Year: 1859

| That the recent elections in Vermont ant


Maine, were fought on the Douglas platform o


squatter sovereignty. The Democratic Con


yentions Of each State passed resolutions II
favor of Douglas squatter sovereignty doc.
trines, and declined to endorse fully and cor


daily the Administration of Bqchanan. Yet


the Democratic party has been defeated in


both States, by majorities larger than ever


This fact shows, that neither Douglas nor his


doctrines add any strength to the Democratic


party in the North.-Denaoeratic Standard,
| IN h
| We find the same fact as to Maine set forth
in an able article by a leading Democratic
journal of that State, the Belfast Republican,
from which we have copied below several ex-
tracts embodying the chief points:
From the Belfast (Ifaine) Republican.
Territorial Sovereignty weighed in the


Balance and Found Wanting.


A few months ago, and the Democracy of
Maine confidently looked forward to the spec
dy redemption of the State from the rule OF
counterfeit Republicanism. The hasty and
inconsiderate decision of majority of our
people upon the issues raised was IN process Of
review before the bar Of their sober, second,
matured Judgment under the most hopeful
circumstances each successive election point
ed with unerring certainty to an Immediately
glorious future. Planting inself on the rock
Of the Constitution, it was marching steadily
forward to victory. Thus it was that in 1857
it reduced the republican majority of the pre-
vious year from 25,O63 to 11,778, making o
Democratic gain of 1926. In 1858 the DEM
ocratic State Convention re-affirmed the Gin
cinnati platform, and the Republican majority
of IL ,778 was reduced to 1886.


In 184S there was Democrotc gain of
434, and four members of the Legislature,
having Republican majority of only 407 in
the county that gave Republican majority
of 1928 but two years previous.


Thus stood our record and our prospects in
both county and State when caucus of a
portion of the Democratic members of the
Legislature in January last, passed the fol-
lowing resolve:


Resolved, That we hold it to be sound and
unexceptionable doctrine that if the people of
Territory are in favor of slavery, they have
a right to make laws to establish and protect
it, and if they are oppased to Slavery they hare
Gn eqbal right to make la,os to exclude it.


1t would be an impeachment of the sagacity
of the real authors of this resolve, to say that
they did not foresee the controversy that such
a resolve would inevitably excite in the Dem
ocratic party None knew better than they
that the Supreme Court of the United States
had made decision point blank against that
doctrine that it had not friend in fifteen
States of the Union, and that the national
Administration and seven-eighths Of the Dem
ocratic members of Congress were also op-
posed to it.


The writer then proceeds to point out the
allacies of the resolution, and states that to
secure popular declaration in its favor at the
ballot box, Judge Douglas was invited by his
partizans, who had control of the machinery
Of the Democratic organization, to canvas the
State in its behalf He declined the invita-
ton, but wrote strong letter giving to the
doctrine contained in the resolution his deci-
ded endorsement. The Republican adds:


The result in the State on this change of
programme has been an increase of the Re-
publican majority of 1886 to 1858, or a
Democratic loss of 1857, and in this county
the Republican majority of 507 has been car
ried to the enormous figure of 1921, with
loss of two Democratic representatives, while
14ssl4zfEzs, county OF Lincoln which ad-
hered to the ancient faith of the party, made a
Democratic gain of 159. In Kennebec, Frank
lin and Somerset, where the "new doctrine
was to Cripple the Republicans" the Demo-
cratic loss has been most severe.


In fine the Democratic vote of the State
shows that the Territorial sovereignty as in
terpre ted by the 'new SCHOOL, Democracy is
a dead cock in the pit with the Maine Democ-
racy.


This result carries with it practical lesson
to the Northern Democracy, from which, as
one who sincerely desires the perpetuation Of
the harmony of the whole party upon sound
principles, we trust they will derive profit. 1t
teaches them that humiliating concessions to
the demands of the anti-slayery agitators will
neither win recruits from their ranks nor ar
rest them in their mad career. The true path
to victory is that which is marked out by
bold and explicit maintenance of the constitu-
tional rights of the citizens of all the States,
and an appeal from the run mad fanaticism of
the abolition leaders to the sober reason and
sound Judgment of the masses.


Nor must the lesson be lost upon the
Southern conservatives who are willing to
waive a declaration Of constitutional doc
trines at Charleston, and to go before thsToun-
try with two-faced platform, under the be-
lief that the disgraceful expedient will pre-
vent the sloughing off of the abolitionized
Douglas Democrats of the North, and save
the party from defeat in the Presidential cleo
ton. The Maine and Vermont elections ex-
hibit not only the utter futlity, but the dis
astrous consequences cf this craven and
unprincpled policy. 1t not only does not
bring over the anti-slayeryists proper to the
Democratic fold, but it disgusts and disheart-
ems thousands Of honest Democrats who pre-
fer to stay away from the polls rather than
give their sanction to dogma unknown to
the creed of their party, or to purchase victory
by lowering their standard.


If the Democratic party, North and South,
means to preserve its integrity, and to come
out of the approaching contest triumphantly,
it must deserve success by repudiating the
heresy of squatter sovereignty, and adhering
to the doctrines of Equal Rights State Equal
ity, and protection to property in the Terrific
ries, embodied in the Cincinnati platform and
the Dred Scott decision.