The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-10-25

punish an.i-slavery teachings in the
Northern States, and the resolution in
defense of which it was made, stood
horror struck-not as though / had
feared that Congress could be fo1,ad
so degeneratcd as to pass such law,
but because a Senator had been foas,ad
who had the effrontery to advocate it
in the open halls of an American Leg
islature. This is not mere figure OF
speech. / do not exaggerate. Only
look at it. A reasonable attempt has
been committed The offenders are
punished. Mr.. Douglas introduces a
proposition for law intended to pre-
vent repetition of the attempt. He
pretends to discover the origin of the
reasonable attempt in the opinions and
doctrines of great national party.
He charges that party with urging a
sectional warfare and crusade against
the institutions of some of the States,
and declares that this crusade is carried
on by speeches, pamphlets, books, and
partisan presses-by ideas being poured
into the minds of the people. He de-
clares that there can be no peace as
long as those causes which produce the
reasonable attempt remain in active
operation. He proposes to cheek this
crusade by crushing out the conspira-
cies and combinations by which it is
carried on; and the means by which
he intends to crush them out are indict-
ments and convictions in the Federal
Courts and making such examples of
the leaders as will strike terror into the
hearts of others. He proposes to open
prison cells for them, wherein to drag
out miserable life. This is the propo-
sition submitted to the Senate of the
American Republic-not by the King
OF Naples, not by the Vizier of the
Turkish Sultan, nor the Chief of Police
of the Russian Czar, not by one of the
Torrists Of the French Revolution
but by an American Senator, on the
23d of July, 1860. l will not stoop to
defend the Republican party against
these accusations. They are of so
ridiculous, so preposterous nature, as
not to call for the serious notice of any
candid man.
Judge Douglas seems to have no
conception of the groundwork upon
which the safety of popular liberty
rests. Let him not pretend to say that
he intended the law for the prevention
of political offenses, for he ought to
know, as every well-informed man
knows that of all the laws in the world
which fasten the chains of despotism
upon mankind, there is hardly one that
does not rest upon the pretext that po-
litical offenses must be prevented. Pre-
vention of mischief was the snare with
which people in all ages and all coun-
tries have been prevented from asser-
ting their liberties. Preventive laws
are the poison with which Freedom is
killed. 1t is said that wears ago an
American citizen met Prince Meter
mich in the City of Brussels. You re-
member who Prince Mettermich was !?
The history of the world hardly knows
the minister who had to answer for
more tears and curses of crushed ma
tons. The American showed him the
Constitution of the United States, and
dSNeu MS u opiilloi vi III. iilS SolStl-
tntion," said the Prince, "lacks but one
thing, and can govern the Empire of
Austria with it." "What is that ?'
asked the American with astonishment.
at is the power of the central Govern
ment to pass preventive laws" What
a pity Prince Metternich is dead. IN
Judge Douglas he would have found
the man of his heart. Put the Judges
Conspiracy bill upon our statute book,
and declare it Constitutional, and the
deficiency is supplied. Prince Meter
Mich is willing to govern Austria, after
his fashion, with the Constitution of
the United States. Place the power to
indict and punish for combinations and
for criminal intent in political matters
into the hands of our Federal Judges,
those petty pro-consuls who feel big
when they can show their power, and
We shall soon have little Star Cham
ber in every little judicial district, lit
tie Fouquier Tinville to act as prosecu-
ting attorney, and little Jeffries to
pass the sentences of the court; there
will be government spy to smell out
reasonable. combinations wherever
three or four are assembled, and the
cells of your prisons filled with men
who have the spirit to think and speak
about slavery as Washington, Jeffer-
son, Madison and Franklin thought and
spoke.
And there are those who dare to call
the man who proposed to inaugurate
such system of policy "great states
man." To the honor of Southern men
be said, in both cases, when he pro-
posed to confer the war-making power
upon the President, as when he intro
duced the New Sedition Law, he had
the modification of being put down as
a Shareholder. 1t was in both cases
Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Fire
eaters, who had the patriotic spirit to
vindicate our Republican institutions
against the disgusting schemes of
Northern demagogues.
But Northern man, also, was listen
ing with indignant astonishment to
Douglas speech in favor of the New
Sedition Law; that was John Hick-
man, of Pennsylvania, the Anti-Lecomp-
ton Democrat who believed what he
said. And when he left the Senate
Chamber he broke out in the words,