New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-09

progress. and as every man could legally vote
once who had lived six months in the State,
Douglas devoted himself 10 the personal cultivation
of the canal-dggers every man OF whom vOted
for him rs often as the law allowed, and some a
good deal Oftener. BY extensive ppe-layiog he
was got into Congress, but the extension oil sui
frape was not 80 successful as in 1853, when he
beat Lincoln for the Senate by carrying couple
Of doubtful counties. When he first sought to
get into the Senate his very eagerness to drive
the Legislature to support him caused his defeat.
But he was not o man to be put down by his
Marty. and he soon became Senator, after sery-
iDp two or three terms in the House of Repre-
seutstises with no great distinction. Once in
the Senate, the road to the White House seemed
nearly Travelled. Willing to concede everything
to the South, having, in right of his wife, q
plantation in Mississippi well stocked with ne
groes, he still remembered that Illinois was
Free State and that he had position to main
tain at home. Hence it came TO pass that bis
course on the Slavery question was vacillating
and temporlzing One day the Missouri CODpro-
mise was pronounced "canonized in the hearts
"of the American people," aud as sacred as the
Constitution itself, and little while afterward
bill was introduced BY him to repeal that canon
lied measure Not caring whether Slavery
was "voted up or voted dewn," he still did
care for the support of his own State, and,
therefore, gave q halfvigorous, Misunderstanding OPP
position to the LecomptOn policy, failing to sus-
tain the English villainy only because some lead
ing friends restrained him almost BY force. His
scheme of Squatter Sovereignty, designed for the
spread of Slavery, while it seemed TO threaten
it's restriction, was nullifed by accepting the
dicia of the Supreme Court in the bred Scott
case, and declaring the question judicial one;
and when finally more decided policy than
Squatter Sovereignty prevailed at the polls, he
rushed back TO the support OF that canonlzed
Compromise which his ruthless hand bad struck
down. At Charleston, no broke up the Demo-
cratic party upon pretended principle which
he now absndons, concedng eagerly more than
the Convention demanded. At Norfolk, he made
a valiant speech in favor Of enforcing the laws,
promising to aid Lincoln TO enforce them;
yet after Lincoln's election, he discovered that
there was 10 way of enforcing the law against re-
VOTED States except by the aid Of tipstayes. Thus
after twisting and turning and trying TO ride
both sides of the sapling at once, we have Ste
phen A. Douglas brought face to face with the
Administration of President Lincoln, and resolved
to do all in his power to cripple that Admins
tratiOn and destroy the party which called it into
being. The evidence Of this will be found in
the insdous speeches he has made on the In
augural, protesting the utmost candor in crti-
cising il. giving it credit for sentiments not eI-
pressed, aud holding the Administration response
bic for any departure from those sentiments, as
expounded by Douglas. Mark how kindly he
dissents from the views Of Cliugm0n, at the same
time shaking hands with Wigfall, BY way of
hint Of what he is driving at All
his notions Of enforcing the laws ore discarded
now. He thinks il will tako 10000 men 20 re-
enforce Sumter and 100000 men to enforce the
laws. His cndeavor is 70 assume the part Of
candid observer aud commit the Administration
TO the passive policy Of Buchanan, deluding it oil
the while with the fiction Of Democratic support,
while he himself goes on bis knees to Cottondom,
and comes ont at last the champion of Southern
rights, and the preseryer Of the Union. If the
pleasure be as great in being cheated as to cheat,
the Administration will suaor itself 10 be- led
along by its candid friend, Mr.. Douglas, until he
gets il on the brink Of that political prccipice
over which he can dash it into ruins. The old
Douglas legend, We believe, is beware the
"bear" II is a very good legend for Presidents
and Cabinets to learn by heart about these times,
when Mr.. Douglas is around and begins TO hug
them in delicate way.