The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-06-07

the democratic national convention at Bal
tim0re, in 1852, for the nomination for the
Presidency. On the Both ballot he received
80 votes, the highest number given to any
candidate on that ballot, out of total of
288 votes. At the congressional session of
1858 a, he reported from the committee on
territories the celebrated bill to organize
the territories of Kansas and Nebraska,
which effectualy revolutionized political
parties in the United States, and formed
the issues upon which the democratic and
republican parties became arrayed against
each other. The passage of this bill caused
great excitement in the free states of the
Union, and Mr.. Douglas, as its author, was
widely and vehemently denounced, and in
many places was hanged and burned in eff
gy. The whole controversy turned on the
provision repeating the Missouri compro-
mise, which Mr.. Douglas maintained to be
inconsistent with the principles of non-in-
tervention by Congress with slavery in
states and territories. After repeating the
Missouri restriction, the bill declared it to
be the true intent and meaning of the act
not to legislate slavery into any state or
territory nor to exclude it therefrom, but to
leave the people thereof perfectly free to
form and regulate their domestic institu-'
tions in their own way, subject only to the
constitution of the United States" What.
ever diversity of opinion may exist in re-
gard to the correctness of this principle and
the propriety of its application to the terri
tories,it must be admitted that MIR. Douglas
has proved faithful to it under all circum.
stances, and defended it whenever assailed
or violated. In 1856 Mr.. Douglas was
again candidate for the presidential nom-
ination before the democratic national con-
vention at Cincinnati. The highest vote
he received was on the 18th ballot, which
stood for MIR. Buchanan 168, for Mr..
Douglas 12l, for Mr.. Cass 6. In the con-
gressional session of 1878, he denounced
and opposed with energy and ability the
Lecompton constitution, upon the distinct
ground that it was not the act and deed of
the people of Kansas, and did not embody
their will. Before the adjournment of that
session of Congress he returned home to
vindicate his action before the people of
Illinois in one of the most exciting and
well contested political canvasses ever
known in the United States. He had to
encounter the determined hostility of the
federal administration and all its patronage
and the powerful opposition of the repub-
lican party. But he succeeded in carrying
the election of a sufficient number of state
senators and representatives to secure his
return to the United States Senate for six
years from March 4, 1859, by 81 votes for
him to 46 for Abraham Lincoln, his able
and distinguished opponent. 1t was mani
fest, however, by the popular vote for Ger
tain state officers, who were chosen stimuli
taneously with the members of the legisla-
ture, that majority of the people were
opposed to Mr.. Douglas. The republican
candidate for superintendent of common
schools received 124,566 votes the
Douglas candidate for the same Office,
122,4l3 and the Buchanan or admin
istration candidate, 5,173. During the
whole of that contest be maintained and
defended the doctrine of non-intervention
and popular sovereignty, in the same sense
in which be had previously proclaimed it in
Congress. Subsequently, 10 a debate in
the Senate February %, 1882 he avow-
ed and defended the same doctrine, when
assailed by several of the ablest senators
of the Democratic party.-Mr. Douglas has
been remarkably successful in promoting
the local interests of his own state during
his congressional career. 10 him, more
than to any other individual, is illinois in
debted for the magnificent grant of lands
which secured the construction of the Illi-
nOis Central railroad, and contributed so
much 10 restore the credit and develop the
resources of the state. He has always been
warm supporter and advocate of rail-
road from the Mississippi river to the Pa
ci6c ocean, having been a member of the
various select committees of congress on
that SUBJECT, and being the author of sew
eral bills reported by those committees. Mr..
Douglass views in regard to our foreign re-
lations have seldom been in accordance with
the policy of the administration. He op-
posed the treaty with England limiting the
Oregon territory to the 49th parallel, con-
tending that England had no rights on that
coast, and that the United States should
never recognize her claim. He opposed
the treaty of peace with Mexico on the
ground that the boundaries were unnatural
and incOnvenient, and that the provisions IN
regard to the Indians could never be exc
cuted. The United States have since paid
Mexico $l0,O0O,OOO to change the boun-
daries and relinquish the stipulations in re-
gard to the Indians. BE opposed the rati-
fcation of the Clayton and Bulwer treaty,
and endeavored to procure its rejection, up
on the ground, among other things, that it
pledged the faith of the United States in all
time to come never to annex, colonize, or
exercise dominion over any portion OF Gem
trail America. He declared that he did not
desire to annex that country at that time,
but maintained that the isthmus routes must
be kept open as highways to the American
possessions on the Pacific, that the time
would come when the United States would
be compelled to occupy Central America,