .So"u
'corss md eeorse, and protest in the name
my constituency, against its adoption.
Mr.. Davis protest availed nothing. Th'
compromise" was adopted ''rira r"re, witt
one or two dissenting voices.
In the very act Of protesting that he "coule
never sacrifice the principles" of squatter SOY
ereignty, Mr.. Douglas greedily swallowed the
bait Of rump nomination for the Presidency
with the full knowledge that the hook beneath
it, would drag him high and dry on any sor