, 1860-05-01
39rr,,;e'S Trihtttte.



The Democratic party is progressive. The
distinction claimed for it by its friends By rea-
son Of its movement should DO admitted with
out debate, We admit It now; and, in doing |
so os,ert that in tie u,attcr Of human rights |
that which should engage the attention Of |
all lust coyernmonts-it lms progressed with
unexampled rapidity toward desrotism-that,
On this now much mooted question Of slayo-
r., it has abandoned The ground which The
Republicans, tue heirs Of the Revolutionary
Fathcrs, occupy, aad gone orer to the dogmas
Of Calhoun, which. when first broached, were
hooted at as tho rvaings OF n mailman.
We 50 buck no further than 1897. In Feb
ruazy Of that year, Mr, Calhoun introduced in.
TO the Senate the following resolutions: |
"R~olri Thxs ths Territories Of tho United STAIRS te
!cns the several States ccmpopg thix Union, ana are
}sld es than ~ the 7 jant and com mnlon property.
"Rao're, That Congress- the Joint agent and re,re
e1sxvt sf the Stata ct tie Cn:on has right to ac
my law do any aet wherer that shal directly, By
ELECTS naake any DISSEMINATION between TIC staes Of
this Unon by which any os hc1n fha be deprived Of
i su! and equal rights In any Territory @, te United States
ae4uscd or to be aequissd.
" Rs-sosa, Tia the Enactment Of any Law whltA should
drety hY It's <ec deprive the citizens cf any Of the
Etates Of thi. Ion from cutiu<. with their property
Into auy Of the Tc.es o. The Cne stac.. would make
s1eh determination aud would therefore, b. s1oist"h
o<the Cens.sy OF. aud the tights ot tue states from VII
such citizens eea,ed, asd dtrG ,ioo Of that perfect
equality which Heio.s then members IT 'hs uuloi'
md would tod directly T. subrer The Cn'uo attc!E
These arc The first embodiment Of "Deno~
cratic principles in their usw shape. Up to
that time no mum Of note-s2o man whose opIn~
ions On Constitutional law wcrc worth quot
iug-had ever questioned tue power Of Con-
g7css over the subject Of Slavery III tho Terri
tories. Tue action Of the Government, from
the date OF tho Ordinance Of 17s7 down to tie
moment Of which We speak, was long con-
tinued affirmation Of this power, which had
been exercised by every Congress, approved.
by erery President aud Cabinet and had
passed uncbn1lenged BY every statesman
since the Constitution was framed. So
firmly was this power rooted in the politi~
cal mind, and 50 fully did it POSSESS every
branch Of tho government, that Nj. Callioun's S
resolu:ious amoag tho excited pro-slavery ncp
Of the South found no second; they were
Withdrawn without being subjected to the test
Of vote: sud their author, for bis heresy OF
opinion, was denied fellowship with any Of til;
political rartics Ct the day. Neminaily ::
Democrat, lis notions were promptly tlis"-
vowed hy his Democratic associates in mud out
Of Congress- and lo himself was justly re-.
rardcd as 4 politician whoso extreme and 1ln-
teuah1c views upon L matter cf tile graves
1,ublie concesn wouli quickly overwhc1m any
party that might adopt them. That he WAS
not in downright earncst-that the resolutions
which were to serve as tie basis Of The Eaod-
e.n "Democratic' organization, were at first
nothing more than hr;tyado, as IN Offset to the
doctrines Of the a'i1i.siavsry men-ls evident
from the fact. tl:;.s, during The next year E'e
find 3fr Calhoun voting for an extension Of
the Missouri Compromise line to the Pac fic-
measure tia. was I'LL explicit endorsement;
and an avowed exercise Of The power Of Con-
crcss over tho Territorics. The vote was On
Mr. Douglas amendment Of tie Oregon bill,
and the following Senators recorded tteir
names in its favo1--all but seven being slaTe-
holders, viz: Atcisou :lud Benton, Of No.,
Badger :snd Maugun Of y. C.; Bell and Tnr'
uey, Of Tenn; Berrian and johnson, Of Ga;
Borlaad aud Sebastian, cf Ark; Bright and
Hauuesan, Of Ind; Butler and CALHOUN.
Of S. c.: Cameron and Sturgeon, Of Pa; Da'
Wis and Foote, Of Miss: Dickinson, Of \. T..
Davis and Johnson, of La; Fitzgerald: Of Mich
Houston If Texas lIuuter and Mason, Of Va.
johnson and 7carcc, Of Nd; King apd Lewis
Of Ala; Metca!f and Underwood, Of Ky.; ant
Spruaucc, Of Del So, in 1885, tile progrcs:
was not decided; but the steam was rising
aud two years later the machine began Il
more III 1850, The California bill, being un
der discussion in the Senate, twenty -four Srn
exercise tue powc; Of Congress in the prolib
ton Of slavery III the Territories-in olhe
words, t. extend tie Missouri Compronis
line to the Pacific 70 that Southern Californi
might lie or;.a1izcd ns a slave State. Bu
when the extension Of tiut line WIS refuse
BY the North, upon the ground that Califc
uia, free by the Mexican law, ought to rcnlai
free, ten ncu, then al 1hc known converts I
Calhounisrn, entered their rrotes: against hs
admission us State They were, Mason au
Hunter, Of VA; Butler and Banlewell. Of
c.; Turney, Of Tenn; soule: Of La; Jcif d
Wis, of Miss; Atchison, Of No; and Yulce an
Norton, of Fa. This was the FIRST step
democratic progress, Of which we have :'n
record. This was, but ten years ago! but IL
ten years are full Of events. They have nj
messed the invention Of tue dogma that the e:
ercisc Of the power Of Congress over SLAYER
ia tho Territories is "inerpedicrt" nnd til
new States u,uy te admitted with or witho
slavery. as they should elect Until that Il
ton was put forth in the Territorial bills
that period, Calhoun:sm had had no inAuen
On the Legislation Of the country; and th'
its pretensiops were exceedingly moderate.
did not venture TO dony the rigid, it only qut
toned tho eypedteacy, ot Congressional prol
bition Of s1arcry. But the South was la
pressed. Tho Morrill, great hive Of
dusry AID cn.erprise-iu possession
the lower House Of Congress, threaten
by its colonies sent 10 tho Territories, to ta
possession Of the Senate Us well; aud
dogma Of Calhoun seemed the only reno
for the supremacy which was feared. He1
the readiness o! the Shareholders 10 accept
Nebraska bill That infamous nseasure VII
reversed the action If the Government Oh
slavery question, Gid not at first enbody
Calhoun's notions. In its dgst, second :
third phases it merely suspended the opcrat
Of the Missouri restriction, and It was not u
Mr. Douglas was Threatened with the los
leadership aa1 position, thht lie At last {
scnted to 50 the whole length, and declare
the loug, uniform and consistent action Of
Fathers CT the Republic was wrong, that
Missouri Compromise WIS unconstitutional
void, and that Calhounism, TO the extent Of d.
ing the power Of Congress over the Ten
ries, was righ:l Under tie Erecious prett
Of Squatter soveraignty-a lie mud n ehea
subsequent events have proyed-this TIL,
it docs rot deserve the namo Of measu
was approved, hr tho people Of the Soul
scheme for extending slavery, and by
people Of tic North, US a method hy "
slavery would be restricted But Calhol