The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-01-06
KEOK u K:
why Douglas did N o. Save the Union

Why Douglas ala N 81 Save the Union,
The career of few American statesmen
is, in these times, more instructive or wor
thy Of being moro earnestly studied than
that Of Senator Douglas. The study re.
quires no great effort of attention, for his
career was logical and self-consistent as
his speeches, and its lessons lie upeH HE
surface. We give, briefly, our honest i'm
pressions.
Mr.. Douglas was Union saver. This
We say as a simple matter OF fact without
meaning anything disrespectful or dispar-
aging. experimenting danger to the
Union from the agitation of the Slavery
question-from an effect rather than the
cause Of it making nothing of the es.
sentlal injustice of Slavery, denying the
doctrine of the irrepressibe conflict"
going in for "orashing out the anti1sla-
very sentiment Of the country and for
effecting complete separation between
politics on one side, and morality and re-
liglon on the other, demanding room for
the unrestricted development of the sys-
tenn Of Slavery, he proposed popular
sovereignty' as the simple and infalible
remedy for all our troubles. Popular
sovereignty was basis broad enough for
oil to stand upon, whatever their differ
ences Of opinion or OF interest, and upon
this basis he proposed so to adj ust the two
opposed systems to each other, that all
conflict between them should cease. The
people of territory had right to form
such institutions as they pleased, subject
only to the Constitution of the United
States. In their political action they had
nothing to do with the laws of Tod, moth
Ing to do with moral questions or prir-
clples, and there was no law for them high
er than the Constitution. IF, therefore,
they elected Slavery, they had right TO
do 1t, and what reason had anybody to
complain Why ''turn the world up
side down. about people for doing what
they had a perfect right to do Only
grant the right Of a people to be Slave.
breeders and siayetraders, il they pleas
ed, and to so anywhere with their prop
erty, and there would be TN end Of ali
conflicts and no more fear of disunion. -
How beautifully logical the conclusion |
Only throw overheard the law of God and
enthrone Atheism in the State, proceed
upon the principle that nothing political
is to be judged BY the rules of morality
md religion, and that the Nation aud
Government are supreme and irrespons-
ihle, take it as settled that the only stand
ard OF political justice is the Constitution.
and that any system which the Constitu-
ton sanctions or tolerates ii right and ex-
pedlent.-do this, and there would be
peace; the country would be saved. This.
substantially, as We understand it, was in
reality the theory of Mr.. Douglas.
Now we do not raise the abstract ques-
''on whether he was tight or wrong, or
whether his great principle" be true or
false-certalnly, it cannot be defended /
moment Oh moral and religious grounds
but as the best argument, in all cnses. is
the practical one, We simply call attention
to the practical bearings of the subject,
II must be admitted that the results of I
the attempt to save the country by apply |
ing his principle were anything but salts
factory. Never a man labored more per
severingly to carry out an idea; never
man more signally and completely failed
IA what he undertook. L.ndnuhtedlr,
Mr.. Douglas was conscious Of having com.
united himself to work Of stupendons
difficulty undoubtedly. no other man
could have undertaken il with the slight
est nope OF success and the fact that
man OF such powers gave himself to the
herculean task and gave to ii his utmost
strength, and prosecuted it against all op-
position and remonstraree with such nm.
yielding frmness Of purpose, only renders
the results all the more instructive and /
striking-his gigantic efforts were utterly
vain Tor the end proposed, Peace and the |
Union. This fact no one can deny. If
MIR. Douglas was at hear, patriot and a
peace-maker, rs we, Of course. admit, he
was also, ~ eteet, among the foremost Of |
Slavery aggiiatnrs his efforts to save the
country and establish the Union on the
ground Of his principle we're, palpably /