Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-05-09
Edgehela Court House, 5. G. May 9, 1880

States which made the "cessiop," the,
must, necessarily, be represented by Con
gress, to whom The "cessiun" was made
But what must be regarded As decisive OF
this point, is he fact that Congress may
tar The clllzens Of the District Of Coum
bla, just as state Legislature may Ia,
the citizens Of State. Sir, The charac
ter and genius OF our Tree government pre-
clude, repudia,e, aud abhor the idea .
taration without representation. Sir, III,
Congress OF the U. S. are the representa-
tives Ot the cillzens oil the District of Co
luIhbla.
Congress, as a legislative body, e1er'
erclse two species vi Legislative power
over this district; the one Federal, The
olher MUNICIPAL. The first limited a:
10 It's object, but cO-eztensive with the U.
MON. The last, unIuIIted as 10 objects
but inopcrsuse beyond lhe territorial llni-
It's ol this district. The relation ~ " hlcl
Congress, Stands 10 the citlzens ot The
District, therefore, Is TWO fold First, az
the representatives of the whole Union;
and SECOND, as the local Legislature Of the
District. In the latter capacity, Congress
stand precisely III tlir same reluIion 10 The
clllzens vi the District, as The State Leg
Islatures do To the citizens ol the States;
-and consequently are as much bouud,
III all their acts, affecting merely this DIS
triet, 10 obey the will OF the people resi-
ding within the limits OF the District, as
are State Legislatures to obey the will ol
the citizens ol the States. Without The
conseulol the people Of The District, Con
gles. have no right 10 abolish slavery
wllnlu Its limits. Congress. as the Fcde-
raj Legislature, acting IN their federatIve
capacity, have no more right to abolish
slavery III the District Of Columbia than
they have TO abolish slavery in the Stale
Of South Carolina. Ii Congress possess
The power al all. they can only exercise
it as the local Legislature OF the District,
aud in pursuance Of the will Vi The cti-
zens residing within The limits oil the Dis
tfict. To affirm The contrary, to assert
that the municipal institutions. the dumes-
tic or local rights and interests Of the citi.
zens of the Dislricr of Columbia are sub
lecl to the arbitrary will aud control OF the
citizens Of remote, distinct, and indepen-
dent States or communities, or, which ia
in effect The same, of Congress, is to assert
that the people of the district do mol pos.
sess thea isfi OF self government, and that
The power olCongress over them s pl, nary
and absolute. Who will avow tiris opcu-
ly? Who will say, in direc, terms. that
Congress, or the citizens Of iremole States,
through their immediate Representatives
in Congiess, may rightfnlly and conS,iru-
!lunall y interfere will and controItIe whule
internal police of the District, in Drfiancc
fthc wishes and regardless of the remon-
slranccs Of the citizens! Who, ask, will
openly confess himself the advocate of
doctrines aud prnci Piles no alien 10 the
character aud genius Of our Government,
so Iraught with tyranny and despotisn,
and so utterly repuguant 10 the great prin-
ciple upon which our institutions are
iouuded--the right OF the people to BIZ re-
presented, or in other words. The right of
the people to self-eovernmcut? Lei him
who would strike at the rights Of a COM
nunity remember that the blow would be
equally dangerous to liberty as if aimed
at the rights Of Individuals. | shall be
told, Of course, that by the 18th article of
'he 9Th section Of the constitution of the
United States, Congress have "exclusive
jurisdiction over The ten miles square,
Well, sir, how are We to understand this
exclusive legislative power? Why, sir. in
the first place, it was evidently the inten-
lion OF the trainers of the Constitution to
exclude from the territory embracing the
seat of the Federal Legislature the juris-
diciion Of the States, which should cede
such territory, as well as all other State
authority And, in the second place, thai
Congress. as the local Legislature ofsuch
District, should assume the jurisdiction
and exercise the legislative powers sur
rendered up by the States which made
the "cession;" and Congress. in pursuance
of this right of exclusive Jurisdiction, +"
exercise the same legislative functions
over the District of Columbia, when act
ing in their local capacity. that tho State
Legislatures do over fhe SIales. When
their exclusive legislative power over the
"ten miles square," they abandon their
national functions, and assume the func-
lions of a local or State Legislature; and
all the laws passed by Congress when act
ing in this local capacity. are limited in
their operation TO the territory comprising
the "ten miles square" just as The laws en-
acted by State Legislature, are inopar-
alive beyond the limits of such State. In
other words, laws passed by Congress in
their local legislative capacity, are no
more obligatory beyond the bounds ofthis
District, than are laws passed by the Leg
islature of Maryland, for example, binding
beyond the limits of Maryland. In this
opinion am fully sustained by a decision
of the Supreme Court of heUnited States.
The ConrI decided that the tickets in a
lottery authorized by law of Congress
within The Dirtrict of Cnlumbja. coiIld mt