The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-06-01

ally and privately who were here at that
day. that that letter, in manuscript, was
passed around among southern and north>
western Democrats, to receive their sanc>
ton before its publication. The letter was
prepared, and in private circulation, for
days and weeks before the date which it
now bears in its publication. The Senator
from Mississippi informs us-and unques-
tionably with entire accuracy of recollec>
ton that he, at that time, dissented from
the doctrine of non>intervention, as stated
in the Nicholson letter. Other southern
Senators, now opposed to meat any rate,
other leading distinguished politicians, l will
not sreak of SenatOrs-would not be able
to say that, when it was submitted to them
for their approval or disapproval, they con-
demned it as frankly as the Senator from
Mississippi did. During this period, while
this letter was being privately circulated, to
see how far it would receive the sanction of
the representative men of the Democratic
party, the especial friend, the right bower
of General Cass, in that great contest-Mr.
Daniel S. Dickinson, of New York-pre
scented to the Senate two resolutions em~
bodying the same doctrine. will ask my
friend from Ohio to read those two resolu.
tions.
Mr.. Pugh read as follows:
RESOLVED, That true policy requires the gov
eminent of the United States to strengthen its
political relations upon this continent by the
annexation of such contiguous territories as
may conduce to that end and can be justly oh.
tanned, and that neither in such acquisition nor
in the territorial organization thereof. can any
conditions be constitutiOnally imposed, or in.
situations be provided for or established, incon-
sistent with the rights of the people thereof to
form free sovereign State, with the powers
and privileges of the original members Of the
cOnfederacy.
RESOLVED, That in organizing a territorial
government for territory belonging to the
United States, the principles of self-govern
ment, upon which our federate system rests,
will be best promoted, the true spirit and mean.
ing of the constitution be observed, and the
confederacy strengthened, by leaving all ques-
lions concerning the domestic policy therein
to the legislatures chosen by the people there.
Congressional Globe, vol. Is, p. 81.
Mr.. Douglas--It will be observed that
these resolutions of Mr.. Dickinson, which
were presented to the Senate on the 14th
of December, 1847, assert distinctly the
very doctrine which the Senator from Mis-.
sissippi then denounced and now denounces,
and which then and ever since affirmed,
and now affirm. l am not aware that Mr..
Dickinson or General Cass has ever modified
his views, much less disclaimed the doctrines
of these resolutions and of the Nicholson
letter. Yet my record on this question is
held up to the Senate and to the country as
if l stood alone in the Democratic party--a
hereto then, hereto nOw-and was there.
fore not entitled to fellowship in the regular
Democratic organization. I am aware, sir,
that some of the people and some of the
States of this Union now hold different doc
trines from those they formerly held upon
this subject of non>intervention--o squatter
sovereignty, as the Senator is pleased to call
it, for he uses them as convertible and
synonymous terms-non. Intervention being
the shibboleth of the party, and popular
sovereignty, or squatter sovereignty, an in
cident or result only, but not the test, of
political orthodoxy.
POSITION OF FLORIDA AND GEORGIA.
Mr.. DOUGLAS caused to be read resolutions
of the Legislature of Florida, passed in
1847, in which the estate of Florida de-
clared that, by correct construction of the
Constitution of the United States, terri>
torial legislature, while in territorial con-
dition, had the exclusive right to determine
for itself whether slavery should or should
not exist within the limits of such territory"
And also the resolves of the Democratic
State Convention of Georgia, passed in
1847, affirming the doctrine of non.inter>
vention, upon which he commented as fol-
lows:
Now, sir, it may be, and unquestionably
is, true that some of the eminent men who
participated in that State convention of
Georgia have since changed their opinions
upon this subject, and now believe just as
conscientiously that it is both within the
power and the duty of Congress to legislate
for the protection of slavery in the Terrific
ries as they then believed it was unconsti-
tutional tor Congress to do so. All 1 have
to say of those eminent gentlemen, for whose
talents have great respect, is, that if can
forgive them for having abandoned the very
doctrine that they invited us of the North
to rally in support of, I think they may par
dor US for remaining faithful to that doc
trine which they and we agreed to stand by.
THE CONVENTION OF 1848.
have already shown on high authority
southern authority - that when the
Baltimore convention assembled in May,
l848, to nominate Democratic candidate
for the Presidency, and to lay down plat
form for the party, the atten1 10 Of the
country, the especial attention olHthe Dem
ocratic party of the Southern States, as
we'll as of the northern States, had been par
ticularly called to this doctrine of non>in-
tervention by Congress with slavery in the
territories and hence the nomination of
General Cass, with bis opinions as expressed
in the Nicholson letter, was not the result
of accident or inadvertance; but he was
chosen because his sentiments were the
sentiments of the vast majority of the DEM
ocratic party, North and South. 1 have
looked into the proceedings of the conven-
ton at Baltimore in l848, when General
Cass was nominated, and made an abstract
of the votes. I find that, in the slavehold-
ing States, Gen. Cass received, on the first
ballot, for the nomination &c votes; Mr..
Buchanan, 10 votes Mr.. Woodbury., Is;
Mr.. Calhoun, 9; Gen. Worth, 6; Mr.. Dali
las, 8. The following are the Southern
States that voted for General Cass on the
first ballot: Delaware, votes Maryland,