East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-08-02

4
in Congress responded to the appeal
But the northern wings, with few excep.
tions, abandoned their southern allies
and, uniting with the remnant of the
old abolition party, raised an alarm
throughout the North that the democrat
ic party had thus renewed, in Congress
the identical agitation which it had sol
emnly promised to discountcnance. This
"fusion" of northern wings and abolition
lists was largely strengthened by defec,
tion from our own ranks-men who aban-
doned us, not because they supported the
Wilmot proviso, but because they feared
the democratic party was about to sur
by Congress, and become an active agent,
through the instrumentality of the Fed
eral government, for compelling the Ter
ritories, one and all, TO accept slavery as
an institution forever, unalterabe and
uncomfortable. Time has now disspated
the fears Of many, and they have return
ed to their old allegiance. The people
Of the North are beginning to under
stand, also, that the true responsibility
for all the agitation which resulted from
the Kansas.Nebraska act is upon those
who resisted the.application of sound
principle to merely formal change of
circumstances. But, in 1874, suddenly,
and almost as if by magical touch, the
democratic party of the North and the
Northwest disappeared. Only l3 demo-
Gratis were elected to the House of Rep
resentativcs in that year from all the
non-slaveholding States, California inclu.
ded, and four of that number, almost
one. third, were from the State of Illinois.
1t required years of constant effort to
satisfy the northern people that the
Kansas. Nebraska act was not an act of
southern aggression, but an act for carry
ing into effect the principles established
by tho compromise measures of 1850
The undersigned do not mean to palliate
a misconception so gross but merely to
relate an indisputablo fact. Our leader
in these eventiul contests, now the can
didate of the democratic party for the
Presidency Of the United States, did,
almost without exaggeration, travel from
Washington City to Chicago, in 1854,
by the light of his own burning eliges.
1t was after such disastrous conse.
quences 70 the democratic party, and
with hearts full Of apprehension, that our
delegates from all the States, North and
South, assembled at Cincinnati, in June,
1856, TO consult with reference to public
affairs. Confident in the justice of our
cause, and appealing to the sober judy
ment Of the people, the Democratic Ma
tional Convention, by unanimous vote,
endorsed the Kansas Nebraska act, and
resolved to abide by its principles. The
result is well known. The nominees Of
that convention received sufficient mum
Der of electoral votes to secure them in
the Presidency and Vice Presidency of
the United States. The fact was devel-
opcd, also, that in others of the northern
States-New York, Ohio aud Iowa, at
least-the black republicans had pre-
vailed by a mere plurality, and in oppo-
sition to clear and definite majority of
lhe popular vote. AT no time since has
the black republican party attained pow
er in the States Of New York, New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Ili1
nois, by its own strength, but, in every
instance, by some combination with the
remnant Of the American party in those
States; remnant opposed TO the admin
istration of Mr.. Buchanan, but never
satisfied to cooperate with abolitionists
in Presidential election.
KANsAs-NEBRAsKA BILL.
The Kansas n ebraska bill was CON-
promise of conflicting opinions within
the democratic party; some of it's sup
porters believing that Congress had con-
stitutional authority to prohibit the ex-
istence Of slavery in the Territories !;
others, that while Congress had not,
each Territorial Legislature had such
power; and yet others, that neither Con-
gress nor Territorial Legislature could
prohibit slavery, but were both entrusted
with the power, coupled with the duty,
of maintaining and protecting that rela-
ton. To harmonize, in support of the
bill, such various opinions, and thus unite
the democratic party, North and South,
upon a fair and final basis of action, was
the task to which Stephen "A. Douglas
addressed his intellect and his influence.
Democrats who believed that Congress
had power to prohibit slavery within the
Territories, upon the one hand, or, upon
the other, to maintain slavery, agreed to
delegate the entire exercise Of such au-
thority, whatever its extent or nature
might be, to the Territorial Legislatures,
as the agents aud substitutes Of Congress
for that purpose; whilst those who be-
lieved that the Territorial Legislatures
had inherent authority over the subject
authority not delegated by Congress,
but arising from a right of self-govern.
ment-concurred in a solemn declaration
that the act of every Territorial Legisla-
ture should be subject to the prohibitions,
limitations and principles expressed in
the constitution Of the United States
And in order to provide convenient
manner for attesting the constitutionality
Of any act which Territorial Lcgisla-
ture might ad pit, whether for the prohi-
bition or the maintenance of slavery, in
case any citizen should feel aggricved
by such legislation, the right Of appeal
to the Supreme Court of the United
Stotcs was so enlarged by the ninth and
twenty-seycnth sections of the bill as to
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