His Inconsistency

2

July 23, 1858.

The Chicago Journal says: "Did ever a candidate for office, or an aspirant for political honors, present himself before the people, anywhere, whose professions were so self-contradictory, so palpably inconsistent, as are those of Senator Douglas?

He pretends to be opposed to the English Lecompton measure, and yet claims its passage through Congress as a ‘victory’ for its opponents.

He says in one breath he does not endorse that measure; in the next, he virtually declares his approval of it, by declaring that it is a ‘final settlement’ of the Kansas agitation.

He advocates ‘popular sovereignty’ as a ‘great principle’ -- and at the same time strongly endorses and defends the Dred Scott decision, which is destructive of all popular sovereignty on the slavery question in the Territories.

He is loud in his defense of the great Republican doctrine of State Rights, and equally as loud in his defence of Judge Taney's doctrine, that the slaveholders of any of the Southern States may bring their human ‘chattels’ into any of the free States and hold them there at pleasure, notwithstanding that the laws of those free States forbid the holding of slaves within their precincts.

Thus, then each of the positions upon which Senator Douglas bases his claim for a re-election, before the intelligent people of Illinois, is self-contradictory. For every affirmative principle he enunciates, he has a negative one to match it -- and he professes to be equally in favor of both the affirmative and the negative!

Can any man with a particle of brains be deceived by such transparent political humbug? Can any man who has sense enough to distinguish one principle from another, fail to see the inconsistency and absurdity of the professions of this man who asks the people of Illinois to support him for the high and responsible office of U. S. Senator, on the strength of these professions?"