St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-07-19
The Douglas Platform.


Every true man respects Rebel
against the arrogance OF Party dis
cipline, or an oligarchy which he has
reason to deem odius, and who boldly
meets the men and the doctrines which
he Processes to assail but when we
find that his rebellion is mere sound
and fury, signifying nothing, so far as
Principle is concerned, every thought
full man will regard such candidate
as not worthy of the suf1'rages of the
people for so important trust as the
Presidency. 1t cannot be forgotten
that Mr.. Douglas has constantly and
persistently claimed the good Will,
and we may add the votes Of the peo-
pie, because he was in favor of gem
uine Popular Sovereignty in the Ter
ritorics, and he has held that the Ter
ritories had as much right as the
States, to prohibit Slavery therein.
This was his position up to the time
of the assembling of the Baltimore
Convention. 1t naturally gave him
great strength among the people-for
territorial Popular Sovereignty over
the Slavery question, is just and
popular form of settling this trouble
some issue But at the Baltimore
Convention, after the secession of the
Southern delegates, the Douglasitcs
did not dare to hold to the original
principle, but quakcd and yielded 5"
far TO the Southern sentiment as tu|
adopt resolution which literally
squelchcs out Territorial Popular Sove-
reignty. We invite careful attention
to the following record from the pro-
cecdings of the Douglas Convention
it being understood that this resolu.
ton was introduced with the sanction
of Senator Douglas himself:
Mr. Wickline, of Louisiana offered
the FLOWING, which lie said would
give Douglas 40, Oo0vntcs in his State:
Resoired, That it is in accordance
with the Cincinnati Platform, that
during the existence of Territorial
governments, the measure of rcstric-
ton, whatever it may be, imposed by
the Federal Constitution Oh the power
of the Territorial Legislature 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 PROMPTNESS
AND FIDELITY by every branch of
the General Government.
Mr. Paine, of Ohio, called for the
previous question, when the resolution
was adopted.
The Convention then, after the pas
sage Of several unimportant rcsulu-
tions, adjourned sine die.
Read it carefully, Democrats, and
we ask you to note the full scope of
this resolution. The Supreme Court
has already decided, as President Blu
chanan has authoritatively declared,
that Kansas, and Nebraska, and Utah,
and in fact all the Territories of the
Union, are as much Slave soil as Geor-
gia or Alabama. Now Mr.. Douglas,
by the abovercs"lution, clearly pledges
himself, If elected 10 the Presidency, to
use the Army of the United States to
force Slavery upon the unwilling pco-
pie Of Kansas and Nebraska.
This is the very doctrine that the
ultra Southern Senators have been adj |
vocating for some months-to EN-
FORCE the bred Scott decision of the |
Supreme Court at the point of the
bayonet-if need be, over the will of
the people of the Territories and the
acts Of their own chosen legislature.
Is that Popular Sovereignty? Is it
not rather Douglas Popular Sovereign
ty-a cheat and an abortion of the I
bascst kind ? Pierce and Buchanan
have acted ont that kind of Popular
Sovereignty in Kansas, and which
forms one of the most disgraceful rec
ords of Executive usurpation in the
history of any nation.
Yet Douglas has consented thus to
abandon his great principle in order
to conciliate Southern support-after
they have spurned him. Now, cleo
tors of all parties, can you place any
confidence in the promises of such a
trimmer and doughfacc as Douglas
proved himself to be in the last hours ;
of his Baltimore Convention He now
appeals to the Great West for support,
when he has just sold out his great
principle in order to obtain support in
the extreme Southern States. 1t is a
matter Of no surprise that So many of
the good men of the nation oppose Mr.
Donglas--not because he is demo-
crat, but because he is one of the
most dangerous men of the Republic.
What safety can any section place
upon his promises-if at the eleventh
hour he ahandons his popular sove
reignty creed in order to get 10000
votes in Louisiana But we do not
think that he will get many votes
North Or South by such double deal
ing policy. Had he stood up fair and
square for the just and eternal rrinci-
pie that the Territories have as much
right as the States to prohibit slavery I
within their limits, he would have ob.
tanned hundreds of thousands of votes