Summary

Republican editors criticized Douglas for his remarks in Boston that the business of the nation is being held up while debates continue on slavery and slavery extension. The editors charged Douglas with hypocrisy for his role in introducing the slavery question into politics. They considered Douglas two-faced on the issue, arguing for slavery extension on the one hand and suggesting that the nation has more important business on the other.

EXCERPT:

"After a conflict which has no parallel in our history, Mr. Douglas, spurred on by the hope of outstripping all competitors for the favor of the Slavery Extensionists, succeeded, by his tireless energy and force of will, in protrating this old landmark [the Missouri Compromise]."

Full-text web version of newspaper

"In the first half of 1860 Republican editors in Franklin's Repository and Transcript attacked slavery as a violation of nature that stole from the workingman the fruits of his labor; they focused mainly on slavery's potential to undermine free labor."