New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-01
SENATOR DOUGLAS.

Dently un AMERICAN Statesman. Sprung FROM tie
People and proud of his prgin-prompt intrepid
set: assnred-he was the best Of-hand, tit-ior.tat
sebater in America-pcrhaps in tho world En-
tering the political arena poor, undIstinguished
uBfr;ended, without family Influence, imposing
presence, or personal following, in mainly
Southerl-born comu'uoiiy to whom be was a
stranger ard Yankee adveDturer, he filled, be-
fore he was thirty-fs years of age, the Offices
excessively Of States Atiorne! General, Assem-
b,man Register Of Lund-Oflice, Secretary OF
State, Judge of the (S;at,) Supreme Court
Member of Congress (lIouse), to which he was
thrice elected after being once defeated, aud
finally entered the Senate of the United Stairs
when but thirty-fye year, old. We doubt that
another Amercau--we are sure that 10 Other
who began political life with so few advantages
ever held 40 many aud such desirable s,atons
before he had passed the meridian Of tho aP-
pointed life Of man. lie has since served foIif-
teen years in iho Senate, or throughout se'en
successive Congresses. always eyiucing VgUr
of intellect aud fertility Vi resource which COM
mauded the respect Of antagonists and the ad-
nliruton Of bis many de'oted friends.
So early, we tb!uk, as lsii, when barely more
than thirty years of aye. Mr. Douglas was re-
garded as probable candidate for the Pre'l-
dercy; but he was not earnestly pressed tn ic12,
when he received, TN QUO ballot IN the Deno.
cratic National CoUvebtIoB, more votes than any
of his c,lnpetilors-9 cut OF 80. A supposed
patty exgcncy finally led 10 "a concentration OF
tho vote on Gen FraukD Pierce. In 1856, be
was again a candidate, aud on The 10th ballot
received l2l votes " lGo for Mr. Buchanan aud
for Gen. Cas- Again the prudence OF the
Convention overbore its more generous impulse,
dictutlug this time the nomination OF Nr. Bu-
chanaD In 1860 he was a tblrd time brought
forward, and now led on every ballot, beng az
length declared tue regular nominee. hut mtau.
time considerable share OF lie Delegates hhd
boiled, exploding the party, and nominating wee
President Breckenridge 10 run against Mr.. Doug
las, which be did. to the certain defeat OF both.
Mr. Douglas had tho larger popular bat Dir.
BfeckiurJge the more considerable electoral vote.
Tie elccLun Of Dir. Lincoln had loug been ~
evItable. Mr. Dougas--on whore naturally strong
constitution the excitement, excessive labor bud
Tree habits Of nearly tbrty years of political
eladistorsl,ip bad already made deep impression,
at the close Of the late s,sslon went houo IRON
Washington probably TO die.
TIE time has not yet arrived to speak dis
passionatrly Of Sir. Douglass great political noe
trum, Squatter Sovereignty, nor Of tho measure
wherein 1t was most dirIuctly embodied, p1pu-
larry kuown ~ The Nebraska bill. Our i1oda-
mental objection to t that II put Good and Evil,
Right and Wrong Freedom and Slavery. on All
equal footing. regarding aud treating them ~
equally entitled TO National protection, encour-
agrmrnt diffusion, 10 we'll known. But though
Mr. Douglas failed. in our virw, to apprchcnd
nnd do ius ice u tho moral aspects vi toe great
question Involved, We pehoye ho cyinccd no want
of sagacy nor OF Just appreciation OF public sen
tlnent, in prop0IudUig that schrme. IL the
Northern Democracy and their Southern allies
were to be held together ut all, It must have
been on the platform 40 devised by Mr.. Douglas
Nor do we feel, booking back calmly the
whole fierce struggle OF the lust ten years, that
Sir. Douglns intended to dliiuse Slavery By bis
Nebraska pulley. What he did mean was To
devise and establish u ground on which the
Democratic purity could continue ~ stand to-
gether. govern the country aud elect him
~ the Presidency. To this end, Il was
desirable il not essential that Freedom
and Slavery should have equ,l opportunities as
well as equal rgtts in the Territories-that the
Government should regard aud treat them with
like favor or like indifference. But tbs gang of
political gamblers who call themselves Z" the
South" never meant anything Of thu sort. They
meant t. clutch the Territories for Slavery-ii
by fair means, very well; IT not 30. then by any
means that could serve the end. Hence the Ne
braska bill had scarcely passed when their satel.
btes rushed into Kansas, Bowie knife in one
hand and revolver in tho other. aud began to
menace, mob, mahreaf, drive out aud shoot, all
whom they were pra.cd ~ stigmatize us " Ab0-
"tionists" and Niger -steuIers'-tbat is, any
who wished to mako Kansas Free State. Hence
systematic nvasiOns, abominsbly fraudulent cleo
tons, and all the machinery al violence and rui.
Gauisln, whereby Kansas was sought TO bc-aud,
but for Northern devotedDess in supplying men,
money and arms, uould haze tcen--conquered for
Slavery.
Mr.. Douglas ought TO have boldly and promptly
resisted these on; ages-it was duo to bis con.
,ictions and his cherished principles thut he
should do 80 most eniphatically. Had he done
this at once, he would hive earned great
name in history, but he would have thrown away
his chance to be nominated for President at Cin
cinnat in 1856 That accursed ignis fatuns, that
mirage, Of the Presidency, which misleads and
ruins 40 many Of our prominent politicians, cn-