Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-04-07
SPEECH OF SENATOR DOUGLAS.


CHAT We preSc't to our rla!crs the mastery
rcil Of Senator Douglas TO the great G. speech
of Mr. Seward, delivered in the United States
Senate on the 2gth of FEBRUARY last.
In the annals of political charlatnnry, no
more unbiuShing ctErontcry has ever been dis
played than wa> maii: >tcd 10y the Lish-rre>t
Of "iir,lr, >>h.y cou!i,c;i>m. IN his late at
tempt To cohvincc the conservative men Of the
country, Of hi> boun,i,cs, devotion to the Con-
sttuton and the Union, and III his effort to
fasten upon the Democratic party the re>pon-
siLihty of the abrogltion Of the Mi>Sou. Com
promise. Bet he has imposed upon no one.
With admirable skill and unhiuching dctcrIni-
nation. the Little Giant rent the gnrb Of pre-
tended patriotism from the back aud tore away
the mask Of pseudo rirtucus Indignation from
the brow Of Seward, exposing the face and
form Of the INSCRIPTIONS dcuagoguc.
Whatever, it any, may have been the short,
comingS Of Mr.. Douglas in the past, the entire
Democracy Of the Union must now acknowl-
edge obligations to him, for the gaan;ry aud
prowcss exhibited III defence Of their fair fame
against the in>idiuus assaults Of Seward
Even some of his fellow Senators, who have
heretofore, and do still, diiIcr from him on GER
tiin political points, with manly fIankncSs con-
graduated him upon his successful rciutation
of the SANDERS promulgated by the Black Re.
publican leader against tic Democratic party.
And candid men everywhere, will be compel
cd to admit that no tierccr retaliation could
have been inflicted upon the arch traitor, than
was administered by the indignant Senator
from Illinois
We ESPECIALLY commend to the attention OF
our readers those Of the remarks Of Mr.. Doug
las which demonstrate that il was the oppo>i-
ton Of Seward and his friends to the extension
OF the Missouri Compromise to the Pacific
which resulted in the subs qucnt repeal Of that
COMPROMISE. The first proposition for the
originated with the Democracy, and the entire
South, without one exception in the Senate,
was in favor Of it. But it was defeated by
Back Republican or Frccsoi influences. The
subsequent abrogation Of the Missouri Com
promise. was the necessary r"nS, Yncnrc Of thi,
antccedrnt Black Republican action, a, is con
cnSivcly shown by Mr. Douglas
But better than even this triumphant rebuilt
tai OF the false assertions Of political history
made by Mr.. Seward, is the whitening rcbukc
administered to him by Mr.. Douglas, on the
score of his gross and palpablc Inconsistencies
Of thought and speech. II the check Of the
Senator from New York is yet capable of be-
ing mantlcd with blush, it must have glowcd
with the hucS Of a summers suns, sky when
the Senator from Illinois said to the Black Re.
publican Mogul-"Thc Constitution bind, you
to every line, word and syllable to it, and you
have no right to say that il it is in violation Of
Divine law you will not observe it, and who
ever cvadcS any one principle upon this pre-
text violates his oath. Then Of what consc.
quence is the pretext, that it is IN violation Of
Divine law? If you believe that instrument
to be in violation Of the laws Of God, how can
your conscience allow you to take the oath of
Office? If the Senator from New York still
holds to the declaration, that the clause of the
Constitution relative to fugitive slaves is in
violation of Divine law, how cam he, as an
h"nest nan, takc an oaM 10 support tint IN
strument?"
Again, we commend the speech of Mr..
Douglas to the attentive pcrusal Of all Of our
readers. 1t may even weaken the faith of
some decent Black Republicans III the moral
and political honesty Of their acknowledged
chicftain, and in the truth and justice Of those
doctrines, which they may now conscentiouSlv
believe to be based upon the eternal fitness Of
Things 1t will certainly strengthen, eet--
viction Of every Democrat Of every shade of
that crcdcnce, in the patriotism and purity Of
Democratic principles. at was an argument,
brief, powerful aud conclusive lucid as a sun.
beam, direct as an arrow, and mortal as the
stroke Of fate" to the Black Republican
Machiavcl, Seward.