Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-01-07


In difficulties like those which beset the
country at the present time il is much
easier to say what should 10 done than
to do what ought to be done. For our
part we confess that il it was left to US to
suggest remedy for the present discou-
tents we should hardly know how to go
about presenting one. We know what
we would like, but that is only the liking
of one in thousand. The trouble is to
get something that is general and unexcep-
tIonRble in its nature: some plan that will
in theory, at least, not work uuequnlly
either to the North or South. Mr..
Crittenden's resolutions Mr.. Corwin thinks
work unequally. We think so, too. Mr..
Rice's proposition strikes us as being
great deal fatrer, although under the oper-
alton of it we have no doubt that the free
soil sentiment would ultimately gain
ground. But what of that. 1t must hO
so. Power must belong to population, and
the bulk of the population of our country
is hostile to the spread of slavery, and de-
termined, if possible, to Uut-travel it and
Ouk@9EktAn H. Uuuho " ulEuGE W. TOW
can 1t be hiudered? 1t is tho work of
God, or Of fate, or of whatever we please to
cAllit. We know that it isso, be it pleas
Rat or unpleasant to US. II strikes us that
there is ground common to US all ex-
cept the very ultra men of the South, if
We all would only choose to occupy it.
Aud it is this: Popular Sovereignty"
We do not mean Senator Douglas sort !:
not that sort where Federal Judge or
Federal Governor or high Federal func-
tionary of some sort overslnughs the will
of the people 1--WE don't mean any cheat
of that sort. But we do mean a popular
sovereignty that shall be indeed aud in
truth peoples sovereignty. For in
stance: Let it be ordained by Congress,
to whom of right, in oar opinion, exclu-
sive jurisdiction over this whole subject
belonEs-that the people of any territory
may elect their own officers, from Govern
or and Supreme Judge down; that there
shall be no outside interference either by
brides or coercion with the will of the
people, aud that when this will is once
fairly expressed it shall be law, the senti-
mcnt of Congress or any portion of the
country TO the contrary Notwithstanding.
There is no doubt and never was, to
our minds. that this is the true Ameri-
can principle, and evon the sham of
it which Senator Douglas got up aud
peddled round was very popular with
the people. The right to do as you
please, provided you do 1t lawfully, is es.
ssntially an American principle, whctherin
tho Territories or in the States. 1t is
principle that the people everywhere re-
coguise as just and equal, at least in theo.
y, however it may turn out in practice.
What We would like, then, or rather, what
We would suggest, if We had to propose a
basis of eomprOmiae, would be popular
sovereignty made practical aud operative
In other words, made genuine. We have
no idea that tho ultra men OF the South
would accept it, just as We have no idea
that they would accept anything that the
North would accept, They want out of
the Union, and will agree to nothing that
tends TO keep them in. Popular soves-
eighty, real true and genuine, is just what
men like IversOu and wigfall hate worse
than anything else. They hate it even as
Douglas advocated it, even wher it can be
made very unpopular by ths veto of the
Presidents miniOn, be he Sam Nedary or
Sam Black. We hare NO doubt but that
under the operation OF a genuine popular
SOveretguty, every inch Of territory that is
mot PriHa .fseis and uuavoidably unfit for
white labor, would be free. Aud that is
all the kind of territory we need contend
about, The South have been seeking to
take the legitimate territory of white
men, while the North never have wanted
70 tAks The tropical sWsie1 and sWamps,