Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1844-05-14
O., TUESDAY MAY Ia, 1914.

uOh VI IeSlIlCtlOns Inat theS0 words
taken by themselves, are broad enougI
} TO authorize the admission Of the Terri
tory ot Texas, cannot, lthink, be vel
. doubted; nor do | perceive upon wha
J principle we can set up limitations TO
power so unquali6edly recognized by tn,
constitution in the plain simple words
have quoted, and with which DO other pro
vision OF that instrument conflicts in thC
slightest degree. Bat il, with no othe
guides than our own discretiOn,ws assume
limitations upon a power so general, we
are at least bound to give to them some
ineligible and definite character. The
most natural, and, indeed, the only one
of that ature, as has haen suggested;
and which was presented byMr Jefferson
whilst he entertained doubts in respect
to the constitutional power 70 admit Lou,
sIaDa, is, tEat the new States to be adj
milted must be formed out of lerr itory
not foreign, but which constituted part,
of the United States at the declaration of
Independence, or the adoption Of the con
sIituiOn. So far from there being any.
thing in the language Of the constitution,
or TO be found in the exiraneOus and CO.
temporaneous circumstances which prece.
ded and attended its adoption. to show
that such was the intention Of its fraweis,
they are, in my judgement, all strongly
the other way. In the first place the
articles Of cOnCe deratiOn, under which
the Union was originally formed, and
which gave place-Io the present consli-
tuition looked directly to broader exten>
sion ct the confederacy. Il contained
provision that's Canada, acceding TO the
Confederation, and joining in the meas.
ures Of the United States, shall be admit
ted into, and entitled TO all tho advanta-
ges of, this Union; but M OTHER COLONY
shall be admitted into The same, unless
such admission be agreed 10 by nine
States" The practicabilily, as well as
oxpsdency, OF Making Canada mem
ber Of the Union, did certainly, TO some
extent at least, occupy the m inds Ofour
public men, as well before the close Of
the revolution, as between that event and
The formation Of the new cOnslitut ton. -
This is, however, only link in the chain
Of evi fence, TO make probable what subse
quent events make certain, that the fra
mers of the constitution had their eyes
upon this very question: this section
was finally settled. That part Of the con.
slitutiou, as appears bYthe iournal Of the
proceedings Of The convention, was pre-.
semed in variety of formes before il
assumed the shape in which itwas6nally
adopted.
In The resolutions offered by Mr.. Ed
mund Randolph, as a basis for The new
constitution, and which contained the
first proposition Of "that character which
were submitted to It, the power in ques-
ton was described as follows, viz: that
provision ought to be made for the ad
mission of States lawfully arising within
the limits Of The United States, whether
arising from a voluntary junction Of
government or otherwise, with the con
sent OF number Of voices in the legis>
laIure, less than the whole" In Mr..
Charles Pinkney's draft, it was proposed
that, "the legislature shall have power to
admit new States into the Unioh, on the
same terms with the original States, pro.
vided two thirds of the members present
in both Houses agree"- leaving out the |
clause in respect to the territory. Mr.. |
Randolph's proposition, containing the
restriction confDing the power TO the
States lawfully arising within the limits
Of the United States, was at one time
adopted in Committee Of the Whole, and,
in that state, referred with others to the
committee of detail. 10 draft ofa con
reported by that committee, the
article upon this subject contained the
following Propositions: lst. That new
States, lawfully constituted or establish
ed within the limits Of the United States,
might be admitted by the legislature in
this government. ID. That 10 such ad
the consent of two thirds Of the
members present in each House should
be necessary. Sd. That il a new State
should arise within the limits of any Of
the present States, the consent of the
legislature of such States should also be
necessary to its admission. 4th' That
if the admission was consented to, the
new States should be admitted on the
same terms with the original States; and
5th Thatthe legislature might make condi
lions with the new States concerning the
public debt then subsisting. The I'd,
4lh, and 9th clauses were siricEen out
by the voters of the convention; and af-
ter that had been doue, the following
was adopted as substitute for the whole,
viz: 'new States may be admitted by
the legislature in the Union; but no new
State shall be erected within the limits
Of any ofthe present States. without the
consent ofIhe legislature Of such State,as
we'll as ofthe general leg'slature''-Ieav.
ing out that part Of the first clause which
related tothe domestic character Of the
leFritory;Rnd this substitute was subse.
quently revised and amended, so as to !