Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-07-17
Douglas and his iiumhug-h E-IHtetyenli0n,
Popular Sovereignty, sc.

trines of the d.magogue Douglas We have
| heard about Squatter Sovereignty, Popular
Sovereignty, and non-iuterveDtpn ia the
Territories-of the right Of the people of
Territory to regulate their own institutions in
their own way, subject only TO the Constitu-
tom of the United States in short. We have
been told that the inhabitants of the Terrific
res have and possess the rights Of sovereignty,
including self-goverument.
Let US look a moment into the significance of
al this twat.le. Whpa Douglas presented his
notorious Bill for the organ za;iOn of Kansas
-nd Nebraska it was then well understood 70
be his highest BID for the Presidency in 1856.
The bin il principally remarkable. however n
a piece Of perfIity rarely equaled in history.
and As plausible i sham with which to deceive
/ the people - t. is true obiec;s For while it
I rep ealed the Missouri Compromise under q
I false rrctense and opened M to Slavery. Ter
ri;orv already consecratrd 10 Freeio1nits author
/ shank from tie odium ofthe measure. and pro-
claimed What a few now affect 20 consider great
Trincip,cbu WI at ia in reality the most unmiti-
gated political humbug of the age. namely
\ Popular Sovereignty, or non-interyentou in
/ the Territories. True. Mr. Dougla~ was con-
strained % - his bill. At tie urgent demand
/ Of bs slave-breeding and slave-dririug friends
and, 70 a high minded man, his position was
+ truly lrmilia,ine; but. he who could declare
! ia tsfthat, ia point of sacreducss. the Mis-
souri, Compromise MS akin to the Constitution
tselfaud'h 1851 be the first to Law violent hands
( upon 1t, would allow no sense of honor or hu-
initiation, to prevent his bending the supple
hinges of the knee. that thrift might follow fav-
ming Hence. looking with great comrlaceHcy
on the White House in the distance. than upon
his own consistency. political integrity. We
see him at last involved in most pifiable di-
1 Iemnaa from which there j. exit. Notwith-
standing all his trucking TO the South and his
betrayal OF the interests Of freedom into their
hands. lie has been finally discarded by them
because in striving to maintain his own po!it-
icaI existence. he was obliged to refuse compli-
.uce to the last of their demands. His own
recollection was At haud.a and he very well knew,
that IL lie voted for the admission Of Kansas
into the Union under the infamous Lecomptnn
Constitution, lie would not be retained to the
Senate For once his own interests cls,hed
with those Of his friends, aud he resisted their
demand but in that, lie committed the uapar-
donahle sin aud die question now Is. not how
lie may be elected President, (fnr the idea Is
prepos.erous,) but whether he must die in con-
vuls;nns.or whether he may retire to the shades
90 prila ate life without dissenting voice In
yie.v Of the great improbability of lis carrying
a single State At the next Presidential election
the latter mode Of retirement seems most prob
able.
Touching tie Non -interveation Goctri,,e. a
word must suffice at this time No honest,
well-informed man Will deny. that the Nilsson
ri Compromise was repealed at the instance Of
the South, after they had rcaped the benefits
accruns to them from the measure, for the cx-
press purpose Of :naiataing their politlca pre-
ponderence in the Union, 10y forming more slave
States. Disguise it as they may. tins was the
great object sought; and We even see Douglas
hoasilng to his quondarn friends. that his non
Intervention bubble has already secured for
Slavery large tracts Of country that otherwise
would hAve been sacred to Freedom. This IS
exactly what they wanted, and what was fore
told aud deprecated by the opponents of the
measure. Having removed the restriction to
the spread Of Slavery. and arranged for the
Dred Scott decision and knowing, also. from
experience. that where the blight of Slavery IS
sown. there the seeds Of Liberty take but fee
BILE root, they thought to forestal all the terri
tories against frccnen bat thanks to individ-
al enterprise and En:graut aid Socities, we
know how insloriously they failed in this part
of their programme, The doctrine. in itself
considered is such fiimzy pretense, that We
are unable 20 understand how Intelligent sane