The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-02-14

compton Constitution. So he saved hi.
Senatorshlp in Illinois, as the champiop
OF fee labor. But the South frowned and
immediately after his victory he went into
the slaveholdlng States, and admitted in
bis speeches that slavery may 60 into the
Territories without special act of Terrific.
rial legislation. Believing the South sat,
listed, and seeing his chances in the North
endangered, he wrote his iiarpcr-M Magazine
essay, assuming that slavery can exist only
by virtue Of local law. Tne South irown-
/ ing again, he endeavored 10 make his peace
with the Shareholders by declaring that he
would submit to the Charleston Convention,
and instructing his nearest friends ia the
House 10 vote for the Administration can.
dlda,e for ;he Speakership. So he endeav-
ored 10 catch both sections of the Union
successfully in the trap of a double. faced
sophistry
He tried to please them beth in irving
to cheat them both But he placed him
self between the logic of liberty on one and
the logic of slavery on the other side H.
put the sword Of logic into the hands e hi,
opponents. and tried to defend himself with
the empty scabbard of unfriendy leclsla
ton" (Applause) Unfriendly legislation.
which IN one case would have been unnec
essary. In the other uncoustitu'ional-rhe
invention Of a mind without logic. ard OF =,
heart without sympathies; recognized on
all sides as mere sub.crfuce, behind
which the moral cowardlce Of "A Presiden-
tial candidate entrenched itself Cheers
[ Such will be the verdict Of future his,o-
rians. They will indulge in curious spec
ulations about the times when >uch doc
trlnes could be passed off as sound states
mauship-a craftsmanship, indeed, the
prototype Of which NAV be found. not IN
Plutarch, but in Aristophane,-but they
will be slow to believe that there wert
people dull enough to be deceived bv il.
| (Applause,)
Leaving aside the stern reputation
which MIR. Douglas popular sovereignty
has received at the hands OF the people at
the last State elections all over the Union
1t is characteristic sign of the times, that
even one of his political friends, an Anti
Leeompton Democrat. recently went 50 far
as to declare. on the floor of Congress, thar
he would not vote for Mr. Douglas. if nom
iuated by the Charleston Convention, unIess
a clear and uueqnivocal construction were
aft xed TO the reaiilrmation Of the Cincir.
nati platform. A wise precautiun. indeed
But whatever construction might be give
to the Cincinnati a,torm. what will II al
gentleman do with the double-faced plai
form which Mr. Doughs has laid down foi
himself, What will the abstract pledge
Of Convention be worth to him, If Mr.
Douglas principles pied ge him 10 nothing
What will he do with a man who, when
prooooa to take an uno1uivocal position. 1.
always ready to sneak behind superior
authority, declaring that "these are ques
lions to be settled by the courts" Naugh
ter and appause)
Mr.. Douglas situation is certainly very
perplexing one. On one side, he is ostra
clscd by the Administration Democracy for
his illogical and unconstitutional doctrine
that the Legislature Of a Territory has con.
troll over slavery and, Oh the other hand
one of his nearest friends. Mr.. Morris, ot
Illinois. in his recent speech on the Presi
dents message, Genounces the doc,rine, that
slave property may be carried into the Ter
rltories just like other property. as an afro
cious abomination" Was Mr.. Morri,
not aware that this " abomination" is the
identical doctrine advocated by Mr. Doug
las in his New Orleans speech Let Mr.
Morris examine tie record OF Judge Doug
las. aud be will find out that whateve
denominations Mr. Buchanan brings forxarC
in his message, he advocates none that i
not a direct logical consequence of Mr.
Douglas own admissions
| see the time coming when those who
rallied around Douglas co!ors, because they
believed in his principles. will from III
most devoted friends, become BIS mos. in
dignaut accusers They are already, un
Willingly, denouncing his doctrines, wher
they Intend to defend him; they viii no
be sparing in direc. denuuciations as SCOT
a they discover how badly they bad beer
deceived, and how iguominiou,ly they wer'
to be sold. We might, indeed, feel tempt
ed TO pity him. if we mad not to reseTy,
that generous emotion Of our hearts f.
those who are wrong By mistake and unfor
,unate without guilt (Applsuse)
!, Mr.. Douglas ambiguous position, whicl
makes it possible for him to cheat ei;he
the North or the South, without adding
new inconsistency to those already commit
ted, makes it at the same time necessar'
for him to put his double-faced theorie
upon an historical basis, which relieve
, hlm Of the Necessity Of exErcss,ng mora
coaviciion on tie matter Of slavery eithe
way. To say that slavery is right woul'
certainly dispea-e the North; to say tia
slavery is wrong would inevitably iesiro
him at the South. Ii order to doige TIN
dangerous dilemma, he hncs it expedleu
, to construe the history Of this couD:ry 50 a
to show that this que.' ion Of ght OF 1roni
in regard TO slavery had nothing whateve
, to DO with the fundamental principles upo
> which the American Republic va. founded
Dealing with slavery only as q matter {
fact and treating the patural rights Of ma
! aud the relation between slavery aud Re
; publican Institutions as matter Of cOul
; plete iudif-reuce, be is bound TO demon
: strate that slavery never was serlous
/ deemed Inconsistent with liberty. aud tia
, the black never was seriously supposed I
, possess any rights which the white ma