Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-28
The sally OF a DouGIas KNIGHT, with the
sad Termination Thereof.


The Enquirer announces that no minor |
controversies about anegro equality or its
or about the comparative vir-
tues of rail-splitting, cabinet-making or Bell
metal shall be allowed to turn it aside from
the great struggle for the right of the people
to regulate their domestic institutions-sub-
ject to the Constitution, of course Like the
renowned knight of La Manche when he sal
lied forth on his first expedition to right the
wrongs of mankind, and relieve distressed
damsels, the Enquirer has set its lance for
wind-mills, and will not stop for minor game.
1t is affecting to see such terrible sense of
responsibility in q journalist as is shown by
such extracts as the following
'The main subject is too momentous; the
issue too grave; the consequences too terrible
for us, as a public journalist TO waste either
time or space in discussing or noticing, un-
less compelled to, what are merely incidents
to this great crisis of the country. '
They are all and each as cebwebs only in the
great struggle and contest for the integrity
and maintenance of the Union, the individu-
ality of the people and the consequent right
of every organized political community to
manage its own affairs in its own way. This
last iciU control the November election Of 1860.
1T Is THE DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE"
II is easy to discover when the crisis of an
article is reached, if its approach is indicated
by italics, and its arrival announced by capi-
tails. 1t really seems that the Integrity and
maintenance of the Union" depend entirely
on the right of Territory to regulate
slavery. Yet Mr.. Douglas says that it
is judicial question, and politics have
nothing to do with it. Has the statesman
ship of the greatest statesman the En-
9uirsr ever knew brought the Union to
this extremity, that Judicial decision
will destroy it2 Really this is a sad
crisis, especially as the Supreme Court has
already declared that the only power that
Territorial Legislature has over property, is
to protect it. So it seems the Union is gone
already, and we knew it not. s-, ~.
But the Enquirer proposes to give the Repblic
one more chance, which depends, entirely on
how the people decide this judicial question
at the next election certainly queer place
to decide judicial questions Thus: ..
"The future of the Republic will be as the
people shall decide in November next. Negro
equality and its concomitants are of small
moment because they are very small part
of the great disaster that threatens, like the
heavy black storm-cloud that now rests on
the political horizon, to break open and desc
late the Union"
This is dreadful picture, but the Enquirer
Immediately makes manifest that it was only
introduced to frighten us, by showing that it
is not political question at all, and that if
the Supreme Court decides that Territory,
or even State, has no power to abolish
domestic institutions, it will be abundantly
content. We quote:
"If the Supreme Court of the United States
shall say it is wrong-that, under the Con-
stitution, the inhabitants of Territory are
not competent, while in a Territorial condi-
tion, to decide whether they shall manage
their domestic institutions in their Wayne,
as good citizens, shall acquiesce in that de-
cision the same as if they had decided that q
State had no authority to prevent slavery
within its borders; for it could decide, in our
opinion, one way about as well as the other.
Whatever its decision, we agree to it until
reversed, as will every law-abiding citizen"
1t is not plain why the Enquirer should
drive away all trivial soft records, all saws of
books, deny itself all domestic solaces, alb
stract itself from social enjoyments, and
overlook all minor topics, even its favorite
one of negro equality-which seems TO us a
pretty Ozark cloud"-to devote its whole
mental energies and its ponderous fire to a
question which belongs to the Supreme
Court to decide. Are questions which be-
long solely to the judicial tribunals to be
agitated at popular eleetions2 If the En-
gairer and 'all good citizens will scquiesce
when the Supreme Court decides the ques-
ton, then it would seem that the Union is
only in danger from bringing the question
into the elections therefore, the Enquirer s
exclusive devotion to the agitation of this
question before the people can only be in
tended to destroy the Union. We regret
that our next neighbor's condition is so
parlous.
Mr.. Douglas says that the right of the
people of Territory to exclude slavery is
a judicial question. The late Douglas Con-
vention at Baltimore put an additional plank
in the platform, resolving 'That the power Of
the Territorial Legislature over the subjectot
the domestic relations, as the same has been,
or shall hereafter be,fnally determined by the
Supreme Court of the United States, should
be respected by all good citizens, and enforced
with promptness and fidelity by every branch
of the General Government" This, we sup
pose, means congressional, executive and
judicial protection of slavery, according as
the Supreme Court have decided, or shall
decide the question. The Enquirer says
the Court can as well decide tn,
question whether State can excluds
slavery, as Territory, yet il does not deny
that it can sodeeide asto a Territory. There
fore, between the Douglas organ sand th'
Douglas platform, popular sovereignty in, thl
States is subject to the Supreme Court, snC
means Congressional protection of slavery
there, If the Court 80 decide. x r1
The Enquirer is suspected of favorinl
Douglas. At any rate, one or two articles o
Douglas complexion have appeared in tina
paper. Mr. Lincoln, in his debate viii
Douglas at Freeport, [See Follett, Foster
Co.'S DsIates,l inquired of Mr.. Dough-
whsthsr, If the Supreme Court should de
eide that State, the same as a Territory
can not exclude slavery, he would not als'
hold il 10 be the duty Of every good citizel
TO subnita Mr.. Douglas could hardly fnl
words 70 express his indignation At gn iids
50 monstEous. He saidi u Isut s's,a = sN- ~