The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-06-29

] ItGI s-SANNAy anu 4t4H A-CS u lAEE%sEA. /
we continue TO do so. our deep concern
foI tbs welfare of the country must be our
apology.
That welfare is put in peril By The auic;
dial action Of q section Of the democratic
party. They are attempting TO make head
against a maxim under whose magical in
fuence alone, parties have hitherto been
able to conquer. The maxim is, the right
Of the people TO govern themselves. The
time to challenge its powers is past. Uni
versal SURFACES is an accomplished fact
The people are masters. They are sover-
eigns. They appoint Judges to hold their
commissions, "durante bene p!acito,'' at
the will of the people; they vote themselves
farm; they dispose Of the community S
wealth by the voice Of casually collected
assembly The right to take money from
the pockets OF the property holder IS in the
hands Of any irresponsible gathering from
a city's streets and lanes. Ii thousand
ways they indicate their supremacy
They rule in the states. They rule in the
territories The deIuce Is universal. 1t
covers plain and hill top, valley and noun
tain. Who can resist it? What man
what party?
The attempts of our southern leaders, in
and out of Congress, by eioquen: speeches,
to stem the tide Of popular supremacy, is
bold and spirited. 1t is worthy Of all ad-
mration. We know nothing so plucky in
all history. Nothing, exceptlt he the ex-
plo, of the old lady of Portsmouth, made
famous by Peter Plimbv in his celebrated
letters. = storm tide was rolling over the
beach into the lower floors of the nearest
house Everybody was dismayoa. All
fled from the rush Of water. All save Mrs..
Darlington, who stood in her door, with
mop, tub and broom in hand, and petit
coats tucked up for battle, and made war
with indomitab!e spirit on the encroach-
ments Of the angry ocean. Our southern
statesmen are waging a similar war with
an equal chance Of success. Their nice
retinementB Of argument will serve the
same purposes a. the mops and broom8 Of
the heroine whose honoTs they emulate.
/: is not with such aid that American
politicians march to victory in the conflicts
of party. lie only i5 sure Of ultimate sue
cess who recognizes and maintains the
great A;nerigau principle, the right of tho
peopio to govern themselves. On this
ground Senator Douglas stands. His po-
sition is impregnabIa. Nothing can shake
it, lie occupies the same field that the
Jefferson Republican party formerly held,
and his triumph over all his aL,ess&r;cs IS
as certain as theirs has been.
The controversy which gaZos in Con
grczs, anil elsewhere, on The merits Of Sen
ator Douglas, is . sl.irnish on collateral
subjects only. It does not touch the
strong point on Thich his foot rests irwin
chilly. 1t matters little whether he holds
or not the same opinion now as in 1850 4;
whether the South did or did not then
agree with him on the doctrine Of non-;n.
tervention; whether the Kansas Nebraska
bill! does or does not clearly and fully af-
firm that doctrine. These and other SINH
lar questions are relatively and personally
important only to particular parties. Tie
Peeeis care little about them. They will
a7I, what now ie the principle maintained
By Senator Douglas. What is it: The
right Of tho people to regulate their own
interests by their own laws. What is the
mrxi.a on which the opposition 70 him
rests 1t is that the people Ola Territory
shall not govern themselves. Should tie
! quarrel proceed on yAis yoin. Of tiI.rcaco
ana not swor,e aside OIL collateral Issues
! the opponents Of Senator Douui@s WI BIZ
in ten Years where tho o.I federal part
now are. If ability and honesty, al,
honor aad public service, could save ,
party from ruin, the old feIora.ists would
have bsen secure. But they opposed the
irresistible flood Of popular supremacy, anc
the opposition sealed their doom.
The only event that can prevent tho Ill
innate success Of Senator douglas, will be
the assumption of his principles BY hi:
present opponents. TO overcome him
they must borrow his thunder. 1t is not
unusual, in the progress Of parties, for one
TO reap where another ayTa. Iincolu
sails into port with the fayoring gales that
Stewards lamentations had evolved.
The Illinois man Las become the gonu
inc leaier-the true author Of tie ire.
preside conflict. lie is clothed ii the
special attributes Of the New Yoriz presi,
ding divinity, and wears them all as his
own. Some similar freak Of party may
cheat Senator Douglas of success, and
another man may conquer under bis ban
nsr. But, If the game be fairly played
out by Douglas on the one part, and Yam
cey as a Representative man on the other
the fate Of the last is as certain ss that o
the elder Adams and his party. Burnt
brandy, as they say in Virginia, can't save
him. No continuance eau but the dexter
Gus assumption Of his opponents thunder
Nothing is now preserving the country
from the fatal domination Of the Black
Republican party but their inability to see
that the only maxim on which party can
surely triumph in America, is the right Of
the people to govern themselves. 1t is
this inability that constitutes their weak
ness. They demand limit, condition,
gives, shackles for the popular VIII. The
people of Territory, they say, shall not
nave slaves; they snail not regulate their
interests by their own rules, They stall
take laws from dictator8 at Washington.
It Is this that makes the veal, point in
their position. For this reason Senator
Douglas can overthrow them in the North
west. II the Southern politicians refuse
to cooperate; if they will ropudjate thcir
strongest party leader, they may defeat