Year: 1859

The extensive discussion which the Ter
| ritOrial question has received for mani
months, and still continues to elicit from
politicians fairly entities it to be styled tn,
absorbing topic among them. But WI
are by no means certain that it engrossei
a propOrtiOnate share of the attention o.
tie American people Our columns daily
bear witness that we are not among those
who look upon the most thorough and
minute discussion of elementary principles
of polity as Of slight or inferior Importance
or who would toss aside q sound and fun
!, damental doctrine with the cosy and con
temptuous designation of dogma or ab.
straction." On the contrary, we have
shown our readiness to meet with facts and
arguments the common adversarcs of the
Democracy, the Constitution, and the
Union, who have arrogated to themselves
the name Of " Republicans" and also those
violently opposing setSo of extremist politi-
clans who muy be inteligibly designated,
respectively, as the advocates of squstter
sover ignty" and of "a Congressional
slave code"


Nevertheless, we are constrained to
recognize the fact-which every man who
has opportunities of knowing the PEOPLE
and attends to what is actually going on
among them will admit---that this Terrific
rial question is regarded everywhere as
purely and entirely speculative one aud
practical men do not care, nor perhaps
ought they to have much concern, about i.
We presume that no one can bring a single
item Of evidence to show that either the
doctrine Of squatter sovereignty, or that Of
a Congressional slave code, as affecting
slavery irf the Territories, would ever have
been thought of by the Democratic masses,
or by any other portion Of the people, IL
Lef ID Themselves But politicians North
aud South, professioug these extreme doc
trines, have industriously laborcd to diffuse
them and, as might naturally be expect
ed, actually instilled them among their fol-
lowers to some extent at least It has
been the case not unfrequently heretofore
in the history of our politics that particular
dogmas have been Tnoeired7 by those
whom prominent politicians possessed the
power to influence, and, as in the present
instance, to mislead * =


So much can scarcely be said Of the new
tangled theories Of squatter sovereignty or
a Congressional slave code The people
have not reeeired either of these dogmas, so
far as we are advised, in any State and
when we patiently examine the opinions Of
the great political parties that have vital
organization in the different quarters Of tbe
Union, we find that neither the National
Democracy, nor the old-line constitutional
Wings, nor the Americans y nor the Re
publlcans, give in their organized capacity,
any substantial support OF even any ro BAL
favor to them-eleap as the latter may be
estimated


Equally certain is It thai even in those
States where the ertreme doctrines have
been most laboriously promulgated, they
are regarded by the more ihonghtful aud
cautions Democrats who may have yielded
an absiraei assent to them as still, at the
best, only side issues, and by no means en-
titled, in either their absolute or relative
consequence, to affect the unity OF the
Democratic party. In that sentence we
have touched what is inreality, the absorb
ing topic Of the Democratic masses-the
unity Of the National Democracy,


Differ os politicians may about this or
that speculative topic. the people are still
united in cordial attachment 70 the party
Of which they are members, and they CON
cur, also, both in Judgment and feeling, as
regards the Importance and authority Of
the organization which binds them together.
The Democratic masses know and feel,
every day, that the war Of the Opposition >
Is not q war on extremist politicians, either
at the North or the South, the East or the
West-but on fhe lohOie kosi Of ne DeWoc-
gaev. They denounce and revile Dmoc-
aAcY-Democrati men, Democratic meas
ures, Democratic policy, Democratic tradi-
tions, and above oil, the present Demo
cratic Administration.


To make their assaults the more effective,
they pretend sometimes indeed to distin-
guish between different orders Of Demo
Gratis, and seem to assume that those at the
North or South who have shown q roadi-
ness or facility in creating or adopting
new and distracting issues must be less
strongly attached to the great Democratic
principles which the opposition are striking
to overthrow. Hence while they exhibit
an unmasked and unrelaxed hostilityto TO the
President, the Administration and National
Democracy, they except the leaders and
prominent partisans Of the two antagonistic
extremes from their more bitter warfare.
The object in all this is simply to divide
the great and powerful Democratic party,
I a.. II
strength in partial or mutual controversy.
Some few rash and fiery spirits, or ambi-
tious and insidious aspirants, may perhaps
continue TO promote the interests Of our
adVersaries by Keeping up contentious on
inferier issues. But those among US who
have earnestly labored to maintain and sci
forward peace and unity, must be encour
aged by the noticeable fact that the effect
Of these long continued discussions has beer
to disclose to the people the flaws in tht
sweeping assumptions and arguments Of the
extremists, and to strengthen the conf