The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-08-23
NO. 32S

Here is IN analysis Of Mr.. Douglas by
high member Of the Democratic partv
! Gen. B. Z. Butler Of Mass acbusetts
| 1t was delivered at Lowell the other dsv.
"When the Democracy had carried
the election Tin 2e52) for President with
unequalled unauimity; when all parti
had agreed to drop Slavery agitation;
when between North aud South the bonds
of Union were knitting frmer and frmer;
when the Democratic party were in q ma
jority in Congress from North and South;
when the opposition to the successful Ad-
miDistration of Gen. Pierce was either si-
fenced or broken in fragments, and ibero
was no hinderance to The couusYy in be-
career OF power and greatness, what was
it, who vas it, that changed all this =
Who was it that arrayed section against
section, famed into blaze Abolition ag-
itation; struck down, as if By magic to
use the words of bis Con mittee in their late
address, the emosratic party at the North
aud armed brother against his brothers
life on the plains of Kansas! The susweris
the truth of God and history on my lips
Stephen A. Douglas Grant the Missouri
line was unconstitutional, as We nay all
admit. Yet it was q matter of no praoti-
cal Importance at that point of time, and
in course of litigation between party and
party it would have soon been declared
by the Supreme Court and the agitation
IN Congress in consequence of its distur-
bance have been saved to the country
What is the history of this repeal of the
Missouri Compromise Was its repea,
the long thought of carefully sosnned
measure Of most Importance weighed de-
liberately in the mind Of judicious states
mani Far from it. The truth Of ise
history is this: After Mr.. Douglas had
from bis Committee reported bill for the
organization of the Territories of Kansas
and Nebraska in the usual form of Terri
torial bills, and after, too, he had advo-
Gated the extension of the Missouri Com
promise line to the Pacific, Wbie Sem
atcr from Kentucky remarked to him in
substance: why don t you, Douglas. re-
port bill for the repeal of the Missouri
line! Such a measure would be suppor-
ted BY the South, and give you the lead
OF the Administration Douglas at once
said: i will do it ) and within forty-
eight hours this measure of repeal was
introduced as an amendment to the Kan.
sas and Nebraska bill, uncalled for bv
the Southern Democracy, but which they
were obliged to support, as it was right
In itself, and was advocated By It's author
as a measure in their favor. which would
open equally all the Territory Of the coun-
try to the citizens of all the States for
emigration with their property. A spe-
cious, but faIlacious argument, because ik
is utterly impossible, from the very na-
ture of slave property itself, that it should
compete with the emigration from free
States, into country where free labor
could be successfully carried on, and
where the climate causes a suspension Of
agricultural labor for any considerable
portion Of the year. Still the measure
was supported substantially by sll South
ern members of Congress, and was claim
ed BY Douglas to be boon to the South
which he had given them. For this he
was burned in efigy by the Republicans,
for this he qusrreled with the 5000 min
listers North, for this be claimed the sup
port of the South in the Cincinnati Con-
vention in 1856, on his second attempt to
be President BY bid for Southern sup
port. The Administration of President
Pierce having been brought into the sup
port of this measure. and being conducted
upon strictly constitutional basis, COM
maDded the respect of Southern states
men, aud growing distrust of Douglas
prevented his receiving the votes in that
Convention which he coveted, and they
we're then given to Mr. Pierce. The en-
tire prostration of the Democratic party
North, however, because ofthe evils which
Howed from the Kansas bill, as plaques
from Pandora's box, made Mr. Bueh anap
a necessity, and he was nominated."