The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-02-16


are great in the various degrees into which
oratory can run. The Americans are an
oratOricalPeOple, and though there may be
a daily food of exceedingly good speeches
man must occupy an extraordinary pO-
sitiOn, more certainly than to make extra
ordinary remarks, to obtain general public
attention. Senator Douglas has occupied
such . position for the agitated time Of
Eve or six years, and has delivered so
many speeches that the number could not
be easily computed, but in consequences Of
his position IS partisan leader, or as the
sODhistical advocate Of some notion origi
Mating always, at least partially, in per.
sOnal expectancy, instead Of profound,
practicable and dislnterrsted statesman
ship, his speeches demand review. The
last speech Of Mr.. Douglas was delivered
in the Senate upon resolution to the ef-
feet that the committee Of adjustment Of
National difficulties following the election
Of Lincoln to the Presidency, had been
unable to devise any entirely satisfactory
general plan. Mr.. Douglas, seemingly I'M
conscious that he, individually and alone,
held any Of the responsibility Of prOdu-
cling the present state Of the Union, as
serted that to find the origin Of difficulty
it would be necessary to go back to the
FIRST appearance Of the slavery agitation
in Federal politics, and that the recent
Presidential election was, as single mat
ter. independent Of any strange and i'm
mediate sectional provOcation toward dis
order. Now, while it is to he admitted
that the recent Presidential election was
the first grand elimination of the slavery
agitation, Senator Douglas is the very man
to be named by the truth of history as the
instrument by which the conservative
body of the people was separated for the
present advantage Ofa party which sprang
from the old Purtanic free State quarter,
and pressed unsuccessfully against the
true National clement until AIR. Douglas,
expanding with the pride of popular lea
dcrship, raised the slavery agitation to
bursting height by taking from the South
crn States their special guarantee Of equal
ity in the division Of the public domain
and cndeavOring to institute a Territorial
system, to be shouldered by the Demo
cratic party, whereby oppressive MAORI,
ties would become superior to Constitu-
tional requirements and the just exercise
Of Federal authority over districts held in
waiting for the jurisdiction Of State SOW
ereignty. Moreover, Mr.. Douglas treat
ment of the result of the recent Prcsiden.
tial election does not, as he intended it
should do, count him out Of direct and in
dispcnsable instrumentality, but it counts
him in the more incxtricably. lie quotes
from the declared principles Of Mr.. lin
coin, and says that there the secession
movement revOlves. Who was Mr.. Lin
coin and where was the Republican party
of Illinois before Mr.. Douglas began to
arrOgantly call that State my State, aud
to stump it into approval Of his views
of the Territorial question, which he had
opened by the repeal Of the Missouri Com
promise line for the manifest purpose Of
being the brightest bubble upon a new
and temporary tide Of popular favoritism?
His frequent tours of Illinois at length
called forth an opposing champion that
champion was Abraham Lincoln he en-
couraged the factions whom Douglas had
produced and they concentrated around
him while he cOmbatted with Douglas for
the SenatOrship. In that canvass he an
nounced that
"Rither the opponents Of slavery will arrest
the further spread Of it, and place it where the
public mind shall rest in the belief that il 10 in
the cOarAe VI ultimate extinction, or its adVO-
cafes will push Il forward, till It shall alike be-
come lawful 10 all the States, old a. well - new,
North % we'll as South"
With this doctrine be nearly succeeded
in preventing Mr.. Douglas from returning
to the Senate, and made sufficient aVaila-
bility to obtain the Republican nomination
for the Presidency. To all this Mr.. Doug
las was his first and strongest helper
When candidate for the Presidency the
South construed his doctrine as being con.
nected with the determination Of his party
to put slavery in the course Of ultimate
extinction, and said that IL he was elected
they would lose the remedies Of the Con-
stitutiOn and must seek security out OF
the Union. Again Mr.. Douglas became
Mr.. Lincoln's first and strongest helper.
The South declared that douglas doc
trine" would not do like old Democracy to
resist the dogma Of Lincoln !; but Douglas
would not yield; he must be nominee.
He went forth as such to oppose Democ-
racy, for the sake Of the Union, as he
said, to elect Lincoln, as he did. Old Abe
has fine sense Of comical gratitude and
it would not be unlike him to frequently
remark: II feel it due to say that | owe
my elevation to Steve"
In the Presidential canvass Mr.. Douglas
endeavOrcd to aid himself by furnishing
his free State adbcrents with accusations
Of disuniOn against their Democratic op-
ponents everywhere; they shalnelcssly ac-
ceptcd the means he offered them, and
while he is asserting that Lincoln's ulti-
mate extinction doctrine is the corrclative
cause Of the disturbance. they change his
charge Of disuniOn to that of treason and
are DESTROYS Of supporting the Admins
tration Of Lincoln in measures which will
be humiliating to State sovereignty and to
the liberty and honor of tha neonluI Mr